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Glite Dictionary
📝 Giving details 📚 Recording language use
descriptive

descriptive

5 4.2
About how people actually use a language rather than how they should use it
  • adjective
  • /dɪˈskrɪptɪv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : descriptivo
  • In our discussion, we took a descriptive approach, examining how people use language in everyday situations.
  • descriptive statistics
  • descriptive analysis
  • descriptive research

They're descriptive, not prescriptive in the sense that they describe the possible outcomes.

Examples

  • Through an initial round of open coding, an initial list of descriptive codes was developed by consensus.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Table 2 displays descriptive statistics on the key predictors and outcome measures at the classroom level.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Also shown in Table 1 is a descriptive name for each profile type.

    Academic text (1990)

  • There is a need for more descriptive data in the area of behavior management.

    Academic text (1990)

  • The researchers used the descriptive approach screening to be relevant to the objectives of the present study.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Numerical analysis and descriptive analysis techniques were used in the analysis of the research data.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Our experience indicates that most of these reviews are descriptive and analytic.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Standardized procedures for participant observation and descriptive case studies were used in this project.

    Academic text (1990)

  • We used the same ICS-T predictors at each time (see Table 2 for descriptive statistics).

    Academic text (2008)

  • Standard open-ended questions garnered shorter and less descriptive responses than did photo-elicitation interviews on the same topic.

    Academic text (2011)

Antonyms

prescriptive
5 7.3

Telling people what rules or standards to follow

Compounds

descriptive linguistics
  • Specialized
6.1

The study of how people actually use a language at a particular time without judging it

descriptive adjective
  • Specialized
3.4

Word that describes a quality of a thing, like tall or blue

descriptive anthropology
  • Specialized
7.0

A study that records in detail how specific groups of people live

descriptive clause
  • Specialized
6.8

A part of a sentence that gives extra information about a noun, usually set off by commas

descriptive geometry
  • Specialized
8.2

Part of geometry that shows three-dimensional objects as correct two-dimensional drawings

descriptive grammar
  • Specialized
5.7

A description of how people actually use a language, not how they should speak

How Detailed

comprehensive
298 4.6
ethnographic
  • Specialized
5 7.9
detailed
353 3.7
descriptive
  • Specialized
5 4.2
superficial
94 5.6

Surface Forms

descriptive positive

Morphology

descriptive = describe (transparent) = describe + ive

The adjective is a regular derivation meaning 'relating to description'; the specialized linguistic sense is an expected extension of that meaning.

Etymology

Descriptive comes from Latin parts de- 'down' and scribere 'to write', the same root as describe and scribe. In language study, descriptive means 'writing down' how people actually speak and use words, not telling them the rules, so descriptive grammar simply shows real language use.