Theorist's Attitudes of Language Flashcards
Descriptivists
Milroy Cameron Aitchison Trudgill Harlow Deutscher
Prescriptivists
Cawdrey
Hart
Truss
What are Milroy’s views? (D)
There was no “golden age”
“is there really any persuasive evidence that literacy standards have declined?”
What are Cameron’s views? (D)
Although a descriptivist, she defends prescriptivists.
They shouldn’t be seen as fussy, it shows they realise how important language is. They fear language change correlates with standards of behaviour and education
What are Aitchison’s views? (D)
Language change is caused by:
- pressures from above - conscious change
- pressures from below - unconscious change
(2) is more common as the changes happen naturally, people conform to each others’ speech styles.
What did Aitchison come up with to describe prescriptivist views?
The 3 metaphors
What were the 3 metaphors?
Damp Spoon
Crumbling Castle
Infectious Disease
What is the Damp Spoon Metaphor?
Implies laziness
Putting the damp spoon back into the sugar
What is the Crumbling Castle Metaphor?
Implies English was carefully assembled to a point of a “golden age” yet people are no longer maintaining it. They are letting it fall apart
What is the Infectious Disease Metaphor?
Implies change is contagious, we need to fight it. It’s brought on by social contact
What are Trudgill’s views? (D)
Change is inevitable
Change is neither a good nor a bad thing
Change is particular in meaning, but no confusion is caused due to context or one meaning (new) is more commonly used
It shouldn’t matter what you say, so long as people understand you
Trudgill quote #1
“Languages are self-regulating systems which can be left to take care of themselves.”
Trudgill quote #2
“When is misuse not a misuse? When everybody does it.”
What does Trudgill’s second quote show?
Although something may start as a misused word and is only used by few people; as soon as this starts to become more widely used, it will evolve and everyone will understand the “wrong” meaning making it the norm
Trudgill quote #3
The only languages which do not change are those, like Latin, which nobody speaks”
What does Trudgill’s third quote show?
That change happens through the use of communication
Trudgill quote #4
The language will have perhaps lost something, but it will also have gained something
What does Trudgill’s fourth quote show?
When something is lost in language, it is lost for a reason
Trudgill quote #5
Words do not mean what we as individuals might wish them to mean but what spectators of the language in general might wish them to mean
What does Trudgill’s fifth quote show?
It is what the majority of people in society use and know the meaning of a word to be which is the “true” meaning rather than individuals and the minority.
What are Cawdrey’s views? (P)
(wrote one of first dictionaries - dated)
Older generations become confused by new meanings. This leads to mutual unintelligibility.
Borrowings make people forget their own language
What are Harlow’s views? (D)
Argues against the idea that “Some languages aren’t good enough” for reasons:
lack of certain grammar (Romanch - no compounds)
people’s perceptions of people from that language
certain topics can not be discussed in certain languages
What is Harlow’s main point?
Challenges the idea that if history had been different would people still see those languages that “aren’t good enough” in this same way?
What is Hart’s view? (P)
(Grammarian)
Criticises the contemporary spellings. Believes they are chaotic and illegal
What are Truss’ views? (P)
(Purist)
Language change is bad because it is an act of laziness and ignorance.
What are Deutscher’s views? (D/P)
Argues against "golden age" Language changes due to: economy (saving us effort) expressiveness (achieve greater effect in what we say) concept of analogy (regulation)
What is Deustscher’s main view?
Language change is necessary for the language to progress. Language is getting better and more suited to the world we live in
