Resources on
Prescriptivism
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Basic resources on prescriptivism Sites
with lists of resources on prescriptive grammar Current
prescriptive resources Historical
prescriptive resources – see how “correctness” has changed over time |
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Basic resources on prescriptivism Two
other short essays about prescriptivism from The Atlantic – A War That
Never Ends by Mark Halpern (1997) The
Decline of Grammar by Geoffrey Nunberg (1983) |
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Sites with lists of resources on prescriptive grammar Links related to grammar Common errors in
English – with a disclaimer about the idea of errors English Grammar FAQ
from John Lawler Common
problems with English grammar Guide to
grammar and style – Prescriptive guidelines and grammar-related links
from Jack Lynch at Rutgers University, Neward Common Errors
in English Grammar and Pronunciation Prescriptive
grammar links from
the WorldWide Classroom |
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Current prescriptive resources The Columbia Guide to Standard American
English – Prescriptive grammar by Kenneth G. Wilson from 1993 American Heritage Book of
English Usage – On-line version of the 1996 edition – A great source for
usage questions The National Public Radio
guide to pronunciation, usage and grammar Pronunciation Guide from
the Voice of America |
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Historical documents related to prescriptivism Composition Grammar and
Southern English – In case you doubted that prescriptive grammar is
politically-motivated, the Confederate States of America felt the need to
write their “own” prescriptive grammar. This site has the original 1863
grammar. A Dissolving View
of Punctuation by Wendell Phillips Garrison an article published in The
Atlantic in 1906 about the language was in decline 100 years ago. H. W. Fowler’s The King’s
English – a prescriptive grammar from 1908 and a book review from the
Atlantic on the updated version of Fowler’s grammar, Elegant
Variation and All That by Jesse Sheidlower Notes on the origins of some
prescriptive rules of Standard English from Pyles and Algeo’s book The
origins and development of the English language |
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Articles relating to Standard Pronunciation Improve Yourself with Better Grammar
– An on-line commercial course Verbal
Advantage – Improve your vocabulary to get ahead in life – learn “power
words” – “words used by successful professionals to communicate more effectively” |
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Fun links
related to prescriptive grammar Maledicta’s links – from the journal for the study of “Bad language” Presidential Debates
Mirror Long-term School Decline an article By Dr. Robert Beard and
Paul JJ Payack on how recent presidential debates demonstrate decline in language
skills. posted at yourdictionay.com The Grammar Lady -Mary
Newton Bruder began her grammar hotline in Pittsgurgh in the 1980’s and
writes a newspaper column on prescriptive grammar Polka Dot Ribbon Campaign includes information on improving grammar on the web. If your website is in proper Standard English, then you may display a Blue and Yellow ribbon to show your support for good grammar Gallery of Misused Quotation Marks Banished Words – see what words Lake
Superior State University has declared “banished” from the English language
because of “mis-, mal- or over-use as well as general uselessness” |