Fixing English Prescriptivism and Language History
Fixing English Prescriptivism and Language History by Anne Curzan, published by Cambridge University Press on April 28, 2016, is a reprint edition comprising 208 pages. This book explores the historical attempts to prescribe the use of the English language over the past 300 years, focusing on how these efforts have been institutionalized through usage guides, dictionaries, and educational curricula. Curzan examines the role of prescriptivism in the evolution of English, presenting it as a significant sociolinguistic factor and a meta-discourse about language.
Readers will find a detailed analysis of prescriptivism as a linguistic phenomenon, including discussions on the influence of tools like Microsoft’s grammar checker and debates surrounding terms such as ‘real words’ and non-sexist language reform. Curzan’s work delves into the complexities of language regulation and the ongoing efforts to reappropriate stigmatized terms, making it relevant for those interested in linguistics and language arts. This edition provides a comprehensive re-examination of how language history is constructed and understood.
Official synopsis Publisher
Over the past 300 years, attempts have been made to prescribe how we should and should not use the English language. The efforts have been institutionalized in places such as usage guides, dictionaries, and school curricula. Such authorities have aspired to ‘fix’ the language, sometimes by keeping English exactly where it is, but also by trying to improve the current state of the language. Anne Curzan demonstrates the important role prescriptivism plays in the history of the English language, as a sociolinguistic factor in language change and as a vital meta-discourse about language. Starting with a pioneering new definition of prescriptivism as a linguistic phenomenon, she highlights the significant role played by Microsoft’s grammar checker, debates about ‘real words’, non-sexist language reform, and efforts to reappropriate stigmatized terms. Essential reading for anyone interested in the regulation of language, the book is a fascinating re-examination of how we tell language history.
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