Standard Language Ideology and Prescriptivism
Standard language ideology is the widespread belief that there is one correct, uniform form of a language, sustaining prescriptivism and the stigmatization of nonstandard varieties and their speakers.
Definition
Standard language ideology and prescriptivism is the topic addressing the belief in a single legitimate, uniform standard variety and the prescriptive practices and attitudes that enforce it, together with their social consequences for speakers of nonstandard varieties.
Scope
This topic covers the ideology of standardization, the descriptive-prescriptive distinction, the social processes that elevate one variety to standard status, and the consequences of treating it as uniquely correct, including linguistic discrimination and the standard language myth. It draws on the complaint tradition and accent-based discrimination. The technical processes of codifying a standard are treated under planning, and the general ideology concept under language ideology.
Core questions
- What is standard language ideology, and how is it maintained?
- How does prescriptivism differ from the descriptive stance of linguistics?
- How does belief in a single correct standard lead to linguistic discrimination?
- Why do linguists regard the notion of a uniform, fixed standard as a myth?
Key concepts
- Standard language ideology
- Prescriptivism vs. descriptivism
- The complaint tradition
- Linguistic discrimination and the standard language myth
Key theories
- Standardization as ideology
- Milroy and Milroy analyzed standardization as an ideology aiming at uniformity and correctness, maintained through institutions and a complaint tradition rather than reflecting how language actually works.
- Language subordination and discrimination
- Lippi-Green argued that standard language ideology licenses discrimination against speakers of stigmatized varieties and accents, presenting their speech as inherently deficient.
History
Sociolinguistic critique of prescriptivism was sharpened by Milroy and Milroy's 1985 analysis of authority in language, and extended to accent-based discrimination by Lippi-Green's work on English in the United States.
Debates
- Role of standards in society
- Scholars debate whether standard varieties serve useful functions of communication and access or chiefly entrench social inequality by stigmatizing other varieties and their speakers.
Key figures
- James Milroy
- Lesley Milroy
- Rosina Lippi-Green
Related topics
Seminal works
- milroy1985
- lippigreen2012
Frequently asked questions
- Why do linguists object to calling nonstandard speech 'incorrect'?
- Because linguists describe how language is actually used rather than prescribe a single correct form; nonstandard varieties are rule-governed systems, and judging them incorrect reflects social ideology rather than any linguistic deficiency.