Linguistic Prescriptivism vs. Descriptivism
Where should the line (or at least a tentative border) be drawn between the necessity for prescriptivist standardization and the evolution that all language naturally undergoes?
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I find it that the use of language should never have any real standardization. Language is naturally standardized by its definition. We would not be speaking any real language if there was no standard to what we speak. However, to put an official seal of approval on language is a bit iffy. While it may seem like the better thing to do, we can see how the evolution of language has led us to far more superior forms of language (excluding computer language, which is a new language all together). Dialect is an important thing to consider when it comes to the uselessness of official standardization. People, if seen as outside the norm of language, will only become polarized as different groups (which is already the case). I think private dictionaries is the best way to go. The market will choose how language can change instead of any elitist group deciding what language shall remain. Personally, I love messing with language whenever I can. It's beautifully retarded how seriously people take words. |
