DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR: THE PREVAILING AUTHORITY Author: Archer Bishop (aka Centaur Priest) Page 1 of 7 ROLE OF THE DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR: THE DOMINATING AUTHORITY Archer Bishop ABSTRACT It is a heavily debated issue: To define language, which one is the controlling authority between the Descriptive Grammar (DG) and Prescriptive Grammar (PG)? Observing those debates, it seems like the debaters make it unnecessarily complex. I think the logic in favor of the DG is pretty straightforward. And the objective of this paper is to explain in simple manner the reason that the DG is the dominating authority. PREVAILING GRAMMAR Descriptive Grammar vs Prescriptive Grammar Descriptive Grammar: The Dominating Authority Part 1 Descriptive Grammar (DG) The DG is a grammar that defines language. In doing so, the DG relies on the linguistic patterns as exist in the natural usage by the NSs at the time of the inquiry. In other words, under this grammar, the construction of language is that which the NSs naturally and commonly use. For example: Bob wants to ask you whether you said it. To ask this question, Bob says, “You said it?” (as opposed to “Did you say it?”). Although “You said it” is an affirmative statement, Bob uses his tonal expression to make it interrogative. This type of questioning pattern is not an isolated incident, but the NSs use DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR: THE PREVAILING AUTHORITY Author: Archer Bishop (aka Centaur Priest) Page 2 of 7 it always in everyday life. Therefore, under the DG, it is perfectly acceptable in the spoken English. Prescriptive Grammar (PG) The PG is the grammar that defines language according to a set of structured rules prescribed by certain authorities. It concerns little about the natural use. In plain term, this grammar limits the structure of the linguistic items to the book rules. For example: Irrespective of the fact that the NSs frequently use Bob’s aforementioned questioning pattern, the PG says it is unacceptable because Bob doesn’t articulate it as “Did you say it?” The relevant question is then: Which grammar should we follow? The answer is: BOTH. Well, then, if there is a disagreement between them, which one must prevail? The straightforward answer is the DG. Why? People used to speak even when no book existed. At that time, what rules did they follow? The rules as existed in the natural use or the DG. Where did the book rules come from? The linguists observed the language as existed in the natural use and discovered the patterns from there. Then they recorded those patterns and prescribed to use them uniformly – only then did they become structured rules or the PG. Therefore, the DG gave birth to the PG. Is the PG same as it was three hundred years ago? No. Why? Because the structure of language changed (and constantly changes) through natural use throughout the time, and, as its structure changed, the grammarians had to amend the PG in pursuance of the DG. For example, the language structure found in Shakespeare’s literatures is still fine by the technicalities of the PG. But does anyone use that pattern today? Absolutely not. Why don’t people use it even when it is correct under the PG? Because those patterns changed through natural usage over the period of time. The evolution of language is axiomatic. And it is the natural usage that causes that evolution, resulting in the change in the PG. The relationship between book grammar and natural usage in language is like the relationship between skeleton and flesh in a human body. Let me explain it by the analogy below: DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR: THE PREVAILING AUTHORITY Author: Archer Bishop (aka Centaur Priest) Page 3 of 7 In the above picture, we see a person in 1981, 1994, and 2018. The skeleton makes the BASIC CONSTRUCTION of his body and is the same in 1981, 1994, and 2018. But his external looks are NOT the same in the given times. Throughout the time, as the construction of his “flesh” structure changed, his appearance changed also. And, although his 1981 skeleton is same as 2018, when we are talking about his practical form of existence, we are talking about NOT the forms in 1981 and 1994 but the form in 2018. And, while the construction of his skeleton is the same in 2018 as was in 1981, average people cannot identify him by the construction of his skeleton. His immediate identification in 2018 is his 2018 external look that changed throughout the time. The same way, while book rules are the skeleton or basic construction of the language, the form as exists in the practical or natural usage at the present time is the actual form of the language. Accordingly, as much as the DG gave birth to the PG, the DG constantly reshapes the PG for the reason of the language evolution caused by the DG. Consequently, to define the language, the DG prevails over the PG when they are in conflict on a linguistic item. DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR: THE PREVAILING AUTHORITY Author: Archer Bishop (aka Centaur Priest) Page 4 of 7 It, however, does not mean we must follow everything that the native speakers use. For example: To say “I am not going to do it”, native speakers in Southern America frequently say “I ain’t gonna do it”. But, “I ain’t gonna do it” certainly is a bad English. At the same time, focusing on the word “gonna” only, we can safely say “I’m not gonna do it”. But the books tell you “gonna” is a substandard English, while we frequently hear literally everyone (from the president to all decent speakers) using “gonna”. Thus, while “ain’t gonna” is bad, “am not gonna” can be safely used although the PG disapprove the use of “gonna”. So, in using the DG, we must be attentive to distinguish between good and bad language. This, however, is the only caveat that we have to keep in mind. Part 2 This part explains in a simple way the role of the Descriptive Grammar by means of explaining the Descriptive Grammar, the Prescriptive Grammar, and the EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE as well as explains the reason that makes the Descriptive Grammar SUPERIOR to the Prescriptive Grammar. –– To understand these concepts, let’s use a hypothetical historical analogy. HYPOTHETICAL YEARS 0-50 