8.1721, Disc: Re: 8.1657: Prescriptivism

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List:  Vol-8-1721. Mon Dec 1 1997. ISSN: 1068-4875.

Subject: 8.1721, Disc: Re: 8.1657: Prescriptivism

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1)
Date:  Tue, 25 Nov 1997 11:44:14 +0200
From:  "Di Kilpert" <kilpert at iafrica.com>
Subject:  Re: 8.1657: Prescriptivism

-------------------------------- Message 1 -------------------------------

Date:  Tue, 25 Nov 1997 11:44:14 +0200
From:  "Di Kilpert" <kilpert at iafrica.com>
Subject:  Re: 8.1657: Prescriptivism


First, thanks for the helpful and supportive messages I received from
Suzanne Kemmer, Jason Haugen, Robert Knippen, Rob Pensalfini, Bradley
Harris, Sharon Millar and Colin Whiteley in response to my 18 Nov
posting.

I WAS hoping for a bit of opposition, so here's a restatement of my
position, in the hopes of drawing some enemy fire:

"My concern is that outsiders' misunderstanding of linguists'
anti-prescriptivism has damaged the image of linguistics.  I also have
a sneaking suspicion that there is no such thing as pure description
in linguistics.  The anti-prescriptivist stance seems to me
responsible for a lot of linguistic split personalities."

Second, I would be very happy to hear from anyone who is into the
works of Roy Harris.

Di Kilpert

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