1B - Standard/Non-Standard Theories

Prescriptivism

A attitude towards language which states that there is a correct form (Standard English), which should be adhered to. If individuals do not, they should be corrected.



Descriptivism

An attitude towards language in which thinkers accept that change and variation are natural parts of language and that STANDARD English should merely be seen as a useful tool rather than a strict rule system.



Norman Tebbit - Politican - 1980s (Not a theorist but a useful prescriptivist quote)

Said - 'If you allow standards to slip to the stage where good English is no better than bad English, where people turn up filthy…at school…all those things tend to cause people to have no standards at all, and once you lose standards then there’s no imperative to stay out of crime.'



Donald MacKinnon

Identified - these attitudes which people have towards language:

Language use as correct or incorrect
Language use as pleasant or ugly
Language examples as socially acceptable or unacceptable
Language examples as morally acceptable or unacceptable
Language examples as appropriate or inappropriate in their context



Norman Fairclough

Came up with - CONVERSATIONALISATION - the belief that standards of written writing have slipped as people have become exposed more and more to spoken forms and technologies.



Dennis Freeborn

Identified - these attitudes which people have towards language:

The Incorrectness view - Non-Standard uses of language are incorrect. He refutes this, saying that prestige for Standard English comes through historical fashion rather than anything technical.

The Ugliness view - Non-Standard language forms are UGLY. He identifies that this seems to be based in peoples' social prejudices.

The Impreciseness view - Some accents are seen as lazy or sloppy by society.

Note - these are not HIS view. They are attitudes he identifies in OTHERS.



Peter Trudgill - Descriptivist

Said - 'English speakers should be encouraged to be more tolerant towards the dialects of others, and to feel free to use and preserve their own dialects if they wish'

Said - 'Traditional Dialects and Modern Dialects of England are part of our linguistic environment, and should be protected, just as our physical environment should be protected'

Believes - It is important for cultures to use STD English as a tool and means of communication, but also to preserve and values regional variations/become more tolerant.

John Honey - More towards Presciptivist, but not too far

Said - 'There is a simplistic argument which says...we should change society to accommodate the characteristics of the child. Those who use this argument to deny children access to any awareness of the implications of speaking with one accent rather than another are doing them an obvious disservice.'

Said - 'So long as accents persist, they will be made the excuse for some people to discriminate against others and belittle them'

Believes - While accents and dialects are important, it is bsolutely necessary to have a standard, and everybody should be taught the importance of using it. It is unrealistic to ever think regional accents will be given prestige in the 'real world' so people need to be honest with young people and get them to learn to speak/write properly.

Jean Aitchison

Identified - these ways of explaining how people see non-standard English:

The Damp Spoon metaphor - A PRESCRIPTIVIST attitude that some member of society have. NSTD English occurs because of LAZINESS.

The Crumbling Castle metaphor - Another PRESCRIPTIVIST attitude. English was once perfect but is slowly being chipped away at by people using NSTD English.

The Infectious Disease metaphor - Again, PRESCRIPTIVIST. NSTD English can be caught and spread like a disease. This is quite worrying as it links quite closely with attitudes to class/race too.

Key Terms

Convergence - Changing your way of communication to make it more like those around you. Can be done subconsciously or subconsciously.

Divergence - Changing your way of communication to set yourself apart from those around you.

Code Switching - The ability to use different levels of formality, dialect or standard English in different contexts or social situations, so that you can 'fit in' with multiple people.

Prestige - The significance or importance which society gives to a form of English. SE has lots of prestige, for example.

Overt Prestige - When a language form has lots of prestige that is agreed upon by the variety of people.

Covert Prestige - When a language form has prestige but in a more local, precise or unspoken way - such as using a broad scouse accent at a football match.

SE - Standard English abbreviation.

Received Pronunciation/RP - The proper pronunciation of SE - like the Queen's accent.

Howard Giles/Accommodation Theory - The idea that there will always be some degree of movement within conversation in order to make the communication more clearly understood. Incorporates idea like divergence/convergence/code switching etc.