3 ms·
I mean true but this is like pointing out that no one plays baseball with a golf club. One is ubiquitous because it's useful and the other isn't. Prescriptive
by 8fGTBjZxBcHq 5y ago
I mean true but this is like pointing out that no one plays baseball with a golf club. One is ubiquitous because it's useful and the other isn't.
Prescriptive dictionaries do exist but they're mostly used by specialists to understand specific usages within a time-limited context like "what did 'gay' mean in 1920s california" etc.
Similarly there might possibly be some training reason to try to hit a baseball with a golf club. But if that applies to you you're probably aware of it.
- lupire 5y ago> understand specific usages within a time-limited context That sounds descriptive to me.
- 8fGTBjZxBcHq 5y agoYeah you're right. I guess a style guide or a usage guide would be a prescriptivist dictionary? I'd always heard "prescriptivist dictionary" is a thing that exists but now that I'm thinking about it I'm kind of doubting it.
- bobthepanda 5y agoI suppose the only thing where that might actually make sense is if you're a lawyer, where slightly different wordings have big impacts on what a contract or ruling actually means.