Grammar War Prespictives versus Descriptives
The conflict, which lies at the heart of the so-called “Usage Wars,” is the epic battle between the “Descriptivist’s” and the “Prescriptivists.”To a Descriptivist, there are no such things as “correct” or “incorrect” where language is concerned. There is only the multi-faceted spectrum of human communication and the myriad ways in which people convey meaning to one another. Descriptivist’s note that language, like etiquette or fashion, is largely a function of class. In other words, a society’s official rules of grammar and lexicon reflect the attitudes of whoever happens to be in power.The Prescriptivists, however, believe that language is as much an art form as a utility. It is one thing to name objects and command that traffic laws be obeyed, another thing to express oneself with clarity, precision and cultivation. It is the difference between playing a scale and playing a sonata, or between eating for nourishment and eating for pleasure. One way gets the job done, the other gets it done well.Who is right? Why? (about 300 words)
