Kali was born and raised in Texas, and is a user of Southern (US) English. You are a linguist trying to figure out descriptive rules in Southern (US) English. While interviewing her, she says this:

"We must can do that is not right to say in my dialect!"

Kali is an adult who has never taken a linguistics course before. If you wanted to figure out whether she means descriptively "not right" or prescriptively "not right", which of the following clarification questions would be appropriate to ask?

Question

Kali was born and raised in Texas, and is a user of Southern (US) English. You are a linguist trying to figure out descriptive rules in Southern (US) English. While interviewing her, she says this:

"We must can do that is not right to say in my dialect!"

Kali is an adult who has never taken a linguistics course before. If you wanted to figure out whether she means descriptively "not right" or prescriptively "not right", which of the following clarification questions would be appropriate to ask?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

We are given a scenario in which Kali uses a nonstandard utterance and the goal is to distinguish whether her concern is descriptive (how the dialect actually operates) or prescriptive (whether it should be avoided).
Option 1: 'Does saying We must can do that make you sound like you didn't grow up speaking Southern English? Or does it still sound like a natural Southern English user, but people are bothered by it for other reasons?' This question directly targets the perceptual or normative judgments people might attach to the form. It invites Kali to reflect on whether the issue is a matter of how the dialect is produced and heard in real speech (descriptive) or whether there is a broader, perhaps this-is-not-acceptable (prescriptive) concern based on how others react. In other words, it probes how much of the concern is about dialectal variation versus evaluative judgments, which is central to distinguishing descriptive from prescriptive aims. A potential limitation is that it also frames the outcome in terms of “sound like a natural Southern English user,” which could bias Kali toward labeling the form as dialectal rather than prescriptively problematic, but as a clarification step it still serves the intended distinction by foregrounding audience perception and self-positioning.
Option 2: 'Do you mean that you would never, ever say this any context what-so-ever, or do you mean that some people do say this and you think they shouldn't?' This question squarely targets the scope and endorsement of the form. If Kali means she would never say it in any context, that pushes toward a prescriptive stance about correctness. If she thinks some people do say it but should not, that also raises prescriptive concerns about when such a form is acceptable. Importantly, this option invites a contrast between universal prohibition and conditional usage, which is a classic way to tease apart descriptivist attitudes (recognizing variation) from prescriptivist attitudes (advocating rules). A nuance to watch for is that phrasing could become a bit insistently normative, but it nonetheless is a strong clarifying probe of intention and normative judgments.
In summary, both options aim to disentangle descriptive information (how the dialect is used and perceived in real life) from prescriptive judgments (whether the form should be avoided). Option 1 emphasizes perceived acceptability and naturalness within the Southern dialect community, while Option 2 focuses on explicit universal prohibition versus conditional usage, addressing the extent of evaluative stance. Neither option presupposes a single correct path and both facilitate understanding Kali’s underlying intent, which is exactly what's needed to distinguish descriptive from prescriptive meanings.

LIN204H5 S LEC9999 Summer 2025 F - Lecture Comprehension Check 1

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