true and correct

Question

What's your take on this comment when related to prescriptive rules of grammar? Are there true, correct prescriptive rules for English grammar?

"It is possible that in business there is one way or a few ways that reap maximum profits--more than any other method. If you accept this as true, then you must accept that there can be true, correct prescriptive rules."

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

0I truly believe in the prescriptive rules of grammar. Unfortunately, grammar is not as easy as certain math problems (where one plus one always equals two), but there are right ways to do things, and there are wrong ways. People who try to change the language and adapt it to fit the way people use it are only causing the breakdown of our language. You can't throw in a comma where it doesn't belong. You can't decide to write something just because you like it that way. You have to follow the rules (unless you're breaking them on purpose for some creative literary reason) if you expect people to respect you as a writer and understand your words. I absolutely hate dictionary.com, which is more of a descriptive dictionarly. Prescriptive is the way to go!0-

Yoong Liat · Answer

0I learn correct English through dictionaries, grammar and English usage books. From them I learn about correct grammar and usage of words.02br
02br
00Presciprive rules of grammar and usage of words are like the laws of a country. If there were no laws, a country would be in chaos.02br
02br
00Similarly, if there were no rules in English, everyone could write in any way they believe is correct. 0-

Philip · Answer

0  When learning a language, it is good to know the rules.  When proficient, one can "bend" the rules for an effect.  I often use funny turns in my formal writing, but I know that the listener/reader will know that I am doing it intentionally and not from ignorance. 0-

Yankee · Answer

0I think what people tend to forget is that English was not "invented" by some ***-like group of linguists who first sat down and wrote up a list of prescriptive rules, and then went out and told everyone "Learn this brand new language. Here is the list of rules. Don't speak this language any other way" 02br
00Isn't the opposite true? Hasn't actual usage always been the basis for the majority of prescriptive rules? I mean, how in the world did it become "correct" that some forms of 'mail' are now countable? Reputable dictionaries list "an email" as correct. Plenty of people say things such as "I get more than 100 emails a week." and nobody accuses them of bad grammar. Is electronic mail really any more countable than old-fashioned "snail mail"? Did a bunch of prescriptivists sit down and decide the countability of 'email' in advance, later informing everyone that 01i00e(lectronic)mail02i00 is a countable noun? Nope. The "rules" have clearly been dictated by speaker invention and actual usage.0-

Cool Breeze · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Yankee12cite10The "rules" have clearly been dictated by speaker invention and actual usage.12blockquote

10Hi Yankee02br
00Right you are! If we don't accept your premise, we can just as well say that all modern English is incorrect because it would be totally incomprehensible to an eighth-century Englishman.05002br
00CB 010id1

Kooyeen · Answer

1blockquote

01cite10Yankee12cite10I think what people tend to forget is that English was not "invented" by some ***-like group of linguists who first sat down and wrote up a list of prescriptive rules, and then went out and told everyone "Learn this brand new language. Here is the list of rules. Don't speak this language any other way" 12blockquote

10Thank *** you think so, Amy! 05002br
00I always like it when someone says "Just because everybody says it, doesn't mean it is right". Well, the truth is the fact that everyone says it01i01b00 does02b02i00 make it right. Otherwise you should say "thou" instead of "you"... "you" is wrong even though everybody says it, because everyone is actually spoiling the English language.02br
00I also like it when someone says something is non-standard, without saying what they mean by standard (since there is no such thing as a single standard). So I wonder if "aubergine" is a non-standard synonym of "eggplant". It sure is! People in the UK seem to use non-standard English. 010id1

Hoa Thai · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Kooyeen12cite10I always like it when someone says "Just because everybody says it, doesn't mean it is right". Well, the truth is the fact that everyone says it11i11b10 does12b12i10 make it right. 12blockquote

10Hi Kooyeen,02br
00What I am trying to figure out is this: 01i00before everyone says it02i00, it must be invented by a person or a small group of people; so how does it eventually get accepted by everyone? Is it because it sounds good or it is backed up with some acceptable rule(s) / logical reasoning? I could be wrong - but I tend to think that without conforming to certain standards - for example, a fundamental grammar structure - it would not survive. In other words, in any language, words might be born as we search for a new way to express our thoughts, but they must satisfy some basic principle(s). In the end, wouldn't it be true that rules make up the foundation of languages? 0-

