Prescriptive Approach Vs Descriptive Approach to Language

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French grammarian, Dominique Bonhours, proved on his deathbed that a

grammarians work is never done when he gazed at those around his

deathbed and whispered, "I am about to- or I am going to- die; either

expression is used." Language is in a constant state of flux and there

is always controversy to changes in and attitudes towards language.

This is not something new, as it was the Romans that said the Vikings

speech sounded like the 'cawing of crows' because of their harsh

guttural sounds. The English language has evolved remarkably. The

Great Vowel Shift between 1400 and 1700 shows a great discontinuity in

pronunciation alone. Different attitudes towards language reached a

height during the 17th and 18th Centuries with Prescriptivists such as

Defoe, Swift and Louth. Prescriptivists believe that there is an

approach which sets out rules for what is regarded as correct in

language. Some prescriptivist rules for English include not splitting

infinitives, resulting in sentences such as 'to go boldly where no man

has gone before', rather than 'to boldly go'. The rationale behind

this was because the Latin infinitive is a single word, and so the

equivalent English construction should also be treated as if it were a

single unit. Prescriptivists rules include such things as 'bad'

language as ending a sentence with a preposition, multiple negation,

as two negatives destroy each other and make a positive, and using who

in place of whom.

One famous example of how the result can be if you are forced to

follow a prescriptivist rule is Winston Churchill's quote, "This is

the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put."

Descriptivi...

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...es in language may in the end prove

futile, it at least tests changes in the language and, in a sense,

makes them prove their worth.

Language is in a constant state of flux and change. Different

attitudes to language will always continue and be around, whether it

is towards grammar usage, lexis or pronunciation. By creating a

language academy, we would set rules and examples that may not be

followed by the vast majority of people. There is a middle way to

language change, such as dictionaries, which set out a formal system

of spelling that is followed throughout the country. The main problem

with a language academy is the fact that rules to language may be set

up that the vast majority of people do not understand or do not know

about. This is why a language academy would be of little use if placed

in our society.

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