Descriptive versus Prescriptive English Usage.

[Never]

There are two types of dictionaries, descriptive and prescriptive. A descriptive dictionary is one that allows ‘irregular’ words and word usage; Dictionary.com, for instance, lists ‘irregardless’ as a word and Webster’s has an entry for “ain’t” though neither would win points with your English teacher. A prescriptive dictionary, contrawise, concerns itself with proper words and English usage. (Tangent: Can anyone recommend a good prescriptive dictionary to me?)

In reference to that I typically characterize a person’s writing style as descriptive or prescriptive, though there are various levels of each. I would characterize Cheyenne’s and Whispersecret’s (duh) as very prescriptive and mine as very descriptive while many of the other posters would fall somewhere in between.

Which ‘style’ do you prefer personally? (Or should that be ‘do you personally prefer’?)
Is it better to brake the rules if yah no what u r doing? Is the ‘descriptive’ style okay outside of dialogue?
Or is it always better to use the prescriptive style when communicating with another?

 

[Wiggles]

I try to type what I would normally say. I would say I'm a descriptive talker, so I'm a descriptive writer.

Descriptive speech get's used more often in my work place, and in my home life. I suppose I'm just more accustomed to it.

 

[KillerMuffin]

I do both with astonishing frequency. It all depends on what I've been writing. You can tell because my vocabulary and usage changes from vernacular to standard to over-intellectualized. Believe it or not the way I speak changes, too.

Though, to be truthful honest, I have absolutely no idea what you mean by prescriptive.

I might add that you are adorable as always.

 

[Cheyenne]

In real life, you'd be correct about my writing style. Here, I think a little less so. I use "yup" for "yes" and even "ain't" once in a great while (for effect.) Or "ya" for "you"- I'll throw that in now and then. I even tried a "ya'all" yesterday (or this morning?), and I don't think any of the true southerners here called me on it.

Of course, if you put me in that prescriptive category based on my writing here, Lord only knows what you'd do if you read any of my written work from RL.

 

[Texan]

Interesting topic... Never

But you're probably going to get some interesting answers.

On this board, I am a descriptive writer. In business, I write a lot of technical instructions, procedural documents and business proposals. Those documents are written in a very prescriptive style.

Until your post, I was not aware of the term "prescriptive". I always referred to my business writing style as "formal".

There is also another writing style that I often use. I write a lot of emails and informal communications to people for whom English is not a native language. If the email will also be copied or sent to native English speakers, I write the email in English, but I use a sentence structure more similar to the structure of the other language, and I never use contractions.

As far as dictionaries are concerned, I thought the only true authoritative dictionary was the Scrabble Dictionary...

 

[KillerMuffin]

Hey, Chey, at least you don't write "don'tcha know" like you probably always say.

 

[Texan]

I even tried a "ya'all" yesterday (or this morning?), and I don't think any of the true southerners here called me on it.

Cheyenne daaarlin.... it's spelled "y'all".

 

[Guest]

 

[Cheyenne]

Hey, Chey, at least you don't write "don'tcha know" like you probably always say.

Ha, good one! Inaccurate, but good.

Actually, I grew up with grandparents who said "aina" all the time at the end of sentences. As in: "You're going to go pick up the groceries this afternoon, aina?" I think it might have been a shortened vesion of "ain't you" but I never did figure it out.

 

[Cheyenne]

Cheyenne daaarlin.... it's spelled "y'all".

Of course. And here I thought I'd fed such a good straight line to you northern wannabes but it was ignored! I think. Now that I think about it, I don't even remember which thread I put that in.

 

[Never]

KillerMuffin:
“I do both with astonishing frequency. It all depends on what I've been writing. You can tell because my vocabulary and usage changes from vernacular to standard to over-intellectualized. Believe it or not the way I speak changes, too.”

I change my vocabulary and word usage as well though I doubt I do it as drastically as you do.

