What is the balance between prescriptivism and descriptivism?

First, some definitions

Prescriptivism: the movement that seeks to prescribe how language is used

Descriptivism: the movement that seeks to describe how language is used

There is a fundamental difference between these two approachs to language, but neither should be used in isolation.

There are a lot of people online who don't like prescriptivism (me being one) but dismissing it as useless is a bit silly. Prescriptivism has probably always existed. Whenever there has been a person who wanted to tell someone how things should be, I am sure one of those people would have had something to say about how their language was being used. But just being a pedant and getting grumpy about how people use language is not really what prescriptivism is at its core (although some practitioners of it can be like this).

One of the main things prescriptivism has brought about is a standard language culture. As much as I dislike some aspects of prescriptivism, a standard language culture gives all speakers of a language the ability to converse with each other using a common form. Whether it is Standard English between English speakers, Standard German between German speakers, or even Latin during post Roman empire times, standard language has brought many boons with it.

I once wrote an article looking at what English would look like if each dialect had its own orthography. I deliberately tried to make them look different. If USA had really wanted to separate itself from England, they could have created their own orthography. This never happened of course. And it probably never would have happened because as much as there are differences politically between the two peoples, there are definite cultural links holding them together.

So, while there are differences between the two languages (American English and British English), they are minor and can be seen as two different standards of the same underlying language. Some people ask why is it that people like me, after spending all this time talking about the problems caused by standard language culture, that we still end up using the standard language. I can't speak for other people, but for me, I still see Standard English as a very useful tool.

If I just wrote here how I speak in every day life I would have to explain some of the slang I use, because I am aware that you guys probably won't know some (or maybe any) of them. And it's not just slang. There are common sayings and constructions in South African English that are not immediately understandable to people from elsewhere. Then why not just use a common version of the language? Standard English is basically English in a suit. It looks fancy, but sometimes it can be cumbersome and constraining. It certainly is not what you would wear at the beach.

Unfortunately though, standard language culture brings with it a lot of problems as well as the advantages I have mentioned. Way too often prescriptivism is used to look down on people who don't have a lot of education.

People make fun of those who say things like "miss de meaner". While I can understand how it can be humourous to see such a different spelling of a word, spreading such humour around only reinforces the notion that those who write like that are stupid and not worth being listened to.

People without education can't reach their potential. Without education a person can easily end up writing something in a non standard way and end up being laughed at or shunned. I believe education is very important as it gives people the tools needed to engage with the world. But too often prescriptivism and prescriptivist institutions seek to demean, demonise and ostracise those who don't conform to an arbitrary standard. And it is arbitrary.

Why is a tie considered formal when a scarf is considered casual? They are both put around the neck and hung down in front of you. Wearing a tie started somewhere and the practice slowly spread over time and got associations. Wearing a tie is fine. It's fine to want to look fancy, and to want to spell well, and to learn the origins of words. I do it, and tons of language nerds do it. It's ok to spread information and fun language facts. It's ok to want to present your language in certain way. We all have the right to choose how we present ourselves.

Unfortunately though, and I was one of these people, once you start accumulating this knowledge and understand how "whom" and "who" work and why they are used, and know when to use constructions like "If I were", it is possible that you start identifying yourself as "one of those people". You might start seeing yourself as one of those people who is saving the language from the "abusers", those people who just use the language willy nilly and don't care a fig or a rat's ass for "correct" usage. I was like that. I knew what I wanted to say and I knew how to say it.

But if you make it a point to bring up typos and talk about how someone is "using a commonly misused term, and they should rather use (insert term here)" in a conversation that has nothing to do with language, then you might not be helping.

Do I wish that people never made typos? Sometimes, but then I just come back to this idea that communication is what really matters. Typos don't matter. Writing "miss de meaner" or "bone apple tea" doesn't matter. Does anyone really NOT know what these people are talking about. It is a rare situation where someone's writing is so different to the standard that you can't understand anything.

Let's spread awareness of not just the norms of the standard language, but also the great variety of dialects and words that are out there in the world that are used in small corners of the world. Words like rooibos (a type of tea) are very commonly used in South Africa but not heard much, if at all elsewhere. Let's tell people how Minnesotans say "kitty-corner" to mean diagonally across from something.

If you are a recovering language pedant like me, then I have good news for you. You actually love language and the pain and anger you feel at divergences are just fears that the language you love is going to change into something lesser or something that isn't as useful as it once was. But that is just not going to happen. Language has been around for thousands of years and it will continue to evolve to meet to the challenges of the day.

However, if you correct people's grammar or typos unsolicited in a discussion that has nothing to do with language, then I have some bad news for you. You might be an asshole. If you are only doing it to put people down, then your comments aren't welcome. You are a detriment to people's relationship with language and a detriment to the language community as a whole.

Language evolved to meet the needs of our ancestors and it has been evolving ever since. We have invented conjugations, consonant gradations, sandhi, present perfects, subjunctives and all sorts of other things. Let us spread knowledge about this marvellous thing. Let us show people all the different things language can do.

"y u no" and "you do me a frighten" are just as valid of study as "To be or not to be, that is the question". They all are expressions of humanity. The only time where it is useful to speak up about a language form is when there is a break down in communication. If someone said "cod" when they meant "tuna" then they are not sending the message they intended.

But if someone types "I want to go for a dirve in my new car" does anyone really not know what they are talking about?

Education has to include a certain degree of prescriptivism. You have to teach the norms and test people's ability to reproduce those norms. This page is about language in all its variety. It will not be teaching Standard English. It has, and will continue to look at all the languages around the world. There are places all over the internet that can teach you Standard English and what is expected from you in the business world.

You will probably not find much, if any, of that advice here. That said though, I will use predominantly Standard English here because it facilitates the goal of communicating about the world of languages. We should use the tool as the tool was intended. A spade was made for digging holes, not for hitting people over the head, even though you could do that with it.

My goal with this page is to have fun with language and to show the rich diversity of expression that exists in the world. Language says something about who we all are as humans and language itself is the tool we can all use to further our exploration of it. Revel in the diversity, while also learning more about how you can improve your communication to better express yourself and become more connected with the world.

There is a balance to be found between prescriptivism and descriptivism