Language attitudes are not neutral — they reflect social values, power structures and cultural beliefs. In Australia, attitudes toward different varieties of English reveal much about how the society conceptualises correctness, prestige, identity and belonging.
All language attitudes can be placed along a spectrum between two poles:
| Approach | Description | Key stance |
|---|---|---|
| Prescriptivism | Language has correct and incorrect forms; some varieties are better than others | There is a right way and a wrong way to speak/write English. |
| Descriptivism | Language is a natural human phenomenon; all varieties are systematic and complete | Linguists describe how language is used, not how it should be used. |
KEY TAKEAWAY: VCE English Language analysis requires a descriptivist approach. You are trained to observe, describe and explain language variation — not to judge it as correct or incorrect. However, VCAA also expects you to understand and analyse prescriptivist attitudes as social phenomena, because they have real consequences for speakers.
Prescriptivists believe that:
- There is a correct form of language that should be maintained
- Some varieties (typically SAE or RP-influenced English) are linguistically superior
- “Slipping standards” represent a decline in culture and education
- Schools and institutions have a responsibility to enforce correct usage
Examples of prescriptivism in Australian society:
- Complaints about young people’s language (They can’t even speak properly)
- Objections to new words or expressions (“Literally” doesn’t mean “figuratively”)
- Media coverage lamenting language change
- Teachers correcting non-standard features as errors
- Criticism of accents perceived as too broad or too foreign
EXAM TIP: When you encounter a prescriptivist position in a text or discussion, analyse it as a social attitude — describe what it values, what variety it privileges, and what its social consequences are for speakers of non-standard varieties. You should not endorse prescriptivism in your analysis.
Descriptivists believe that:
- All language varieties are linguistically equal — none is inherently superior
- Language change is natural and inevitable; there is no “decline”
- The role of linguists is to observe and describe, not to prescribe
- Social judgments about language reflect social attitudes, not linguistic facts
Descriptivism is the foundation of modern linguistics and the framework of VCE English Language.
Important: descriptivism does not mean anything goes in all contexts. It recognises that different varieties are appropriate for different contexts — SAE is appropriate for a formal job application; it is not required in casual conversation with friends.
Not all prestige is the same. Linguists distinguish:
| Type | Description | Australian Example |
|---|---|---|
| Overt prestige | Publicly valued; associated with education, authority, success | SAE, Cultivated Australian English |
| Covert prestige | Valued within particular communities; not publicly endorsed but highly influential | Broad Australian English, specific ethnolect features |
Covert prestige explains why speakers often maintain non-standard features even when they are aware they are “non-standard.” The Broad Australian accent carries enormous social value within working-class communities and signals authentic Australian identity. This social value is not publicly celebrated but is powerfully felt.
COMMON MISTAKE: Students sometimes assume that all speakers aspire to SAE and that non-standard features are failures to achieve it. In reality, many speakers actively choose non-standard features because of their covert prestige — the social value they carry within the speaker’s community.
Language attitudes are never purely about language — they reflect and reproduce social hierarchies:
- Negative attitudes toward non-SAE varieties can lead to discrimination in employment, housing and education
- Speakers who cannot command SAE face real social disadvantage
- This does not make non-SAE varieties inferior — it reflects the unequal social distribution of institutional power
APPLICATION: When analysing a text that expresses a language attitude, ask: Is this prescriptivist or descriptivist? What social values does it reflect? Whose variety does it privilege? What are the consequences of this attitude for speakers of non-standard varieties?
VCAA FOCUS: VCAA Unit 4 AOS 1 requires students to understand and discuss prescriptivism and descriptivism as frameworks for analysing language attitudes. Be able to define each clearly, give examples of each in the Australian context, and explain why descriptivism is the approach adopted in academic linguistics.