“Though, to be truthful honest, I have absolutely no idea what you mean by prescriptive.”
Killer, if you’re honest then you’re truthful and if you’re truthful you’re honest. The phrase ‘truthful honest’ is redundant and, therefore, not a prescriptive style of writing. ‘Prescriptive English’ is proper English; it means that you spell words correctly, use correct word-syntax, use correct word usage and avoid irregular words. It has nothing to do with punctuation, capitalization or grammar though.


I’ll give you examples.

Descriptive style of word spelling:
I love to eat fresh donuts.
Prescriptive style of word spelling:
I love to eat fresh doughnuts.

Descriptive style of word-syntax:
If you order now you’ll get this free gift…
Prescriptive style of word-syntax:
If you order now you’ll get this gift…

Descriptive style of word usage:
We hope to transition from the old to the new…
Descriptive style of word usage:
We hope to make the transition from the old to the new…


Also the prescriptive style doesn’t allow words such as: contrawise, word-syntax, irregardless, or (one of Mischka’s favorites) snooby.

And, to be honest, I think using the word ‘prescriptive’ to categorize a style of writing is non-prescriptive.

Oh, and I adore you as well she-of-the-Killer Muffin.

[typo]

 

[Guest]

 

[Never]

Cheyenne:
“Of course, if you put me in that prescriptive category based on my writing here, Lord only knows what you'd do if you read any of my written work from RL.”

I would have a massive brain hemorrhage.
Yes, you’re writing on this board isn’t perfect but I’m grading on a curve here. M’kay?

Texan:
Until your post, I was not aware of the term "prescriptive". I always referred to my business writing style as "formal".
Formal writing is prescriptive writing, but not all prescriptive writing is formal writing. For instance, I could write, ‘I don’t have a fucking clue about where your bitch of a secretary went.’ and it would be prescriptive writing. Still, I wouldn’t send that via e-mail to my manager because it’s not ‘formal’ writing.

The reason you haven’t heard it before is because it’s an obscure term only used to characterize dictionaries. I’m reading a book on grammar and as soon as I read about the term I promptly yanked the idea of ‘prescriptive’ writing out of my ass, in fact, it practically flew out.

Still, it’s consistent with the meaning of the word as applied to a dictionary, only I’m applying it to a writing style.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Thanks, Never! That makes sense. I was unaware of the term prescriptive prior to you last post.

FYI: "Truthful honest" is a regional colloquialism. I am wont to use those. Particularly after speaking with the StudMuffin who uses nothing but.


Snooby... *snorts laughter*

 

[Mischka]

I even tried a "ya'all" yesterday (or this morning?), and I don't think any of the true southerners here called me on it.

You're making my eyes bleed, Cheyenne. It's a conjunction of you + all, which makes y'all, not ya'all. But you get a gold star for effort.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

Exquisite

 

[YogiBare]

Never, at which college did you say that you will be teaching later this month?

 

[Never]

I'll give you a hint: we don't have uteri as our mascot.

 

[Mischka]

It's not a uterus! It's a Longhorn! Argh!!!

 

[Never]

Everytime I see that silver womb plastered on Mr. Mischka's jeep bumper I can hear it sing:
"The uteri of Texas is upon you,
all the live long day.
The uteri of Texas is upon you,
you can not get away.

Do not think you can escape them,
at night or early in the morn',
Do not think you can escape them,
until Gabriel blows his horn!"

The mental images from that song will haunt me until the end of my days.

 

[MunchinMark]

A prescriptive dictionary, contrawise, concerns itself with proper words and English usage. (Tangent: Can anyone recommend a good prescriptive dictionary to me?)

I'm not sure that Prescriptive dictionaries still exist. The one I use (Collins New English Dictionary 1999) includes descriptive terms that are in common use, but describes them as incorrect.

The Oxford English dictionary is widely considered the standard. The thing is that descriptive terms are accepted in modern English, which changes all the time. New words and acceptable forms appear all the time. (Pet hate 'fishes' is now acceptable even in technical works)

I talk in nearly the same the way that I write. With certain omissions ("I talk in nearly the same way I write"). That is, largely prescriptive with the occaisional North-West England colloquialism thrown in for effect.