FREE LECTURE: SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES: ANTHROPOLOGY / SOCIOLOGY SEMINAR SERIES, SEMESTER 1, 2017

After decades neglecting grammar in schools, some Western educators are calling for a grammar revolution. The revolution may be happening in some unexpected places. In this paper, I discuss building interest in grammar on the island of Ranongga in the Western Province of Solomon Islands. Vernacular language instruction for adults began in the context of a Bible translation project in 1998. Since then, the Kulu Language Institute (named for Kubokota and Luqa, the two vernacular languages spoken on Ranongga) has blossomed into a thriving grassroots institution teaching vernacular, English, and Greek and Hebrew grammar on Ranongga Island and in the capital city Honiara. Villagers, townspeople, primary school dropouts, university graduates—a surprising range of people have passionately embraced the study of grammar. In this paper, I suggest that grammar is seen not only seen as a tool for practical mastery of English, but also as a form of knowledge that cuts across racialized domains, translocal hierarchies, and social class distinctions.