This unit is intended to give ninth-grade students a brief survey of the changes in the study of language from the time of the Greeks to the present. Organized to proceed from the teacher's introduction of a subject to class examination and discussion of an excerpt from a grammarian's work, the unit focuses on the belief that a grammarian's methods, values, symbols, and classifications reflect the age in which he lives and the purposes for which he works. The survey begins by examining excerpts from Aristotle and Dionysius Thrax to show the Greek grammarian's concern for logic and rhetorical analysis. Next, the 18th-century desire for the purification and preservation of language is revealed by excerpts from Dr. Johnson, Robert Lowth, and others. Nineteenth-century historical and comparative studies are represented by excerpts from T. R. Lounsbury and Fitzedward Hall, while the concern of the Victorian middle classes for "proper usage" is illustrated by excerpts from "McGuffey's Readers." Current interest in transformational theory is discussed with references to the work of Robert S. Wachal and Noam Chomsky. An appendix includes a review sheet and culminating activities for the unit. (JS)