Language rules, rule-sentences, and how they are interrelated, or Norm vs. codification
Language rules, rule-sentences, and how they are interrelated, or Norm vs. codification

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents several structured reflections on the relationship between norm and codification. It is based on two theoretical frameworks. The first framework is formed by the distinction between language rule as the object of description and the so-called rule-sentence as the description of this object (Section 1); the second framework consists of the distinction between two ways of language learning, as conceptualized in theories of second language learning, i.e. spontaneous language adoption on the one hand and guided language learning on the other (Section 2). The relationship between norm and codification or rules and rule-sentences is, at first, seen from the macro-perspective of the codifying (language planning) process. The paper deals especially with the question of what kind of rule-sentences are or should be listed in codification textbooks and manuals, and considers the standpoint of both codifiers and ordinary speakers (Section 3). This view of the relationship is complemented from the micro-perspective of individual speakers and their ability to spontaneously adopt the rules (of a standard variety) through the learning of rule-sentences (Section 4).

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