Towards a User-oriented Understanding of Descriptive, Proscriptive and Prescriptive Lexicography Henning BERGENHOLTZ Centre for Lexicography, The Aarhus

School of Business, Denmark There is much uncertainty and confusion as to the real differences between prescription and description !s introspection part of the empirical basis" i e a part of a descripti#e process$ Or are introspecti#e #erdicts always a part of the prescripti#e process$ Both conceptions are e%pressed in e%isting linguistic dictionaries !t is also uncertain whether prescription must always contain statements which differ from descripti#e statements &inally" it is uncertain whether you can distinguish clearly between description and prescription" as se#eral le#els of descripti#e accuracy are pointed out 'ou could presume the e%istence of a transitional (one between a descripti#ely low accuracy and the use of a #ery small empirical basis respecti#ely" and a prescription without ma)or differences to actual usage !n conclusion" you may say that admittedly the dispute between usus tyrannus and usus imperans has lasted for at least *++ years" but it is still of current interest !s usage a tyrant or is it the ruler$ This uncertainty has carried on to le%icography where there is much confusion as to the real differences between prescripti#e and descripti#e dictionaries !n general" the ma)ority of e%isting accounts can be summed up to this, -escripti#e relates to the empirical basis. accordance between the empirical data and the dictionary is re/uired 0rescripti#e relates to the genuine purpose of the dictionary. the dictionary is meant to help with problems concerning te%t production and will thus affect usage This asymmetrical understanding would imply prescripti#e and descripti#e in practise being false contrasts This is also related to the parado% which 1iegand 234567 has pointed out, The statements of a descripti#e dictionary ha#e a prescripti#e effect on the users Or in other words, 1hen maintaining a certain usage in a dictionary this description obtains an oracular status The descripti#e dictionary also has an effect on usage" often a con#ersational one The oracular status actually corresponds with the e%pectations of the dictionary user in the e#ent that he or she has a problem which relates to te%t production The user has a problem and see8s help with a specialist Naturally" he or she will trust the statements gi#en by the dictionary unreser#edly This applies both to descripti#e and prescripti#e dictionaries Howe#er" this does not mean that ! will argue in fa#our of abandoning the distinction between descripti#e and prescripti#e dictionaries in my lecture On the contrary" ! wish to suggest a specification and the introduction of a new term" proscription" which in actual fact is only new as a term" since the

phenomenon itself is 8nown in many dictionaries around the world 1hat is meant is the suggested use of a certain #ariant based on an e%act analysis of an empirical basis without prohibiting other e%isting #ariants 9oincident with this" a specification of both the new term and the two hitherto used terms will be suggested which will allow for both the nature and the use of the empirical basis, 237 introspection" 2:7 analysis of a linguistic sur#ey" 2*7 the in#ol#ement of descriptions in e%isting dictionaries" grammars" monographs" articles" etc " 2;7 the analysis of a number of e%amples which ha#e been randomly chosen from random te%ts 2corresponding with the practice of dictionary ma8ing before the age of computers7" 2<7 the analysis of a specifically constructed te%t corpus" 267 the analysis of usage found in te%ts in the e%amined language in all a#ailable websites on the !nternet &urthermore" you must allow for the nature of usage recommendations, 237 a specific linguistic #ariant is e%plicitly prohibited" 2:7 one or more linguistic #ariants are e%plicitly prescribed" thus prohibiting all other non=mentioned #ariants" 2*7 a specific linguistic #ariant is e%plicitly prescribed. as opposed to prescription 2:7 this in#ol#es a new word" new spelling" new pronunciation" a new infle%ion or a neologism" cf 1iegand 234467 Here" ! suggest a more consistent terminology which allows for both the function of the dictionary and the relation of the dictionary to the empirical basis,
empirical basis descripti#e dictionary proscripti#e dictionary prescripti#e dictionary > > @ accordance with empirical basis > > @ wishes to influence the user ? > >