What is prescriptive discourse?

• A. Descriptive discourse
• B. Prescriptive discourse
• C. Covert discourse
• D. Dialogic discourse

Answer: (B)

Prescriptive discourse is language guidance that tells people how they should use language, prescribing rules and standards for correctness and appropriateness. It often appears in grammar books, style guides, and classroom instruction, where authority figures lay out what counts as “proper” usage, syntax, punctuation, and word choice. It might advise avoiding split infinitives, favoring certain pronouns in formal contexts, or insisting on a formal tone in official writing. The point is to establish norms the audience is expected to follow, aiming for consistency and clarity across contexts. This stands in contrast to descriptive discourse, which describes how people actually use language in real situations without judging it as right or wrong. Descriptive analysis looks at patterns, variations, and changes in language over time, rather than prescribing fixed rules. So when the question asks what prescriptive discourse is, the focus is on this normative, rule-driven portrayal of language usage.