What is correct English? Is it the English spoken on TV?  Is it a dialect of English, such as British English or American English?  Could it be a variety within American English, such as Mid-Western English or Southern English?

Is correct English what the grammar books tell us to say or write? Should written English be more correct than spoken English?

The answers to these questions may be “Yes” or “All of the above.” It really depends on who is asking the question and who is giving the answer.

People look at language in different ways. Linguists (like myself) are people who deal with the science of language and language change. Most linguists are Descriptivists who describe what is said in the language. Descriptivists don’t judge how the language (in our case, English) should be spoken. They just analyze and observe how it is being used. Descriptivists don’t judge any variety or dialect of English. They think that American English is just as good or correct as British English and that Mid-Western English is not any better or worse than Southern English.

Prescriptivists, on the other hand, argue that there are certain rules of the English language (many handed down from Latin and Greek) and these rules must be followed. Prescriptivists are often grade-school English teachers, sometimes grammar book writers, or others who believe that the language must not change.

Let’s look at some examples and how Descriptivists and Prescriptivists would react to them.

Example:                                          

1.  She thinks different from me.

     Drive slow.

     Speak clear.                      

Prescriptivists would say that the use of an adjective  instead of the adverb (differently, slowly, clearly) in the examples above is totally incorrect. It should be: She thinks differently from me; Drive slowly; Speak clearly.

Descriptivists might mourn the increasing loss of the adverb in American English, but would describe the above examples as an inevitable product of language change.

2. Give it to Joe and I.

    Sally is against you and I

    It’s between John and I

Prescriptivists would say that we should use the objective case of the pronoun here (me, instead of I ) because only objective case pronouns should be used after prepositions (to, against, between).

Descriptivists would say that the use of the subject pronoun (I ) is a case of hypercorrection. Because we have generally used John and I in the subject position in a sentence,   (John and I are leaving now), it has come into use even when the phrase occurs after a preposition (It’s between John and I).

So who decides what is correct?  What should the student of English as a second language do?  As a textbook writer of many books in English for foreign students, as well as a university professor and teacher-trainer, here is my advice:

If possible, learn the rule as stated in the grammar books, but be aware that you will probably hear an alternate expression in spoken English. In written English, try to follow the prescriptive rule.

For example,  the polite request, May I have a drink, please?  will often be heard as Can I have a drink?  The question Whom did you bring? illustrates the prescriptive rule of using the objective form whom, but we rarely use that in spoken English. We are told to use It’s  I  in response to the question, Who is it?, but we would sound very archaic if we followed that rule, instead of just saying It’s me.    

The English language is changing constantly. We are judged on how we speak the language and how we write it. Generally, I tell my students that Standard Spoken American English is that variety heard on national television in broadcasters’ speech. I think this is a good rule of thumb for educated usage. So, for example, if they hear between you and I in the speech of educated people, it probably means the language is changing and that is becoming acceptable in Standard Spoken American English.

However, in written English, the criteria for acceptability are more formal and closer to the rules of the prescriptivist. In written English, especially in Business English, you should use the more formal expressions.

So here’s a parting piece of advice for written English: When in doubt, follow the rule. In spoken English, follow your ear.

Do you struggle with issues of English grammar and usage? Have some experiences you’d like to share? Or perhaps a question for our ESL expert? Leave us a COMMENT.

MARILYN—Read more about this editor

Tags: English, ESL Writing, grammar

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 at 2:01 am and is filed under ESL Writing.