Standard English Essay

635 Words3 Pages
Standard English is defined as a notion that has prestige, no geographical base with many varieties and can be codified in dictionaries and style guides. It is implemented to facilitate communication between its users, often the educated elite. It is considered a high sociolect and used within governments and wealthy suburbs as well as widely used by the media and prestige. Essentially, it can often be used as a benchmark for which other varieties of English can be compared with. The use of Standard English is determined by the context that it is used in, whether it is formal or an informal context. Informal language can be used as a vessel of communication and can develop positive rapports through equality when Standard English fails to do so. Various ethnolects and idiolects are used to increase the group solidarity where Standard English cannot. Similarly, slang allows its users to share and connect over a literary past however, standard English can be used in conjunction with informal language in newspapers and journals to . Informal language can be used as a means of effective communication as opposed to the notional Standard English. It can be used as a means of building rapport through intimacy and equality, both of which encourage inclusiveness. For example, the television program ‘The Cook and the Chef’ implements informal language, the context being a cooking show. In the program, the hosts use numerous spoken features such as discourse particles, turn- taking and holding the floor in a conversational manner. The communication is at a personal level therefore, formal Standard English is unnecessary because the speakers implement a loose, less structured discourse. In that context, the speaker to audience relationship discourages the use of Standard English because if Standard English were to be used, the function of the discourse would not be achieved.
Open Document