Re: effects of prescriptivism

sam c wrote:
>
> i'm wondering, what investigations has there been into the effect of
> prescriptivism on language? is there any landmark studies in the area or
> works you would recommend to a wet-behind-the-ears student of linguistics?
>
> i've read Cameron, Thomas (linguistic purism) and the Milroys, but johnny
> five needs more input! yes, i could thumb through the bibliographies, but
> i'm eager to hear your remarks & recommendations.
>
> also, another question, why do you think it's put around that linguists
> frown on prescriptivism? is it a fixation with war, two opposing sides,
> good vs evil, Bush against terrorism, a with-us-or-against-us mindset?

Please read Sapir's *Language* (1921; now a Dover reprint!) and Robert
A. Hall, Jr.,'s *Linguistics and Your Language* (1951: original title:
"Leave Your Language Alone!*). You can't _imagine_ what language study
was like 50-100 years ago, when linguistics was a-borning.

I see you're in .uk. I don't know what the equivalents were over there
back then -- possibly J. R. Firth's *Tongues of Men* and *Speech*, which
were reprinted together as a little white Oxford paperback; nowadays,
just about anything by Jean Aitchison will make it clear.
--
Peter T. Daniels grammatim@xxxxxxx
.

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