Passage - General Questions

[Administrator]

Passage Discussion

VIEWSTAMP Analysis:

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[TootyFrooty]

Passage Discussion

VIEWSTAMP Analysis:

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

Hi,
Could you please provide the VIEWSTAMP analysis? This was a pretty difficult passage eventough I understood it well. I still struggled with the questions tremendously in terms of time, and correctness.

[Dana D]

VIEW - The two viewpoints are that of descriptive grammarians and the prescriptive grammarians.

S - The structure introduces the two parties in the first paragraph, then uses the second to bring up 2 main issues the descriptives have with prescriptivism, one is scientific, one is more moral. The third paragraph brings up some possible counterarguments to the descriptivist's points of view and addresses those arguments.
T - the tone is factual and academic
A - Arguments are made by the descriptivist group against prescriptivism using both scientific and moral objections. The scientific is that it is impossible to maintain the same rigid set of grammar rules - we change language so universally in a way the prescriptivists could never prevent. The moral objection is that prescriptivists are trying to enforce elitist linguistic practices, which is wrong. Counter arguments for the scientific objection are that some attempts to regulate language have succeeded. Counter argument for the moral argument is that standardized language use is necessary to exchange ideas.
MP - Descriptive grammarians take a scientific and moral stance against the prescriptive grammar school of thought, which they believe to be doomed to failure.