Describing Prescriptivism

Describing Prescriptivism PDF

Author: Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-10-08

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0429558147

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Describing Prescriptivism provides a topical and thought-provoking analysis of linguistic prescriptivism in British and American English, from a historical as well as present-day perspective. Focusing on usage guides and usage problems, the book takes a three-fold approach to present an in-depth analysis of the topic, featuring: a detailed study of the advice provided in usage guides over the years; an authoritative comparison of this advice with actual usage as recorded in British and American corpora, including the HUGE (Hyper Usage Guide of English) database – developed specifically to enable this line of study – as well as more mainstream corpora such as COCA, COHA and the BNC; a close analysis of the attitudes to particular usage problems among the general public, based on surveys distributed online through the "Bridging the Unbridgeable" research project’s blog.* With extensive case studies to illustrate and support claims throughout, this comprehensive study is key reading for students and researchers of prescriptivism, the history of English and sociolinguistics. *Found at https://bridgingtheunbridgeable.com/

Fixing English

Fixing English PDF

Author: Anne Curzan

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-05-08

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1107020751

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Anne Curzan presents a pioneering new definition of prescriptivism as a linguistic phenomenon.

The Language Wars

The Language Wars PDF

Author: Henry Hitchings

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published: 2011-10-25

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 1429995033

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The English language is a battlefield. Since the age of Shakespeare, arguments over correct usage have been bitter, and have always really been about contesting values-morality, politics, and class. The Language Wars examines the present state of the conflict, its history, and its future. Above all, it uses the past as a way of illuminating the present. Moving chronologically, the book explores the most persistent issues to do with English and unpacks the history of "proper" usage. Where did these ideas spring from? Who has been on the front lines in the language wars? The Language Wars examines grammar rules, regional accents, swearing, spelling, dictionaries, political correctness, and the role of electronic media in reshaping language. It also takes a look at such details as the split infinitive, elocution, and text messaging. Peopled with intriguing characters such as Jonathan Swift, Lewis Carroll, and Lenny Bruce, The Language Wars is an essential volume for anyone interested in the state of the English language today or its future.

Language Prescription

Language Prescription PDF

Author: Prof. Don Chapman

Publisher: Multilingual Matters

Published: 2020-09-21

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 1788928385

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This book is a detailed examination of social connections to language evaluation with a specific focus on the values associated with both prescriptivism and descriptivism. The chapters, written by authors from many different linguistic and national backgrounds, use a variety of approaches and methods to discuss values in linguistic prescriptivism. In particular, the chapters break down the traditional binary approaches that characterize prescriptive discourse to create a view of the complex phenomena associated with prescriptivism and the values of those who practice it. Most importantly, this volume continues serious academic conversations about prescriptivism and lays the foundation for continued exploration.

The Bishop's Grammar

The Bishop's Grammar PDF

Author: Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2010-11-25

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 019957927X

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A spirited account of the life and times of one of the seminal figures in history of English grammar which dispels the myth of Lowth as the icon of prescriptivism, and establishes him as a key figure in the history of English grammar. It will appeal to everyone interested in the history of English the long-running debate on linguistic correctness.

Do You Speak American?

Do You Speak American? PDF

Author: Robert Macneil

Publisher: Nan A. Talese

Published: 2007-12-18

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0307423573

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Is American English in decline? Are regional dialects dying out? Is there a difference between men and women in how they adapt to linguistic variations? These questions, and more, about our language catapulted Robert MacNeil and William Cran—the authors (with Robert McCrum) of the language classic The Story of English—across the country in search of the answers. Do You Speak American? is the tale of their discoveries, which provocatively show how the standard for American English—if a standard exists—is changing quickly and dramatically. On a journey that takes them from the Northeast, through Appalachia and the Deep South, and west to California, the authors observe everyday verbal interactions and in a host of interviews with native speakers glean the linguistic quirks and traditions characteristic of each area. While examining the histories and controversies surrounding both written and spoken American English, they address anxieties and assumptions that, when explored, are highly emotional, such as the growing influence of Spanish as a threat to American English and the special treatment of African-American vernacular English. And, challenging the purists who think grammatical standards are in serious deterioration and that media saturation of our culture is homogenizing our speech, they surprise us with unpredictable responses. With insight and wit, MacNeil and Cran bring us a compelling book that is at once a celebration and a potent study of our singular language. Each wave of immigration has brought new words to enrich the American language. Do you recognize the origin of 1. blunderbuss, sleigh, stoop, coleslaw, boss, waffle? Or 2. dumb, ouch, shyster, check, kaput, scram, bummer? Or 3. phooey, pastrami, glitch, kibbitz, schnozzle? Or 4. broccoli, espresso, pizza, pasta, macaroni, radio? Or 5. smithereens, lollapalooza, speakeasy, hooligan? Or 6. vamoose, chaps, stampede, mustang, ranch, corral? 1. Dutch 2. German 3. Yiddish 4. Italian 5. Irish 6. Spanish

