Attitudes To Language — IELTS Reading Answers

There are understandable reasons why arguments occur about language.

“Language belongs to everyone, so most people feel they have a right to hold an opinion about it. And when opinions differ, emotions can run high”

Because language 'belongs to everyone', people claim a right to opinions and 'emotions can run high' — a clear, understandable reason for argument. YES.

People feel more strongly about language education than about small differences in language usage.

“Arguments can start as easily over minor points of usage as over major policies of linguistic education”

'As easily over minor points of usage as over major policies' denies that education provokes stronger feeling than small usage points. NO.

Our assessment of a person’s intelligence is affected by the way he or she uses language.

“No part of society or social behaviour is exempt: linguistic factors influence how we judge personality, intelligence, social status, educational standards, job aptitude, and many other areas of identity and social survival”

Linguistic factors 'influence how we judge... intelligence', exactly as the statement claims. YES.

Prescriptive grammar books cost a lot of money to buy in the 18th century.

“All the main languages have been studied prescriptively, especially in the 18th century approach to the writing of grammars and dictionaries”

The passage mentions eighteenth-century 'writing of grammars and dictionaries' but never gives book prices, so cost is not addressed.

Prescriptivism still exists today.

“These attitudes are still with us, and they motivate a widespread concern that linguistic standards should be maintained In our own time, the opposition between ‘descriptivists’ and ‘prescriptivists’ has often become extreme, with both sides painting unreal pictures of the other”

'These attitudes are still with us' and the continuing descriptivist-prescriptivist opposition confirm prescriptivism survives. YES.

According to descriptivists it is pointless to try to stop language change.

“This approach is summarised in the statement that it is the task of the grammarian to describe, not prescribe - to record the facts of linguistic diversity, and not to attempt the impossible tasks of evaluating language variation or halting language change”

Describing is preferred to 'attempt the impossible tasks of... halting language change', so trying to stop change is pointless. YES.

Descriptivism only appeared after the 18th century.

“In the second half of the 18th century, we already find advocates of this view, such as Joseph Priestley, whose Rudiments of English Grammar (1761) insists that ‘the custom of speaking is the original and only just standard of any language’”

Advocates existed 'in the second half of the 18th century', so descriptivism did not appear only afterwards. NO.

Both descriptivists and prescriptivists have been misrepresented.

“In our own time, the opposition between ‘descriptivists’ and ‘prescriptivists’ has often become extreme, with both sides painting unreal pictures of the other”

'Both sides painting unreal pictures of the other' means each camp misrepresents the other, so YES.

“In its most general sense, prescriptivism is the view that one variety of language has an inherently higher value than others, and that this ought to be imposed on the whole of the speech community Adherents to this variety are said to speak or write correctly’ deviations from it are said to be”

The view that one variety has 'inherently higher value' defines prescriptivism, so option H, prescriptivists, fits.

“The authoritarian nature of the approach is best characterised by its reliance on ‘rules’ of grammar”

The approach is characterised by 'its reliance on rules of grammar', so the gap takes 'rules' (F).

“This approach is summarised in the statement that it is the task of the grammarian to describe, not prescribe - to record the facts of linguistic diversity, and not to attempt the impossible tasks of evaluating language variation or halting language change.”

The grammarian's task 'to describe, not prescribe' identifies the descriptivists, option A.

“In the second half of the 18th century we already find advocates of this view such as Joseph Priestley whose Rudiments of English Grammar 1761 insists that the custom of speaking is the original and only just standard of any”

Priestley's 'custom of speaking' as the only standard corresponds to popular speech, option C.

What is the writer's purpose in Reading Passage 1?

1. Ato argue in favour of a particular approach to writing dictionaries and grammar books
2. Bto present a historical account of differing views of languagecorrect
3. Cto describe the differences between spoken and written language
4. Dto show how a certain view of language has been discredited

“All the main languages have been studied prescriptively, especially in the 18th century approach to the writing of grammars and dictionaries In the second half of the 18th century, we already find advocates of this view, such as Joseph Priestley,”

The passage traces prescriptivist grammars, Priestley's descriptivism and the modern split, so it is a historical account of differing views — option B.