Prescriptivism and Descriptivism

Prescriptivism

What is prescriptivism?

Prescriptive linguistic views favour one variety or manner of speaking over others, often calling deviations for their view incorrect or improper. Prescriptive linguists are often described as 'normative', meaning their rules are based on normal usage and they determine how language features such as spelling and grammar should be. Examples of prescriptivism rules include:

• Don't end a sentence with a preposition
• Don't split infinitives
• Don't use the passive voice
• Don't use the pronoun "I" in objective position

However, even prescriptivists can disagree amongst themsekves, depending on what manner/variety of speaking they have chosen to champion. Different prescriptivists will follow different sets of rules according to what they believe to be "correct".

Prescriptivists:

• Lynne Truss
• Geoffrey Nunberg
• John Honey

Lynne Truss

Lynne Truss is the author of the non-fiction book 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. She believes that the use of punctuation in the United Kingdom and the United States is becoming more relaxed, and does not appreciate. Her book looks to remind people of the importance of 'correct' grammar usage. 

Truss argues that the deterioration of punctuation standards could be penned down to the Bolshevik printers of St. Petersburg. In historic times these printers demanded to be paid the same rates for punctuation marks as they did for letters, thus encouraging customers to drop those all important commas and colons.

Descriptivism

What is descriptivism?

Descriptivism is the liberal approach to language, descriptive linguists believing that it is how language is used that is important and study its use within a variety of speech communities. It is a scietific study of language that does not try to confine it within rules or 'correctness'.

Descriptivists:

• Jean Aitchison
• David Crystal
• Steven Pinker

Jean Aitchison

Jean Aitchison is a professor of English and Communication and a descriptive linguist. She crafted the theory of the "web of worries", believe that many worries and doubts about change in the English language are built of false information and negative opinions. She believes that language change should be accepted. 

Aitchison also uses three metaphors to describe the views of prescriptivists:

• The 'Damp Spoon' Syndrom - the idea that people are becoming lazy with language
• The 'Crumbling Castle' View - the idea that language was once perfect, and has been deteriorating over time
• The 'Infectious Disease' View - the idea that 'bad language' has been developing through the influence of those who use it