Talk:Linguistics

-- Asteven8 16:33, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

Dialect: I want to display the two different schools, descriptive and prescriptive views - this is a can of worms to open because linguistics is only concerned with spoken communication, and I'm wondering how this lays in with discussion of style. Thoughts?

Re: -- Bpeter10 18:25, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

I see linguistics as a way in which languages can be described, dissected, and discussed. This includes descriptions in writing. That is what the IPA is for. It is a different symbolic representation of the form of communication we all know, the alphabet. The IPA is used often in my field of Speech-Language Pathology to describe how individuals communicate, and indeed has its own style. LING 201 barely scratches the surface.

I'm not sure dialect should go with linguistics -maybe its own heading?- for the desc/prescriptivism conversation. I see dialect is a regional, cultural, and etymological phenomenon.

-- Bgardne6 20:03, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

In my opinion, I believe your initial thought was head on. Linguists are not concerned with the prescriptive aspect of language. Therefore, I find it more appropriate to concentrate on the descriptive aspect. You can still incorporate and dissect style in spoken language. For instance, the syntax in spoken and written language both follow a specific order. The difference is that in spoken language we tend to not be as formal or follow the standard. This promotes uniqueness and a new version of style to study.