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It seems to me that descriptivism versus prescriptivism is a false dichotomy. On another stackexchange site, I was recently moved to interject, in a hot and heavy dispute over split infinitives: --

Even someone who thinks prescriptivist grammar is fine can think that a certain instance of prescriptivist grammar is nonsense. Good prescriptivism consists of making the language more beautiful, rich, precise, and expressive by emulating what's best about the best writing -- which has nothing to do with obeying a 19th century grammar book that codified already-obsolete 16th-18th century usage. http://merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/to-boldly-split-infinitives

This sort of thing makes me want to write a manifesto, but we all know that manifesto-writing is a sin, right up there with adultery, kicking dogs, and writing "it's" for "its." It may also be a sin because reinventing the wheel is a sin.

Reference request: Can anyone point me to influential or well written discussions of this topic that would allow me to abstain from this sin? That is, I would like to see a fervent, fire-breathing Fidel Castro defense of what I've described above in vague terms as "good" prescriptivism. I would also be happy to see a well argued explanation of why my notion of good prescriptivism is wrong.

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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is resource request – Arm the good guys in America Nov 30 '19 at 05:30
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    You could look at one of the introductory chapters in Garner's Modern American Usage. It's titled "Making Peace in the Language Wars" and attempts a reconciliation between descriptivists and prescriptivists, such as Garner himself. You could also look at an opening chapter in the descriptivist Cambridge Grammar Of The English Language ("Prescriptivism, tradition and the justification of grammars"), which covers the same ground. – Shoe Nov 30 '19 at 06:59
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    No, there is no such thing as "good prescriptivism". – Greg Lee Nov 30 '19 at 09:11
  • "Can anyone point me to influential or well written discussions of this topic" better on https://english.meta.stackexchange.com/ – Kris Nov 30 '19 at 12:21
  • Let's face it, folks -- there is no interesting writing on that topic because that's not a real topic. Anybody who's educated knows that there is no good prescriptivism, just like there's no good racism. – John Lawler Aug 14 '21 at 03:23
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    @JohnLawler, a true and complete description of prescriptivism must acknowledge that most prescriptivists do not see themselves as in any way akin to racists (notwithstanding the fact that some descriptivists see them that way). Implying that there are no educated well-intended, thoughtful people on the prescriptivist side of the descriptivism-prescriptivism spectrum is at odds with descriptivism. – jsw29 Aug 14 '21 at 17:22
  • The point is that there isn't a spectrum. There are people who tell other people how they should speak (always "just like us"). There is no "true and complete description of prescriptivism" because it doesn't exist; there is no speech group and there is no consensus. Descriptions would collapse over terminology. – John Lawler Aug 14 '21 at 18:19
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    @JohnLawler, don't your comments also amount to telling 'other people [prescriptivists] how they should speak (always "just like us[, descriptivists]'? – jsw29 Aug 14 '21 at 20:32
  • Not at all. Just stop telling people how to talk (unless someone asks you, of course). It's rude and it's ignorant. No more need be said. – John Lawler Aug 15 '21 at 03:30
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    I’m voting to close this question because it is a request for a resource. // Hyper-descriptivism = chaos, anarchy. Hyper-prescriptivism = fossilisation, elitism, an arrogance that thinks that 1600s / 1810s / 1880s / 1950s ... English-as-taught-by-Gradgrind is canonical. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 12 '21 at 15:59

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I don't know about a defense of either or an explanation of either that follows the plan of your desires. But a not too old book review in the New Yorker covers them quickly:

The English Wars, by Joan Acocella

Mitch
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David Foster Wallace wrote “Tense Present” on this topic for Harper’s.

https://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/HarpersMagazine-2001-04-0070913.pdf

The question is, indeed, a resource request; and a personal preference issue as well.

Xanne
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