A language simply āisā. If youāre trying to tell people what it is, youāre being descriptive; if you tell them how it should be, youāre being prescriptive. Both things have their place, even if linguists (when studying a language) focus on one to the detriment of other.
The problem is that short-sighted prescriptions are so bloody common that they take the spotlight from more reasonable things like ādonāt use slurs, youāre demeaning peopleā or āwrite in a way suitable for your target audienceā, etc.
A language simply āisā. If youāre trying to tell people what it is, youāre being descriptive; if you tell them how it should be, youāre being prescriptive. Both things have their place, even if linguists (when studying a language) focus on one to the detriment of other.
The problem is that short-sighted prescriptions are so bloody common that they take the spotlight from more reasonable things like ādonāt use slurs, youāre demeaning peopleā or āwrite in a way suitable for your target audienceā, etc.