Prescriptivism

Prescriptivism is an approach to language that promotes particular forms as correct and discourages others. It often relies on explicit rules about grammar, spelling, pronunciation, or usage.

Standard language: A socially recognized variety used in settings such as education, government, and publishing. Prescriptive rules often codify the forms associated with a standard variety.
Descriptivism: An approach to language that describes how people use it without prescribing preferred forms. It studies actual usage rather than judging forms against rules of correctness.
Linguistic purism: The effort to preserve or restore a language by resisting forms viewed as foreign or corrupting. Purist campaigns often supply the motives behind prescriptive rules.
Language standardization: The process by which one or more language varieties become widely accepted norms. Prescriptive institutions help establish and maintain standardized forms.
Grammar: The system of patterns and rules that structures a language. Prescriptivism selects and enforces particular grammatical forms.
Sociolinguistics: The study of how language varies and changes across social contexts. It explains variation that prescriptive standards may label incorrect.
Grammar school: An educational institution traditionally focused on teaching grammar and classical languages. Formal schooling helped spread and enforce standardized language rules.
Linguistic discrimination: Unequal treatment based on a person's accent, dialect, or language use. Judgments about correctness can become judgments about speakers' competence or worth.
Style guide: A publication that sets conventions for writing, editing, and presentation. Style guides turn preferences about usage and form into practical editorial rules.
Register: A variety of language associated with a particular situation or purpose. A form rejected in one setting may be conventional in another register.

Linked from 10 pages