Prescriptivism/Descriptivism
January 11, 2017 1:07 PM Subscribe
Where I work many people say "in lieu of" when they mean "in light of."* There are concepts such as racism or sexism where the widely understood sociological definition (power + preference, usually systemic) is contested by people who see the words as applicable to any situation in which race or gender is a motivating factor. This begs the question: How do these usages fit into the linguistic understanding of prescriptivism/descriptivism?
* This is common usage, not one person's idiosyncracy.
* This is common usage, not one person's idiosyncracy.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Heya, the question is kind of unclear as written and seems to be leading people into a range of seemingly-unhelpful (?) chatty directions; contact us in the next hour or so if you'd like to start fresh with a rewritten version. -- LobsterMitten
For no other reason than that this is a question about prescriptivism/descriptivism: "begs the question" can also mean "to assume the conclusion of the argument".
posted by stonetongue at 1:23 PM on January 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by stonetongue at 1:23 PM on January 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
Also (if we're being picky about language): "begs the question"
posted by LKWorking at 1:24 PM on January 11, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by LKWorking at 1:24 PM on January 11, 2017 [7 favorites]
Where I work many people say "in lieu of" when they mean "in light of." Yes. I suspect it's because "lieu" sounds so much like "view."
A little searching shows that "in lieu of" is prescribed to mean "in place of." In other contexts "lieu" is always the same as "place," even here. It's a direct importation from the French.
I don't find any references describing the usage you've heard in your workplace as being right.
I don't see that this has anything to do with racism or sexism.
posted by JimN2TAW at 1:26 PM on January 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
A little searching shows that "in lieu of" is prescribed to mean "in place of." In other contexts "lieu" is always the same as "place," even here. It's a direct importation from the French.
I don't find any references describing the usage you've heard in your workplace as being right.
I don't see that this has anything to do with racism or sexism.
posted by JimN2TAW at 1:26 PM on January 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
The terms prescritivism and descriptivism don't really apply to language use. They're both approaches for discussing or studying language use.
Descriptivism is the notion that language is whatever people are speaking, so let's look at and talk about what they're speaking.
Prescriptivism is the notion that there people should use language a certain way.
It would be possible to consider your examples of language use in either framework.
posted by aubilenon at 1:27 PM on January 11, 2017
Descriptivism is the notion that language is whatever people are speaking, so let's look at and talk about what they're speaking.
Prescriptivism is the notion that there people should use language a certain way.
It would be possible to consider your examples of language use in either framework.
posted by aubilenon at 1:27 PM on January 11, 2017
When people insist words mean what they want, and not what some authority says they mean, that person is espousing linguistic descriptivism. Linguistic descriptivism is essentially the position that usage, and only usage, determines meaning. This is what a lot of academic linguists do: describe language, without saying any one form, variety, or expression is any more "correct" than any other, so long as it is intelligible.
Linguistic prescription is not really what academic linguists get in to, and is more the domain of editors, style guides, and language mavens.
To wit: from a descriptivist point of view, we know what you mean when you said "begs the question: ..." It's perfectly cromulent. From a prescriptivist point of view, it's a glaring "error", because begging the question is a form of circular reasoning, and "raises the question: ..." would be preferred in formal contexts ;)
On preview: wow aren't we all trigger happy on begging the question!
posted by SaltySalticid at 1:30 PM on January 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Linguistic prescription is not really what academic linguists get in to, and is more the domain of editors, style guides, and language mavens.
To wit: from a descriptivist point of view, we know what you mean when you said "begs the question: ..." It's perfectly cromulent. From a prescriptivist point of view, it's a glaring "error", because begging the question is a form of circular reasoning, and "raises the question: ..." would be preferred in formal contexts ;)
On preview: wow aren't we all trigger happy on begging the question!
posted by SaltySalticid at 1:30 PM on January 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
I’m not sure I understand the connection between the example and the larger point you’re asking about. You yourself see it as a mistake ("people say 'in lieu of' when they mean 'in light of.'"). I’d agree, and so does Bryan A. Garner, who calls “in lieu of” for “in view of” or “in light of” a growing malapropism in Modern American Usage. But then I’m not sure what you’re asking about. Does that usage break along race or gender lines? Do you see pushback on this particular usage that invokes politics? Do the people where you work intentionally misuse it as a way to reject norms and stake out new linguistic turf in a way that a self-described descriptivist might acknowledge & welcome? Wondering if there’s a key detail missing here.
posted by miles per flower at 1:31 PM on January 11, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by miles per flower at 1:31 PM on January 11, 2017 [4 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
"In lieu of" means "in the place of."
Maybe you could clarify your question a bit to get some more helpful answers. I'm not sure how this usage fits into issues of racism or sexism.
posted by pantarei70 at 1:23 PM on January 11, 2017