Understanding Prescriptive Language and Its Uses

Prescriptively refers to the use of language or other forms of communication to provide guidance, advice, or recommendations for a specific course of action or behavior. It is often used in contrast to descriptively, which refers to the mere description of facts or circumstances without any evaluative or normative content.

In other words, prescriptive language or communication is intended to tell the listener or reader what they should do or how they should behave, rather than simply describing what is happening or has happened. This can include commands, instructions, advice, or recommendations, as well as evaluative statements or judgments about what is good or bad, right or wrong, etc.

For example, "You should take a closer look at that before making a decision" is an example of prescriptive language, because it is providing guidance on what the listener should do (i.e., take a closer look). In contrast, "The sky is blue today" is an example of descriptive language, because it simply describes a fact (i.e., the color of the sky) without any evaluative or normative content.