Suppose persons A, B, C, D, and E are the first human beings. They don’t have even any language, let alone book. Now they start using their voice to make some words to communicate with each other. And all five of them, by CONSISTENTLY using each word for a specific object every day, now can understand which word they use for which object. This is how they make a lot of words. Then, they, by consistently using these words every day in a definite way in groups, create different patterns (including phrases, clauses, and sentences) for different expressions. So, now, they understand, based on their everyday consistent use, the meanings of the words and group of words they created. And therefore, the language is created. Let’s say the name of this language is English. DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR: THE PREVAILING AUTHORITY Author: Archer Bishop (aka Centaur Priest) Page 5 of 7 By year 50, A, B, C, D, and E give birth to F, G, H, I. and J. And these little five kids start learning the language from their parents. So far there is language that has specific patterns or rules by which the users A, B, C, D, and E can meaningfully communicate with each other. Now ask yourself these questions: What gave birth to the language? NATURAL USE. Did they have any book from which they got the rules? No. Then, where did those rules come from? The rules came from the NATURAL USE by the native speakers A, B, C, D, and E. So, both the language itself and its rules came from the NATURAL USE by the native speakers. This is DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR (DG). Accordingly, the DG is the grammar that derives from the natural use of language by the native speakers. HYPOTHETICAL YEARS 51-100 In year 51, C thinks it would be a nice idea to keep a written record of the words and the language patterns they use. So, she starts collecting the words as well as studying the way they use the language and thus discovering the patterns or rules established by their natural use of the language. At the conclusion of her research in year 55, she writes and publishes two books: 1. one contains a list of words and their meanings, which is a DICTIONARY, and 2. the other contains the patterns or rules, which is a GRAMMAR BOOK. The contents of these books are PRESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR (PG). The names of these books are respectively “C’s DICTIONARY (1st Edition 55)” and “C’s GRAMMAR (1st Edition 55)”. What gave birth to the language? DG. What established the rules? DG. What gave birth to the PG? DG. What controlled the PG and its rules? DG. DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR: THE PREVAILING AUTHORITY Author: Archer Bishop (aka Centaur Priest) Page 6 of 7 Now, by year 75, A, B, C, D, and E die, and F, G, H, I, and J continue to use the language. Thereafter, despite “C’s DICTIONARY (1st Edition 55)” and “C’s GRAMMAR (1st Edition 55)” or the existing PG, whether for humor, laziness, fancy, or avoiding boringness, for whatever the reason may be, F starts using the words and patterns differently. And G, H, I, and J like F’s new use and therefore follow it. Consequently, by the end of year 95, it appears that now the way they naturally use the words and patterns and thus the whole language is different from that is written in “C’s DICTIONARY (1st Edition 55)” and “C’s GRAMMAR (1st Edition 55)” or prescribed by the PG. So, G decides to revise “C’s DICTIONARY (1st Edition 55)” and “C’s GRAMMAR (1st Edition 55)” to match the latest forms of the words and rules. At the conclusion of her work in year 100, she publishes the revised versions of C’s books named as “C’s DICTIONARY (2nd Edition 100)” and “C’s GRAMMAR (2nd Edition 100)”. So, today in year 100: 1. the language is different from the way it was in year 55; 2. Despite the existence of “C’s DICTIONARY (1st Edition 55)” and “C’s GRAMMAR (1st Edition 55)” or the PG, the change happened; 3. the change happened because of the change in the use by the language users, typically the native speakers; and 4. The “C’s DICTIONARY (1st Edition 55)” and “C’s GRAMMAR (1st Edition 55)” or the PG had no power to stop the change. Rather, they had to change the PG as per the DG to fit the DG as existed at the current time. This is the very nature of language: it constantly changes based on the change in and by natural use by the native users and this change is unstoppable because it is the human nature to change or modify things to fit to their current taste. This is the EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE. And this evolution is axiomatic. HYPOTHETICAL YEARS AFTER 100 … The entire process keeps progressing the same way. DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR: THE PREVAILING AUTHORITY Author: Archer Bishop (aka Centaur Priest) Page 7 of 7 CONCLUSION Based on the above hypothetical historical analogy, the data is: 1. DG gave birth to the language. 2. DG established the rules. 3. DG gave birth to the PG in year 55 and PG’s rules came from DG. 4. DG eventually changed the rules and reformed the language. 5. DG forced the PG to publish new rules to match current DG in year 100. 6. DG caused the PG of year 55 to become obsolete in year 100. 7. From year 0 to year 100, the language constantly evolved. Although the events described above are hypothetical, yet this is exactly how the language evolves and its mechanism functions. Accordingly, the PG is just a guideline that is unrelated to or merely coincides with the time of use. And it is the DG that defines exactly what the language is. The DG is the prevailing grammar that defines both the language itself as well as the PG. At the conclusion, let me give a practical example of the DG’s control over the PG. Before 2004, there was no such term “facebook”. People started using the term after the creation of the social media Facebook on February 04, 2004. Even then in the later years, if we used this word in any manner except as the name of that social media, all dictionaries in the world would tell it was an invalid word. But people continued to use it as not just proper noun but also verb, and they started using it so much that it forced the dictionaries to enter it into their entries. Now dictionaries recognize it as a noun that has singular and plural forms as well as a verb.