Where to begin? Prescriptivism vs. Descriptivism
Oftentimes we find ourselves flustered online, heatedly typing out counter-arguments to smash that random Facebook aggressor into pieces. Why do they think they know more about foreign affairs and logistics regarding gun control than I do? How could I possibly be outsmarted by someone with a car for a profile picture?
It's within this firefight that people slip up, their grip on the argument loosening, and mistakes are made - typically, the grammatical errors and misspellings. In a fury of passion, simple mistakes are often overlooked, but to the keen defendant, every slip is ammo in the arsenal.
So that random kid from Ohio calls you out, commenting back "*your." What do you do? Clearly he understood what you were trying to say, and he only critiqued your grammar because he didn't know how else to respond...or maybe there's something else here. Is grammar really that important?
This all-too-familiar anecdote is an example of the battle of the prescriptivists vs. the descriptivists.
The prior camp practices prescriptivism, which prioritizes a specific language over another. This creates a hierarchy, valuing particular usages, while others are deemed incorrect or improper. Prescriptivists are in favor of the laws of language that ought not be broken, and typically will be the ones quick to correct those who misuse grammar.
The latter school of thought practices descriptivism, which is often seen in contrast to prescriptivism. Descriptivists focus on the common usage of language, studying how it shifts and evolves. Rather than deeming someone wrong for using "ain't" in place of "isn't," they study why such a thing takes place. Descriptivists practice flexibility of language, and seek to challenge the set laws and protocols, believing that language is not being misused grammatically if it still maintains coherence.
The wonderful thing about this dispute, however, is how often the two camps bleed into one another, as language can be as subjective as it is situational. The purpose of this blog is to analyze the many modern-day recreations of this age-old fight, and to explore the very realm of language itself. Rather than taking one side, why not take both?
I hope to keep you, dear reader, regularly questioning the world around you, and I only ask that you maintain an open mind while we analyze language - together.
It's within this firefight that people slip up, their grip on the argument loosening, and mistakes are made - typically, the grammatical errors and misspellings. In a fury of passion, simple mistakes are often overlooked, but to the keen defendant, every slip is ammo in the arsenal.
So that random kid from Ohio calls you out, commenting back "*your." What do you do? Clearly he understood what you were trying to say, and he only critiqued your grammar because he didn't know how else to respond...or maybe there's something else here. Is grammar really that important?
This all-too-familiar anecdote is an example of the battle of the prescriptivists vs. the descriptivists.
The prior camp practices prescriptivism, which prioritizes a specific language over another. This creates a hierarchy, valuing particular usages, while others are deemed incorrect or improper. Prescriptivists are in favor of the laws of language that ought not be broken, and typically will be the ones quick to correct those who misuse grammar.
The latter school of thought practices descriptivism, which is often seen in contrast to prescriptivism. Descriptivists focus on the common usage of language, studying how it shifts and evolves. Rather than deeming someone wrong for using "ain't" in place of "isn't," they study why such a thing takes place. Descriptivists practice flexibility of language, and seek to challenge the set laws and protocols, believing that language is not being misused grammatically if it still maintains coherence.
The wonderful thing about this dispute, however, is how often the two camps bleed into one another, as language can be as subjective as it is situational. The purpose of this blog is to analyze the many modern-day recreations of this age-old fight, and to explore the very realm of language itself. Rather than taking one side, why not take both?
I hope to keep you, dear reader, regularly questioning the world around you, and I only ask that you maintain an open mind while we analyze language - together.
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