How to Distinguish Between Prescribed and Descriptive Grammar

There are many books available and much has been written about the subject of proper grammar. One certainly doesn’t have to look far to learn proper grammar, learn how to improve ones grammar or have grammar questions answered. But, have you ever wondered who decides what is grammatically proper and what isn’t? Have you ever disagreed with what someone tells you is proper grammar? Then you will be happy to know there really is no such thing as proper grammar. In the field of linguistics there are, what is called, a “Prescribed Grammar” and a “Descriptive Grammar.”

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Note that what most people consider proper grammar is really just what language purists dictate. A language purist is a traditionalist who follows the formal, old-school rules of language. This should be considered a prescribed grammar. On a spoken level, prescribed grammar can be compared to Standard American English, which is thought of as the median dialect. The reason people develop the idea that there are a proper grammar and a standard dialect that should be adhered to is because education and mass media propagate it. That is to say, this is the English we are taught is proper in our high school English classes, it is the way we hear newscasters speak on television and it is usually what we read in the newspaper.
2. Consider another way to look at grammar that takes the opposite approach. Instead of prescribing what a grammar should be, a descriptive grammar describes the way speakers of a language actually use the language on a daily basis. It is only after the language has been described, that it is analyzed and then rules are formulated about the structure. This is more of a “real world” grammar and there are no rights or wrongs.
3. The next time you hear someone discussing “proper grammar” remember that “proper grammar” is only for language purists. Linguists think in terms of “prescriptive” or “descriptive” grammar.