Definitions
Based on my research prescriptivism is a view where some people feel a language is inherently superior to others. they believe that this more highly valued variety should be imposed on the whole of a particular speech community.
where as Descriptivism is the view that the assignment of a superior status to one variety of language is often arbitrary and is more likely to be the result of socio-economic factors than of intrinic linguistic factors.
John Simon- critic- well known prescriptivist
John Simon was named the "the prince of prescriptivism"
He quoted: “Why Good English Is Good For You.” - though I could not find what he felt about non standard English, this shows he felt standard English was the right and good way to speak, and that it is better for you. this may show he felt it was correct to speak in this manner, where as non standard English was not good because it wasn't good for you.
Samuel Johnson - Descriptivist
some writers argue that linguistic prescription is foolish or futile. Samuel Johnson, commented on the tendency of some prescription to resist language change:
When we see men grow old and die at a certain time one after another, from century to century, we laugh at the elixir that promises to prolong life to a thousand years; and with equal justice may the lexicographer be derided, who being able to produce no example of a nation that has preserved their words and phrases from mutability, shall imagine that his dictionary can embalm his language, and secure it from corruption and decay, that it is in his power to change sublunary nature, and clear the world at once from folly, vanity, and affectation
Johnson felt language was always changing, when people die new generations come in forming new lexis and phrases, language is always evolving. he felt that people who want to maintain the English language are just resisting change.
No comments:
Post a Comment