Standard English

         This week in class the focus was on the concept of Standard English. Before this week my understanding of Standard English was at a beginner’s level. I now, however, am unsure if I am even more confused about Standard English or more knowledgeable.  With that being said, if the answer to that question is that I am more confused, I think that it is because I am thinking about this at a deeper level now. When I look up Standard English online I find conflicting definitions. Based on our reading “Standard English: What it Isn’t” by Trudgill I think it will help me if I write these ideas here about what Standard English might be.

Standard English

What it isn’t	What it is
-a language (because it is only one variety of English among many) -an accent -a style (formal vs. informal) -a register (matter of lexis) -geographically restricted	-the processes of language determination, codification and stabilisation -it follows a code -a dialect (that is the most important in the English speaking world from a social, intellectual and cultural point of view) -one variety of English among many - purely social dialect (which is distinguished from other dialects of the language by its grammatical forms)

So what does this all mean? Today while students were typing letters regarding their own self assessment I had one student ask me, “how come we sound so much more smarter when we are typing?” This got me considering Standard English. When we put our thoughts into writing we consider the language codes and piece our words together knowing that the finished product will be held up to a specific standard. However, when we speak sometimes these codes do not always have the same amount of influence on us and how we decide to speak. This example also shows that power is gained by using Standard English. Here typing her thoughts showed her and others that she was truly intelligent. Those who can show their intelligence by using Standard English gain power from this social action becasue it is often socially connected to ones intelligence.

-Sarah A, Week 2.