The Writers' Collective

Launch of Grammar Matters: The Social Significance of How We Use Language with Jila Ghomeshi

Thursday, January 13, Thursday - 7:30 pm

In the Atrium of McNally Robinson Booksellers, 1120 Grant Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3M 2A6, Phone: 204-475-0483, Toll Free 1-800-561-1833.

It is hard to find someone who doesn’t have a pet peeve about language. The act of bemoaning the decline of language has become something of a cottage industry. Within linguistics the term “prescriptivism” is used to refer to the judgements that people make about language based on the idea that some forms and uses of language are correct and others incorrect. This book argues that prescriptivism is unfounded at its very core, and explores why it is, nevertheless, such a popular position. In doing so it addresses the politics of language: what prescriptivist positions about language use reveal about power, authority, and various social prejudices.

Jila Ghomeshi is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Manitoba and former Director of the Institute for Humanities. She has published op-ed pieces on language and had a biweekly radio column on linguistics for CBC Manitoba for two years. As an academic, she teaches and works on syntax.