Module 1

Question 1

What is linguistics?

Answer 1

The scientific study of language.

Question 2

Linguist

Answer 2

Language scientist
People who study the attitudes people have about language as well as the scientific facts about language
Some linguistics focus on individual languages, while other try to determine ways in which all languages are alike and similar

Question 3

Two broad approaches to language

Answer 3

Prescriptivism

Descriptivism

Question 4

Prescriptive approach

Answer 4

Involves determining the proper use of language
“Prescribe” rules about the way language should be used
Based on traditional grammar

Prescriptivist believe there is a ‘true,’ ‘right,’ or ‘proper,’ way to use a language
And one or more ‘wrong’ way to use language

Relies on an individual or collective group’s intuition and knowledge of language
Introspection and ‘make-up’ examples are primarily evidence (subjective)

Examples:

Don’t use contractions:
“I’m going to work” vs. “I am going to work”
“I’ve already eaten” vs. “I have already eaten”

Don’t use double negatives
“I ain’t got none” vs. “I don’t have any.”
“He didn’t say nothing” vs. “He didn’t say anything”

Don’t split infinitives (‘to’ + verb)
We expect prices to double
You have to watch him

Split infinitives (supposedly bad)
We expect prices to more than double
You have to really watch him

Non-split infinitives (supposedly good)
We expect prices more than to double
We expect prices to double more than
You have really to watch him
You really have to watch him

In the first set, the "wrong" form is generally preferred
We expect prices to more than double
Is more likely to occur than
We expect prices more than to double
We expect prices to double more than

Second set, the “wrong” form is interchangeable with one of the “right forms”
You have to really watch him
You really have to watch him

Don’t was a sentence with a preposition

“What did you do that for?” Vs. “For what did you do that?”
“That’s something I haven’t thought of.” Vs. “That’s something of which I hadn’t thought.”
“That’s something I wouldn’t put up with.” Vs. “That’s something up with which I won’t put.”

Sources of many rules today
Based on divisions made by scholars in 17th/18th century who held Latin in high regard
They decided that all languages (including English) should be more like Latin
Latin doesn’t have split infinitives
Latin doesn’t end sentences with prepositions

Prescriptive rule are also largely associated with power differences in a society
The form that is used by the social group in power (white wealthy male American society) is considered the ‘right’ form
While all other are ‘wrong’
Structures associated with minority groups are often targeted as ‘bad’ or ‘not preferred’

Question 5

Descriptive approach

Answer 5

Involves describing and analyzing language in use, based on language data as evidence rather than relying on traditionally-defined ‘rules’

Descriptive linguistics avoid applying subjective value judgments about ‘good,’ ‘bad,’ or ‘proper,’ language

Requires quantitative analysis (statistics) and application of the scientific method (this class focuses on descriptive approach)

Examples of descriptivism:

“Some speakers of English use double negatives”
We know this because we have evidence on English speakers using these structures

In fact, the use of double negatives is quite common across the world’s languages… there is nothing inherently ‘wrong’ about double negatives

Linguists dig deeper… why do some speakers use double negatives and others don’t? In what context are double negatives used?

Linguists aim to be descriptive because it allows us to answer questions about language objectively

Is there any benefits to prescriptivism? What implications does prescriptivism have for speakers who don’t follow the ‘prescribed’ rules?