History of linguistic prescription in English
Okay kiddo, let me explain the history of linguistic prescription in English in a very simple way.
You know how sometimes grown-ups tell you not to say certain words because they're not polite or proper? It's kind of like that, but for the whole English language.
Linguistic prescription is when people try to control how others speak or write in a certain language. It's been happening for a very long time in English, starting way back in the 18th century.
Dictionaries were first created to help people learn English, but over time they started including rules about what was "correct" English and what wasn't. These rules were often based on what wealthy and educated people thought was "proper" language.
For example, people were told that ending a sentence with a preposition (like "Where are you at?") was wrong, even though it's actually a perfectly normal way to speak in some dialects of English.
People were also told that using "ain't" instead of "isn't" or "aren't" was wrong, even though it's a common part of many people's spoken English.
Over time, these rules became more and more strict, and people who broke them were seen as uneducated or uncivilized. This led to a lot of discrimination against people who spoke different dialects or had different accents, even though they were speaking perfectly legitimate forms of English.
But today, more and more people are pushing back against these unnecessary rules and embracing the diversity of English language. So don't worry too much about following strict rules, just communicate clearly and be proud of the way you speak!
You know how sometimes grown-ups tell you not to say certain words because they're not polite or proper? It's kind of like that, but for the whole English language.
Linguistic prescription is when people try to control how others speak or write in a certain language. It's been happening for a very long time in English, starting way back in the 18th century.
Dictionaries were first created to help people learn English, but over time they started including rules about what was "correct" English and what wasn't. These rules were often based on what wealthy and educated people thought was "proper" language.
For example, people were told that ending a sentence with a preposition (like "Where are you at?") was wrong, even though it's actually a perfectly normal way to speak in some dialects of English.
People were also told that using "ain't" instead of "isn't" or "aren't" was wrong, even though it's a common part of many people's spoken English.
Over time, these rules became more and more strict, and people who broke them were seen as uneducated or uncivilized. This led to a lot of discrimination against people who spoke different dialects or had different accents, even though they were speaking perfectly legitimate forms of English.
But today, more and more people are pushing back against these unnecessary rules and embracing the diversity of English language. So don't worry too much about following strict rules, just communicate clearly and be proud of the way you speak!