Armstrong, N and Mackenzie, I (2015) On prescriptivism and ideology. Representaciones. Revista de Estudios sobre Representación en Arte, Ciencia y Filosofía, 11 (2). pp. 27-58. ISSN 1669-8401
Abstract
In this article we explore the prescriptive approach to language use in its relation to ideology, past and present. Before Saussure, prescriptivists formulated rules from an instrumental perspective, which saw formal language as a means to persuade, partly by borrowing authority from august sources. We can now see this view as an ideology, and by analysing the mental components of ideology further we argue that the modern prescriptive approach to language appeals to a hierarchical view of society, and hence of language. This view is in conflict with the more recent ideology of equality, and contemporary processes of standardisation need to be understood by reference to this conflict. We argue at the same time that modern ‘descriptive’ linguistics, by taking the standard as its model, risks contamination from prescriptivism.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © SIRCA Publicaciones Academicas. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy |
Keywords: | Prescriptive; Descriptive; Ideology; Standard language; Variation |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) > French (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 20 Oct 2016 10:00 |
Last Modified: | 27 Jan 2017 11:30 |
Published Version: | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/repr/article... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SIRCA Publicaciones Academicas |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:97804 |