ATS1291 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Standard Written English, Standard Language, Sprachbund
13 May 2018
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'Standard' English Debate
Standard (in OED)
• Most correct and acceptable form
• Applied to that variety of a spoken or written language of a country or other linguistic area
which is generally considered the most correct and acceptable form, as Standard English,
Standard American, etc.; Received Standard; also, standard pronunciation
Standard language
• Minimal variation
• Maximal function
• Considered to be the norm
• Prestige variety
• Benchmark
• Educational purposes
• Standard language is one which has minimal variation of form and maximal variation of
function (Leith, 1983, p. 32)
• Selected -> accepted by influential people -> diffused geographically and socially ->
maintained/ elaborated
Stages of 'standardising' a language
• Selection
• Codification
• Elaboration of function
• Acceptance
Standard Language
• Term used for that variety of a language which is considered to be the norm.
• Prestige variety: spoken by a minority of those occupying positions of power within a society
• Yardstick against which other varieties of the language are measured
• Held up as optimum for educational purposes
Prescriptive vs Descriptive
• Prescriptive; right vs wrong, correct vs incorrect
Terms associated with non-standard language (from a perspective view)
• Non standard
• Sub standard
• Unacceptable
• Broken
• Low status
• Deficient
Prescriptivism
• Language testing and assessment -> standardised tests estimate children's linguistic abilities
• Usually ignore ellipses
Critique
• Based on simplistic notions of the nature of language and use
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Document Summary
Standard (in oed: most correct and acceptable form, applied to that variety of a spoken or written language of a country or other linguistic area which is generally considered the most correct and acceptable form, as standard english, Standard language: minimal variation, maximal function, considered to be the norm, prestige variety, benchmark, educational purposes. Standard language is one which has minimal variation of form and maximal variation of function (leith, 1983, p. 32) Selected -> accepted by influential people -> diffused geographically and socially -> maintained/ elaborated. Prescriptive vs descriptive: prescriptive; right vs wrong, correct vs incorrect. Terms associated with non-standard language (from a perspective view: non standard. Language testing and assessment -> standardised tests estimate children"s linguistic abilities: usually ignore ellipses. Critique: based on simplistic notions of the nature of language and use, do not take account of variation (dialect & occasion of use) (milroy & milroy, 1999)
