The Standard English Myth
"We must come to an understanding that those who are in power determine the standard for everyone else. They even uphold the standard for “English.” Therefore, “Standard English” has been standardized." Nathaniel Bryan
Many educators are puzzled when I speak about the myths of standard English. I boldly confess that there is no such notion as standard English. Several researchers (Charity Hudley & Mallison, 2011; Wheeler & Sword, 2006) supports this notion in their seminal works on language, language acquisition, bilingual education, and language variations. Moreover, I suggest that the English language has been standardized; therefore, I use the word standardized instead of standard to describe the English language. In other words, dominant culture and people in power determine what and when language is appropriate (Laman, 2013; Kinloch, 2005). I provide evidence to support why standard English is simply a myth.
The term "standard English" suggests that there is a single standard variety of English. We cannot deny that the "language is a social behavior; however, and the way people communicate and use language are always situated within specific contexts and interactions" (Charity Hudley & Mallison, 2011, p.12). Therefore, there is no one way that we speak!
There are even grammar books that disagree on grammatical and mechanical rules (see Hudley and Mallison's work). In an examination of several school English textbooks, Charity Hudley and Mallison (2011) discovered that many variations were given for similar grammatical rules in various textbooks.
Linguistic variations appear in many seminal work (i.e. novels,plays, essays, and poem). Many notable plays written by Shakespeare, Chaucer, and many other well-known writers consist of linguistic variations.
English is not a pure language as it has been derived from several other languages. Please see the video below on the history of the English language.
Many educators are puzzled when I speak about the myths of standard English. I boldly confess that there is no such notion as standard English. Several researchers (Charity Hudley & Mallison, 2011; Wheeler & Sword, 2006) supports this notion in their seminal works on language, language acquisition, bilingual education, and language variations. Moreover, I suggest that the English language has been standardized; therefore, I use the word standardized instead of standard to describe the English language. In other words, dominant culture and people in power determine what and when language is appropriate (Laman, 2013; Kinloch, 2005). I provide evidence to support why standard English is simply a myth.
The term "standard English" suggests that there is a single standard variety of English. We cannot deny that the "language is a social behavior; however, and the way people communicate and use language are always situated within specific contexts and interactions" (Charity Hudley & Mallison, 2011, p.12). Therefore, there is no one way that we speak!
There are even grammar books that disagree on grammatical and mechanical rules (see Hudley and Mallison's work). In an examination of several school English textbooks, Charity Hudley and Mallison (2011) discovered that many variations were given for similar grammatical rules in various textbooks.
Linguistic variations appear in many seminal work (i.e. novels,plays, essays, and poem). Many notable plays written by Shakespeare, Chaucer, and many other well-known writers consist of linguistic variations.
English is not a pure language as it has been derived from several other languages. Please see the video below on the history of the English language.