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Linguistics Is Descriptive, Not Prescriptive

Linguistics is a descriptive rather than prescriptive science. Descriptive linguistics observes and records how language is actually used by communities, rather than imposing external rules of correctness. The key distinction is between prescriptive rules that command "do" or "don't" say something, versus descriptive rules that simply state what people do or don't say. Modern linguists reject the traditional normative approach of grammarians who sought to establish standards of correctness.

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José Jeremias Ruben Macie
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283 views5 pages

Linguistics Is Descriptive, Not Prescriptive

Linguistics is a descriptive rather than prescriptive science. Descriptive linguistics observes and records how language is actually used by communities, rather than imposing external rules of correctness. The key distinction is between prescriptive rules that command "do" or "don't" say something, versus descriptive rules that simply state what people do or don't say. Modern linguists reject the traditional normative approach of grammarians who sought to establish standards of correctness.

Uploaded by

José Jeremias Ruben Macie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Linguistics is Descriptive, not prescriptive

According to Lyons (1983:47) “the term


‘descriptive’ is here being employed in a
different sense from the sense in which it
opposes either ‘general’, on the one hand, or
‘historical’, on the other”.
“the contrast that is relevant here is the one
that holds between describing how things
are and prescribing how things ought to be”.
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Linguistics is Descriptive, not prescriptive
Lyons (1983:47) continues
“An alternative to ‘prescriptive’, in the sense in
which it contrasts with ‘descriptive’, is ‘normative’.
To say that is a descriptive (i.e. non-normative)
science is to say that the linguist tries to discover
and record the rules to which the members of a
language – community actually conform and does
not seek to impose upon them other (i.e.
extraneous) rules, or norms of correctness”.

2
Linguistics is Descriptive, not prescriptive
“The most important distinction , however,
is the one that holds between ‘prescriptive’
and ‘descriptive’ rules.
Prescriptive dos and don’ts are commands
(Do/Don’t say x!);
Descriptive dos and don’ts are statements
(people do/don’t say x)” (Lyons, 1983:47).

3
Linguistics is Descriptive, not prescriptive
Modern linguists are so critical of traditional
grammar for
Traditional grammar having been very
strongly normative in character.
The grammarian saw it as his task to formulate
the standards of correctness and to impose
these, if necessary, upon the speakers of the
language as Lyons (1983:48) says.

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Bibliography
LYONS, John, Linguistics,

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