Attitudes to Language

Attitudes to language — the beliefs, feelings, and evaluations people hold about different language varieties and their speakers — are a central concern of sociolinguistics. This lesson examines the prescriptivist and descriptivist traditions, investigates how attitudes are formed and measured, and explores the consequences of linguistic prejudice. Understanding language attitudes is essential for the AQA specification, as it connects to every other area of language diversity.

Key Definition: Language attitudes are the evaluative reactions — positive or negative — that people have towards different language varieties, accents, dialects, and styles. These attitudes are socially learned rather than linguistically justified.

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Prescriptivism vs Descriptivism

The debate between prescriptivism and descriptivism is the fundamental philosophical divide in the study of language.

Prescriptivism

Key Definition: Prescriptivism is the approach that seeks to lay down rules for "correct" language use, based on the assumption that some forms of language are inherently superior to others. Prescriptivists advocate for adherence to standard forms and view non-standard usage as erroneous.

The prescriptivist tradition in English has deep roots: