Discourse of Prescriptivism

doi:10.1017/9781009205870.026

23 - Discourse of Prescriptivism

from Part III - Ideology, Society and the History of English

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 October 2025

Don Chapman

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Joan C. Beal

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Joan C. Beal: Affiliation:
University of Sheffield

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Summary

Prescriptive discourse basically evaluates linguistic variants and sometimes gives reasons for preferring one variant over another. It is most readily found in metalinguistic texts, like dictionaries and grammars. Several basic assumptions in prescriptive discourse that have endured to the present were already present in early centuries and set the stage for the flourishing of prescriptive discourse in the eighteenth century. Prescriptive discourse continued to flourish and became more widespread and naturalised in subsequent centuries. It remains a robust tradition and has adapted to new modes of communication and new cultural forces. Key features of prescriptive discourse examined in this chapter include the degree of specificity with which the discourse was formulated, the venues that published prescriptive discourse, the kinds of linguistic variants that were included in prescriptive discourse, and the justifications for the prescriptive judgements.

Keywords

prescriptive discourse prescribed and proscribed forms or functions grammars usage guides dictionaries correctness politeness language judgements metalinguistic commentary

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Type: Chapter
Information: The New Cambridge History of the English Language
Transmission, Change and Ideology
, pp. 660 - 691

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009205870.026 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

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