descriptivists
Language as-is scholars
Descriptivists are those who believe language should be described as it is actually used, not prescribed according to rules of correctness.
The term appears most often in debates about grammar and usage, where descriptivists oppose prescriptivists—those who advocate for traditional standards.
Descriptivists argue that "ain't" is legitimate because millions of speakers use it.
Assembled written works
- fieldworkResearch conducted on location
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- naturalisticImitating actual appearance
- empiricismKnowledge through observation
observation · ethnography · qualitative · recording · annotation · sampling · elicitation · informants
Language's structural rules
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
pragmatics · sociolinguistics · dialectology · lexicography · etymology · psycholinguistics · neurolinguistics · structuralism
Newly invented words
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- colloquialismsInformal everyday expressions
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- registerRecord officially; vocal range
code-switching · idiolect · dialect · polysemy · homonymy · synonymy · borrowings · jargon
Context-dependent truth doctrine
- objectivityFreedom from personal bias
- value-neutralFree from evaluative stance
- scientificOf or using research methods
- usage-basedPriced by consumption
Language correctness advocates
- grammariansScholars of language rules
- puristsStrict adherence advocates
- correctnessState of being accurate
- rulesPrinciples governing behavior
standards · authorities · normative · error · ungrammatical
corpus
Assembled written works
- fieldworkResearch conducted on location
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- naturalisticImitating actual appearance
empiricism · observation · ethnography · qualitative · recording · annotation · sampling · elicitation · informants · longitudinal
grammar
Language's structural rules
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
semantics · pragmatics · sociolinguistics · dialectology · lexicography · etymology · psycholinguistics · neurolinguistics · structuralism · functionalism
neologisms
Newly invented words
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- colloquialismsInformal everyday expressions
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
register · code-switching · idiolect · dialect · polysemy · homonymy · synonymy · borrowings · jargon · euphemisms
relativism
Context-dependent truth doctrine
- objectivityFreedom from personal bias
- value-neutralFree from evaluative stance
- scientificOf or using research methods
prescriptivists
Language correctness advocates
- grammariansScholars of language rules
- puristsStrict adherence advocates
- correctnessState of being accurate
rules · standards · authorities · normative · error · ungrammatical