"They have a plentiful lack of wit"*

[eumelia]

Words, words, words.

Language is in constant flux, a word that means something is one context doesn't mean the same in another.
Or in the words of Inigo Montoya:
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means".

This is especially true when it comes to the way we talk about behaviour.
What, pray, is the difference between Normal behaviour and Normative behaviour?

At a glance, not much.
On second thought a whole lot, at least in my mind.
The two words are not interchangeable and as much as I enjoy mixing up the lingo and inserting my own ideas when expressing... well... moi (e.g. I'm a Grrl and not a girl), it irks me when I see those two words mixed up.

Normative denotes, at least in my understanding of the word and in the context of behaviour, the value put upon said behaviour. It's also a word specifically used in academia, mainly high theory, philosophy and social sciences.
Normality is simply put, non-deviation from what is considered socially acceptable.

It is normal for people to seek out romantic relationships with other people.
It is normative for people of the opposite sex** to see romantic relationships with each other.

In the News, when I hear about violence in schools and what kids do to each other, teachers, parents, whoever always comment that they never expected [Kid A] to behave this way; after all, Zie is a normative child.
And it grates me.
Really it does.
A person cannot be Normative as an adjective!
They are either Normal or Not! There is no value put upon them as people.

*sigh*

But again, who am I to decide which way the wind blows when it comes to use of language, right?

*Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 2
** I hope I can be forgiven for this terrible anachronism.

Comments

[sabrina-il.livejournal.com]

Well, if it comforts you, as a former Psych major I can safely say those people were wrong in describing a person as normative, as indeed that applies to BEHAVIORS and not people.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I know!

Arrgh, it's irritating when words are used without the full understanding of what they actually mean.

[wijsgeer.livejournal.com]

I think normative is not specifically for the behaviour of people, but of roles and figures.

The behaviour of a teacher could be called normative (it depends on school and culture on how explicit it demands specific behaviour) or the roles of the personages in school textbook and commercials and popmusic and such certainly has a normative aspect (though I assume they are generally less intentionally so).

Does that difference make any sense to you?

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Maybe.
I think what's irksome is the fact that there's an appropriation of words that denote a certain context and then trying to impose an agenda on those words.

Wow, that was an incoherent sentence. Did I make myself clear at all there?

[wijsgeer.livejournal.com]

can you give me an example of this appropriation ? I haven't come across the use of the word normative in unexpected contexts

but as you referred to with the openingquote, language is fluid and words go gleefully context-hopping. And yes, there are people who use those words have agendas, either im- or explicitly.

[shelestel.livejournal.com]

Abandon hope. Follow in Wittgenstein's footsteps to the countryside.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Boo...

What about Countrycide*?

Disclosure: "Countrycide" is the name of an episode in "Torchwood", in which the team goes to the Welsh countryside and finds... many disturbing things.