Descriptivist Vs. Prescriptivism In The English Language

In the pursuit to find the differences between descriptivism and prescriptivism this paper will discuss what descriptivism is and what prescriptivism is. The first part of the paper will introduce both descriptivism and prescriptivism in detail. The author will go on to explore what descriptivism is and what attitude to writing and speaking it represents. This paper will discuss the various settings in which descriptivism and prescriptivism can be used in and which settings they should not be used in. The author found that people with a descriptive attitude will most likely be humble towards grammatical mistakes in the English language. The author of came to the conclusion that both prescriptivism and descriptivism are needed in the English

The advantage that this offers is that it allows a person to be creative and expressive in their writing and music without worrying about correct grammar usage. Being informal can also create a relaxed mood to a conversation whether written or spoken. Descriptivism helps non-native speakers to learn to communicate and write English as they will focus more on fluency then accuracy. “One of the non-native speakers considered it most important in a learning situation to give the pupils self-cnfidence.” (Bäckström,

In order for a lecturer to give a clear and understandable lecture it is required for them to have a prescriptive attitude when speaking to the students.

Science. Scientific research papers have to be clear and precise so a prescriptive attitude is required to ensure this. Research that has grammatical mistakes could lead to misinterpretation of the data.

Disadvantages

Prescriptivism has a few disadvantages to it that could make it an inadequate attitude for certain settings. This attitude is not conducive to creative writing as it makes it can make it difficult for writers to freely express themselves creatively. It can be challenging for non-native speakers or low level educated people to understand a person with a prescriptive attitude to writing and speaking, as the writer will most likely use an extensive range of vocabulary.

Advantages

A prescriptive attitude can be good for formal settings as it presents a clear and precise way of writing and speaking, as grammar and language rules are followed strictly. Being prescriptive can show that a person is educated and has mastered the English language. If language is clear and concise it is not possible to misconstrue its meaning and message.

Contrasting of Descriptivism and