UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGOGICA NACIONAL

FRANCISCO MORAZAN CENTRO

UNIVERSITARIO REGIONAL SAN PEDRO SULA
M.Ed. IRMA RUTH MENDOZA ROSALES
THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF LINGUISTICS
AUGUST 08, 2022
  There are two different ways
that language has been talked
about in disciplines that focus
on the use of language.
LANGUAGE
APPROACHE  We can talk about these
S different approaches to
language
as descriptive grammar vs. 
prescriptive grammar
  Prescriptive grammar  describes when people
focus on talking about how a
language should or ought to be used.
 One way to remember this association is to think of
going to a doctor’s office. When a doctor gives you a
prescription for medication, it often includes
directions about how you should take your

PRESCRIPTI medication as well as what you should not do when

taking your medication.
VE  In a similar way, a prescriptive grammar tells you
GRAMMAR how you should speak, and what type of
language to avoid.
 This is commonly found in English classes as well as
other language classes, where the aim is to teach
people how to use language in a very particular
(typically described as ‘proper’ or ‘correct’) way.
  On the other hand, focuses on describing the
language as it is used, not saying how it should
be used.
 For example, think about a prescriptive rule

DESCRIPTIV
like Don’t split infinitives. A descriptive
grammarian would see a sentence like “To boldly
E go where no man has gone before” and would try
to describe how the mental grammar can cause
GRAMMAR that ordering of words, rather than saying that
the surface form is faulty due to prescriptive
rules (which would require the sentence “To go
boldly where no man has gone before”).
Linguistics takes this approach to language.
  A descriptive grammarian would say that a
sentence is “grammatical” if a native speaker
of the language would produce that sentence in
speaking.
 The descriptive grammarian would then try to
A key contrast describe how that sentence is produced through
theorizing about the mental processes that lead up
is to be found to the surface form.
between these  A prescriptive grammarian, on the other hand,
two approaches would say that something is grammatical only  if
the surface form conforms to a set of rules that
the grammarian believes should be followed in
order for a certain grammar style is achieved.
 Teachers with traditional ideas
about TESOL have a habit of telling learners
what they should say (prescriptive
teaching: flexibility) instead of showing
learners there are multiple ways to say
something (descriptive teaching: formulaic
structure).

 This leads to a barrier to student expression

in a world of ideas where multiple
possibilities for expressing yourself are
available.
  Descriptive language teaching is rooted in the idea
that English is a subject to be learned instead of a
language used to communicate.
 Teachers with a prescriptive mindset tend to stay with
fixed patterns and formulas to teach English.

Principles of  While there’s nothing wrong with structure—it’s

fundamental to a language—an over-emphasis on it
the approaches may cause problems for language learners.
for teaching  It’s certainly more comfortable for teachers to stick
with fixed patterns such as using “going to,” if you’ve
already planned to do something, or “will” if you
decided to do something at the time of speaking.
 • I will go to the mall today.
• I will be going to the mall today.
• I am going to the mall today.
What if a
• I’m going to be going to the
student says:
mall today.
• I’ll be going to the mall today.
 When teaching English, do you favor the
rules over opportunities to use the
language? Sure, as mentioned, teaching the
rules is a lot more comfortable.
 We know where we stand, and class
members can’t deviate. But we need to
challenge ourselves outside our comfort
zones for the sake of our class members.
Prescriptive
teaching
 1. Do you have a habit of pouncing (attacking, offending) on
learners’ mistakes or errors in mid-sentence? In other words, even while
they’re speaking, you correct them. If so, you may be prescriptive in your
approach.

2. Do you have a habit of requiring learners to use one or two ways of saying
things? For example, are they permitted to use only, “I am going” and “I will
go” when referring to the future? If yes, you may be prescriptive in your
language teaching.

PRESCRIPTI 3. Do you think in terms of right and wrong, correct and incorrect? When your
class members fail to use the proper preposition (you believe) in the
VE MINDSET statement, “on your right,” or “to your right,” do you correct them? If you

OR
answered in the affirmative, you may be more of a prescriptive teacher.
4. Do your class members have a fantastic grasp (hold) of language structure
and formal vocabulary but are unable to use it fluently in conversation? If
yes, you may be a prescriptive teacher.

5. Do you use words such as, “wrong” and “right,” or “correct” and “incorrect,”
or “don’t say it like that” and “say it like this”? You may have a prescriptive
teaching approach.
Descriptive
teaching
  When teachers conduct ESL classes as if they’re language
classes, a different dynamic takes place.
1. You encourage class members to use their own words to
express themselves while striving (determined) to
understand exactly what is being said. You help them say
what they want to say instead of what you think
they should say.

DESCRIPTIV 2. Instead of saying, “wrong,” or, “don’t say it like that, say it
like this …,” you say, “I understand what you said, but you
E MINDSET can also say it like this …”
3. You show class members multiple ways of saying the same
thing (e.g. I’m going to go to the mall today, I’m going to the
mall today, I’ll be going to the mall today, etc.).
4. Do you view your ESL class as an opportunity for learners
to exchange ideas and learn from one another’s English? If
you do, you’re showing a descriptive tendency.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq5g82Kx8c4&t=924s
Listen to the  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqO4jcnsSj4
expert
 https://benjamins.com/sites/z.156/exercise/c12q1
 https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/books/sound/chapter2.pdf
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammar
 https://www.thoughtco.com/surface-structure-transformational-
grammar-1692009#:~:text=In%20transformational%20and%20
generative%20grammar,can%20be%20spoken%20and%20hear
d
.
 https://benjamins.com/sites/z.156/exercise/c12q1
 https://ontesol.com/blog/how-to-teach-english/error-correction-
in-esl/prescriptive-vs-descriptive-language-teaching/
  https://www.thoughtco.com/surface-structure-transformational-
Transformation grammar-1692009#:~:text=In%20transformational%20and
%20generative%20grammar,can%20be%20spoken%20and
al Grammar %20heard.
  https://ontesol.com/blog/how-to-teach-english/error-correction-
in-esl/prescriptive-vs-descriptive-language-teaching/
 https://amyrey.web.unc.edu/classes/ling-101-online/tutorials/un
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 https://osuwritingcenter.okstate.edu/blog/2020/10/30/prescripti
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 https://collins.co.uk/blogs/collins-elt/prescriptive-vs-
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