Here's a breakdown of key characteristics:
Focuses on:
* Existing languages: Descriptive linguists study languages as they are spoken and written in real-world contexts.
* Objective analysis: They aim to provide an accurate and unbiased account of language features without imposing their own judgments or theories.
* Patterns and structures: They identify and describe the various sounds, words, grammar, and meaning systems within a language.
Methods:
* Data collection: They gather data from a variety of sources, including recordings, written texts, and conversations with speakers.
* Analysis: They analyze the data to identify patterns and structures in language, including:
* Phonology: The study of sounds and their organization within a language.
* Morphology: The study of word formation and structure.
* Syntax: The study of sentence structure and word order.
* Semantics: The study of meaning in language.
* Pragmatics: The study of how language is used in context.
In contrast to prescriptive linguistics:
* Prescriptive linguistics: Focuses on establishing rules for how language *should* be used, often based on a "standard" form of the language.
* Descriptive linguistics: Focuses on how language *is* actually used, without judgment or correction.
Examples of descriptive linguistics:
* Creating dictionaries and grammars of different languages
* Analyzing the language used in specific communities or social groups
* Investigating language change and evolution over time
Overall, descriptive linguistics provides a deeper understanding of the diversity and complexity of human languages and how they function in real-world communication.