The Routledge Handbook of Linguistic Prescriptivism

The Routledge Handbook of Linguistic Prescriptivism PDF

Author: Joan C. Beal

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-05-05

Total Pages: 523

ISBN-13: 1000857131

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This handbook provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge overview of the field of linguistic prescriptivism. Mapping the current status quo of the field and marking its two-decade transformation into a serious field of study within linguistics, this volume addresses both the value and the methods of studying prescriptivism. It covers: • Theoretical and methodological approaches – from historical to experimental approaches and including corpus-based methods and attitudes research; • Contexts in which prescriptive efforts can be both observed and studied – including in education, technology, the media, language planning and policies, and everyday grassroots practices; • Geographical contexts of prescriptivism – featuring chapters on inner- and outer-circle Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, as well as prescriptivism in the context of other world languages including minority and endangered languages. With contributions from an international line-up of leading and rising-star scholars in the field, The Routledge Handbook of Linguistic Prescriptivism marks the evolution of linguistics as a fully self-aware discipline and will be an indispensable guide for students and researchers in this area.

Describing and Explaining Grammar and Vocabulary in ELT

Describing and Explaining Grammar and Vocabulary in ELT PDF

Author: Dilin Liu

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-08-15

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 1136199330

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Language description plays an important role in language learning/teaching because it often determines what specific language forms, features, and usages are taught and how. A good understanding of language description is vital for language teachers and material writers and should constitute an important part of their knowledge. This book provides a balanced treatment of both theory and practice. It focuses on some of the most important and challenging grammar and vocabulary usage questions. Using these questions as examples, it shows how theory can inform practice and how grammar and vocabulary description and explanation can be made more effective and engaging. Part I describes and evaluates the key linguistic theories on language description and teaching. Part II discusses and gives specific examples of how challenging grammar and vocabulary issues can be more effectively described and explained; each chapter focuses on one or more specific grammar and vocabulary. An annotated list of useful free online resources (online corpora and websites) for grammar and vocabulary learning and teaching, and a glossary provide helpful information.

Norms and Conventions in the History of English

Norms and Conventions in the History of English PDF

Author: Birte Bös

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2019-06-15

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 9027262462

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This volume explores changing norms and conventions in the English language, as displayed in a broad range of historical data from more than five centuries. The contributions discuss the interplay of sociocultural conditions, specific discourse traditions and structural aspects of language, paying special attention to the communities where norms and conventions are displayed and shaped in verbal interaction. The volume is enriched by systematic terminological clarifications, interdisciplinary approaches and the introduction of new methods like network analysis and advanced analytical tools and forms of visualisation into the diachronic investigation of historical texts.

New Horizons in Prescriptivism Research

New Horizons in Prescriptivism Research PDF

Author: Nuria Yáñez‐Bouza

Publisher: Channel View Publications

Published: 2024-04-16

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 1800416164

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This book investigates the connections between evaluative judgements on language and the larger social, cultural, and political issues that shed light on the practice of prescriptivism. The chapters cover three main areas: language, which represents the traditional roots of the study of linguistic norms in authoritative (historical) manuals and judgemental attitudes to language usage; literary and scripted texts, which illustrates the enregisterment of the values of linguistic prescriptivism as a social and cultural phenomenon; and speech communities, which reflects the growth in scope of the field to consider geographical contexts beyond mainstream British and American English to include varieties of English and other languages worldwide. The book also discusses recent theoretical and methodological advances in the study of prescriptivism.