Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Since the dawn of time, people have complained about how ‘young people’ speak. Look in the comments section of any website, especially on an article dealing with language or grammar, and you’ll find ‘purist-and-proud-of-it’ commenters who insist that proper language is necessary for proper comprehension and communication, that the English language as we know it is in a serious state of endangerment. Texting and a lack of grammar instruction in schools are often claimed to be the root of the problem. For some reason grammar, or the perceived lack thereof, incurs the wrath of so many English speakers. Linguists have a very different view of ‘grammar’, and an even more different view of what is deemed ‘ungrammatical’. This presentation will contrast prescriptive views of language held by most people who have gone through the school system with descriptive views of language held by most linguists. The inevitablity of language change, as well as examples of differing social, geographical and situational norms wi