prescriptivist
1
8.7
- noun
- /prɪˈskrɪptɪvɪst/
:
prescriptivista
- Thus, the Oxford English Dictionary has always been descriptivist, not prescriptivist.
Examples
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Any or all of the above comes under the scrutiny and critique of the prescriptivists and the descriptivists.
Academic text (2000) -
It would be pleasant to establish some common understanding between the reasonable prescriptivists and the linguists, for the sake of increasing the store of sound advice for students and the puzzled writer.
Academic text (2008) -
On the one side, there are the prescriptivists who prescribe how people ought to speak and write.
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Of course, we prescriptivists know that bad change should be resisted.
Blog text (6) -
As is common with prescriptivists, many of the 'mistakes' you point out are actually nothing more than your personal stylistic preferences, in my view.
Blog text (24) -
The prescriptivists, many of whom see the present culture as a negation, possess a cultural ideal that serves as a protest point.
Academic text (2000) -
Many prescriptivists argue that using double negatives is incorrect in standard English.
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As a prescriptivist, she believes that following traditional grammar rules is essential for clear communication.
-
The prescriptivist in the discussion emphasized the importance of proper punctuation in writing.
Synonyms
28
6.8
A person who wants rules and standards followed exactly
11
6.6
A person who makes others follow strict rules
1
8.1
People who are very strict about how others speak or write
1
5.6
A person or group that sets rules for others to follow
Antonyms
- Specialized
Describing how people actually use language instead of telling them how they should use it
How Strict
Surface Forms
Morphology
prescriptivist = prescriptive (transparent) = prescribe + ive + ist
Derived by adding '-ist' to 'prescriptive' to indicate a person who holds prescriptive views; the derivation is semantically regular.
Etymology
Prescriptivist comes from prescribe ('to set rules') plus the ending -ist, which names a person like in artist. So a prescriptivist is a person who likes to set strict rules and make others follow them.