Prescriptivism and Descriptivism

Prescriptivism

Prescriptivism is how language should be used instead of how it is commonly used. Writers, Journalists who use language more powerfully, emotionally and clearly tend to stick to prescriptive rules. They believe that by doing this that they are easily understood. Prescriptive rules are; 

• 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 object position 

Prescriptivists believe that language should be used in its most standard form. They believe that the correct syntax, phonology and semantics should be used. 

Prescriptivists

Geoffrey Pullum

• Lynne Truss

• Shadyah A. N. Cole

• Robert Lowth  

Descriptivism

This is a non judgemental approach to language, it concentrates on how language is commonly written and spoken. This is a linguistic approach to language where it is based on what people do with the language rather than keeping to how correct it is.  

"Descriptivists ask, “What is English? “ …prescriptivists ask, “What should English be like?"

  - Edward Finegan 

Descriptivists

• Merriam-Webster

• Alexandra D'arcy

• Steven Pinker 
• Noam Chomsky