Perscriptive vs Descriptive Grammar

[SarahRTW]

In linguistics there are two 'camps'\ of grammar.  The first is prescriptive.  These are the 'grammar police" who say X is right or Y is wrong.  IT's very hard and fast and inflexible

"never use a preposition to end a sentence with" for example

in English, this camp originated in the past when a writer decided the lower class and upper class were talking too much alike  So he wrote a book of "how to speak properly' to instruct the upper class how to use English properly and therefore distinguish themselves from the rabble. 

Interestingly, much of this came from Latin grammar; a language far removed from English and whose rules don't always make sense for English

Conversely, descriptive grammar simply encodes and describes the rules that are used (or not) by a language.  It doesn't say what is right or wrong.  This camp would recognize, unlike prescriptive grammarians, that its OK to use slang when talking to friends; just avoid said terms  when making a formal presentation.

I tend to be descriptive; though professionally I need to be prescriptive.  Where are you?  Do you thin that some things are right and others wrong, period? Or do you make allowance according to situation?

(I have references for this post.  I can look them up if anyone wants)

[1inamillion]

In linguistics there are two 'camps'\ of grammar.  The first is prescriptive.  These are the 'grammar police" who say X is right or Y is wrong.  IT's very hard and fast and inflexible

"never use a preposition to end a sentence with" for example

in English, this camp originated in the past when a writer decided the lower class and upper class were talking too much alike  So he wrote a book of "how to speak properly' to instruct the upper class how to use English properly and therefore distinguish themselves from the rabble. 

Interestingly, much of this came from Latin grammar; a language far removed from English and whose rules don't always make sense for English

Conversely, descriptive grammar simply encodes and describes the rules that are used (or not) by a language.  It doesn't say what is right or wrong.  This camp would recognize, unlike prescriptive grammarians, that its OK to use slang when talking to friends; just avoid said terms  when making a formal presentation.

I tend to be descriptive; though professionally I need to be prescriptive.  Where are you?  Do you thin that some things are right and others wrong, period? Or do you make allowance according to situation?

(I have references for this post.  I can look them up if anyone wants)

Prescriptive Grammar: a set of rules and examples dealing with the syntax and word structure of a language, which usually intended as an aid  to the learning of that language.

Descriptive Grammar: this is the systematic study and description of a language. It refers to the structure of a language as it it usually use by speakers and writers.

Both kind of grammar are concerned with rules but in different ways. Descriptive grammar is called linguists. Linguists is studying the rules of pattern that underline our use of words, phrases, clauses and sentences. On the other hand, Prescriptive grammar is mostly for editors and teachers who lay out rules about what they believe to be the "correct" or "incorrect" use of language.