Descriptive vs Prescriptive

GrammarBy : Shamien, Yuha,

Wahida, Sazwani, Syahir

Descriptive Grammar…is a set of rules about language based on how it is actually used.

No right or wrong language.

Approach: Observe principles that describe the way the language is actually spoken.

The goal of the descriptive approach is a description and knowledge of rules (principles) of how the language is actually spoken

Some descriptive rules of English

Auxilary verbs come before the subject in questions

Form the plural of a noun by adding -s

Eg : What has she done? NOT

What she has done?

Eg : Three books NOTThree book

…cont• DG attempts to DESCRIBE the phonological, morphological and syntactic rules that native speakers (L1) INTUITIVELY follow.

• When a descriptive RULE is VIOLATED, it is very apparent to the L1 of the language.

• Violation = makes a sentence sound unnatural/weird.

• Descriptive rules are followed EFFORTLESSLY by L1.

PRESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR•  "prescribes" how speakers should use the language.

• rules about the structure of a language.

• deals with what the grammarian believes to be right and wrong, good or bad language use;

not following the rules will generate incorrect language

Some Prescriptive Rules of English

Don’t split infinitives.Eg : To boldly go where no one has gone before.

Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.Eg : “What is she talking about?”

Don’t use WHO in place of WHOM.Eg : “Who did you call?”

Capitalization of the first letter in a sentence.Eg : The television is broken. It needs to be fixed.

Use subject pronouns after the verb to be.

Eg : It was I who called you. NOT

It was me who called you.The subject of a sentence must agree with the verb .

Eg : The instructions are clear. NOT

The instructions is clear.

Cont…• People may violate the prescriptive grammar rule without even knowing it.

• Violation may IMPROVE the NATURALNESS of the sentence.

• Prescriptive rules are :– Effortful to follow– Need to be taught– Need to be memorised

Prescriptive Approach• Attitudes toward language based on what is held to be “correct” by socially prestigious elements and by teachers

• This attitude evinces complete disregard for the way a community actually speaks.

Advantages

DESCRIPTIVE PRESCRIPTIVE

• Helps learners to speak and write like L1.

•Reduces learners’ confusion when they speak with L1

• When the learners know the rules, it is easier for them to write in the target language.

• Produces better writers.

Disadvantages

DESCRIPTIVE PRESCRIPTIVE

• Difficult for teachers to decide on which dialect and usage of language to teach.

•If one specific-commonly-spoken dialect is chosen, students may have difficulty to speak with L1 who speaks with a different dialect.

•Not appropriate for beginning learners because the rules are not precise.

• L2 will be confused when they speak to L1- as L1 speakers do not speak with the grammar as stated in the book.

• Can’t be able to speak/ write like L1 –because they use standard grammar-don’t know how L1 use the language.

•Feel bored of learning grammar rules all the time.

Summary• Both Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar are concerned with rules.

 Descriptive Grammar (linguists) - study the rules or patterns.

Prescriptive Grammar (teachers, editors) - lay out rules about what they believe to be the “correct” or “incorrect” use of language.

Referencehttp://grammar.about.com/od/basicsentence grammar/f/descpresgrammar.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/descri ptive-grammar.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is- descriptive-grammar.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is- prescriptive-grammar.html