Standard language
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| - | Most work currently done under the name "[[linguistics]]" is purely [[descriptive]]; the linguists seek to clarify the nature of language without passing [[value judgment]]s or trying to chart future language directions. Nonetheless, there are many professionals and amateurs who also prescribe rules of language, holding a particular standard out for all to follow. | + | A '''standard language''' (also '''standard dialect''' or '''standardized dialect''') is a language [[Variety (linguistics)|variety]] used by a group of people in their public [[discourse]]. |
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| - | Whereas prescriptivists might want to stamp out what they perceive as "incorrect usage", descriptivists seek to find the root of such usage; they might describe it simply as "idiosyncratic", or they may discover a regularity that the prescriptivists don't like because it is perhaps too new or from a dialect they don't approve of. | + | |
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| - | In the U.S., the [[Webster's Third New International Dictionary]] (1961) was the first descriptive rather than prescriptive dictionary. | + | |
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| - | ==Description and prescription== | + | |
| - | [[descriptive linguistics]]|[[linguistic prescription]] | + | |
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| - | Linguistics is '''descriptive'''; linguists describe and explain features of language without making subjective judgments on whether a particular feature is "right" or "wrong". This is analogous to practice in other sciences: A [[zoologist]] studies the animal kingdom without making subjective judgments on whether a particular animal is better or worse than another. | + | |
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| - | '''Prescription''', on the other hand, is an attempt to promote particular linguistic usages over others, often favouring a particular dialect or "[[acrolect]]". This may have the aim of establishing a [[Standard language|linguistic standard]], which can aid communication over large geographical areas. It may also, however, be an attempt by speakers of one language or dialect to exert influence over speakers of other languages or dialects (see [[Linguistic imperialism]]). An extreme version of prescriptivism can be found among [[censorship|censors]], who attempt to eradicate words and structures that they consider to be destructive to society. | + | |
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| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | * [[Official language]] | ||
| + | * [[National language]] | ||
| + | * [[Literary language]] | ||
| + | * [[Classical language]] | ||
| + | * [[Ausbausprache, Abstandsprache and Dachsprache]] | ||
| + | * [[Dialect continuum]] | ||
| + | * [[Pluricentric language]] | ||
| + | * [[Orthography]] | ||
| + | * [[Koiné language]] | ||
| + | * [[Nonstandard dialect]] | ||
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Revision as of 15:33, 21 June 2012
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A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a language variety used by a group of people in their public discourse.
See also
- Official language
- National language
- Literary language
- Classical language
- Ausbausprache, Abstandsprache and Dachsprache
- Dialect continuum
- Pluricentric language
- Orthography
- Koiné language
- Nonstandard dialect
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Standard language" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
