Standard English Overview

Standard English

• Standard English is a fixed variety of English, not varying by geography
• It's used by all English speakers.
• It's a relatively recent linguistic development
• It emerged in the 18th century from concerns about English's status and prompted attempts to standardize it, including spelling, grammar, and pronunciation
• It was codified and fixed in the 18th century to bring order to the variations in spoken and written English.

History of Standard English

• Standard English is the dominant form of English today.
• It's taught in schools and used in government, prestigious institutions, and the media
• It's a fixed form, intolerant of variation, used widely geographically

Variation in English

• Human language is naturally prone to variation and change
• Spoken English exists in numerous dialects across Britain and the English-speaking world; these differ by accent, grammar, and vocabulary.
• Standard English is just one dialect that has a higher social status than others.

Standard vs. Other Standards

• Standard English is neither inherently better than other forms of English.
• It's merely an agreed-upon norm for facilitating communication, similar to other standardized systems, such as currency or voltage
• Using an analogy of traffic driving on the same side of a road helps to explain common use of standards, ensuring everyone is following the same rules.

Etymology of "Standard"

• The use of "standard" to describe language originates from its earlier semantic association with classical literature.
• There is a desire to associate standard English with prestige.