Anonymous · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Hoa Thai12cite10In other words, in any language, words might be born as we search for a new way to express our thoughts, but they must satisfy some basic principle(s). In the end, wouldn't it be true that rules make up the foundation of languages? 12br
12br
12blockquote

12br
00Yes they do. All languages have rules. A usage is correct if all speakers in the speech community follow it.02br
02br
00Prescriptive rules are different - they are rules explicitly given and based on a person's or group of people's opinion of what is right and wrong. Prescriptive rules do not necessarily have anything to do with how the language is actually used. 0-

Kooyeen · Answer

1blockquote

01cite10Hoa Thai12cite10What I am trying to figure out is this: 11i10before everyone says it12i10, it must be invented by a person or a small group of people; so how does it eventually get accepted by everyone? Is it because it sounds good or it is backed up with some acceptable rule(s) / logical reasoning? I could be wrong - but I tend to think that without conforming to certain standards - for example, a fundamental grammar structure - it would not survive. 12blockquote

10Hi Hoa,02br
00I don't know, I think that's something for linguists. 05002br
00Anyway, I'm sure not all changes happen the same way and for the same reasons. Some things could be logical and expected, like changing the spelling of "colour" to "color", but others might not make much sense... where does the expression "I could care less" come from? LOL, I have no idea. Or why is it "quarter 01b01i00of02i02b00 ten" in the US?02br
00So I think this is rather complicated to explain, and since I am not a linguist, I can't tell you more. Sorry! 05102br
00But I believe today the media plays an important role in deciding what will be part of modern English and what will not. If someone makes up a new term in high school, if they are popular chances are all the others in the school will start to use that term. But not all the others in the rest of the US. But if that term is put in an important movie, on TV shows, on The Simpsons, on commercials... heh, I bet that term is more likely to be listed in dictionaries in the future... even thought I think only young people are likely to actually pick up "new language."01blockquote

01cite10Hoa Thai12cite10In other words, in any language, words might be born as we search for a new way to express our thoughts, but they must satisfy some basic principle(s). In the end, wouldn't it be true that rules make up the foundation of languages? 12blockquote

10Yes, but we all follow implicit rules, that might not be the same for everyone. You could say 01i00"It don't matter" 02i00is wrong according to 01i01b00your02b02i00rules, but those who say it consider it a possible sentence, according to their own rules. Because that's what they have always heard from most people around them. They are not breaking any rules or corrupting anything. Maybe they break the rules of "standard English", which is what people call the variety spoken in somewhat formal situations, for example by newscasters, or the variety you find in newspapers. Well, since few people can talk like newscasters or write like journalists, I'm starting to think that maybe most native speakers don't speak "standard English". It seems everyone is allowed to have their own accent but not their own grammar, according to prescriptivists, although native speakers pick up both of them the same way during their lives. That's curious, isn't it? LOL 052010id511id512id5

Cool Breeze · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Kooyeen12cite10Well, since few people can talk like newscasters or write like journalists, I'm starting to think that maybe most native speakers don't speak "standard English". It seems everyone is allowed to have their own accent but not their own grammar, according to prescriptivists, although native speakers pick up both of them the same way during their lives. That's curious, isn't it? LOL 15012blockquote

10Hi Kooyeen02br
00I would say that what is generally considered correct in English is determined by distinguished writers rather than rules. I would say that the rules are based on what these people write. Shakespeare certainly didn't heed any "rules" when he wrote his 36 plays, yet quite a few people think his English is excellent.02br
00Sometimes it becomes fashionable among usage experts - or "experts" - to object to some usages. The use of 01i00like02i00 as a conjunction is a good example. 01i00Do like I say02i00 has been objected to for about 150 years. Yet it has been used as a conjunction for about 500 years by distinguished writers - Shakespeare is one of them. Most of those who think it's an Americanism that should be avoided know nothing about its history. Of course they have every right to think it is objectionable but there is absolutely no point in blaming Americans for introducing it into the English language.02br
00CB 030srchttp://www.EnglishForward.com/emoticons/emotion-5.gif

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