In Between Description and Prescription: Analysing Metalanguage in Normative Works on Dutch 1550–1650

This paper is the first to perform a systematic quantitative analysis of arguments used motivate selections in grammatical entries from normative works on Standard Dutch written between ca. 1550 and 1650. Thus, it aims obtain insight into what language ideologies were characteristic this early modern period, these reveal about how took shape its initiating phase, differences are codification period (16th/17th century) (post)modern (20th/21st century; analysed earlier studies). Although certain issues within annotation method need be addressed future research, results indicate that following principles particularly period: for good terms grammar, ought differentiate, display consistency, mirror Latin Greek, reflect use authorities. These linguistic form roots part standard ideology (SLI; which, as previous research has shown, came existence decades around 1800) connects ‘language’ with ‘norm’ bestows value language’s regularity. However, additional connection social identity, forms second crucial SLI, played no major time yet. Moreover, two important found: (1) latter showed higher degree consensus therefore canonisation discourse than former period; (2) nature metalanguage publications was explicitly prescriptive later but mostly ostensibly descriptive/implicitly period. indicates that, used, formative description prescription.