descriptivism
Language as spoken
Descriptivism is the approach to language that describes how words are actually used rather than prescribing how they should be used.
A descriptivist documents ain't without condemning it.
The term contrasts with prescriptivism, which enforces rules about correctness.
Most modern linguists and lexicographers are descriptivists, though the debate persists in style guides and classrooms.
Enforcing linguistic correctness
- usageAct of employing something
- corpusAssembled written works
- corporaPlural of corpus
- grammarLanguage's structural rules
dialect · vernacular · sociolinguistics · variation · register · colloquialism · slang · idiom
Alphabetical word reference
- definitionStatement of meaning
- etymologyWord origin study
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- polysemyWord having related meanings
collocation · citation · attestation · Oxford English Dictionary · Merriam-Webster · wordlist · headword · entry
Knowledge through observation
- naturalismWorldview excluding the supernatural
- positivismPhilosophy demanding verifiable evidence
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- objectivityFreedom from personal bias
realism · pragmatism · relativism · constructivism · contextualism · phenomenology · induction · evidence-based
Enforcing linguistic correctness
- correctnessState of being accurate
- rulesPrinciples governing behavior
- standardsAccepted levels of quality
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
tradition · proper grammar · pedantry · elitism · Strunk and White · hypercorrection · stigmatization
prescriptivism
Enforcing linguistic correctness
grammar · dialect · vernacular · sociolinguistics · variation · register · colloquialism · slang · idiom · nonstandard
dictionary
Alphabetical word reference
- definitionStatement of meaning
- etymologyWord origin study
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
polysemy · collocation · citation · attestation · Oxford English Dictionary · Merriam-Webster · wordlist · headword · entry · frequency
empiricism
Knowledge through observation
- naturalismWorldview excluding the supernatural
- positivismPhilosophy demanding verifiable evidence
- observationAttentive watching or remark
objectivity · realism · pragmatism · relativism · constructivism · contextualism · phenomenology · induction · evidence-based · value-neutral
prescriptivism
Enforcing linguistic correctness
- correctnessState of being accurate
- rulesPrinciples governing behavior
- standardsAccepted levels of quality
authority · tradition · proper grammar · pedantry · elitism · Strunk and White · hypercorrection · stigmatization
describe, description, prescription, described, describing, descriptive, manuscript, subscribe, proscribe