- When someone refers to “standard English,” he or she is usually referring to the standard form of English in a particular region.
- Received Pronunciation, often called RP, is the way Standard English is spoken; without regional variations.
- It is also the kind of English used in conversation with anyone other than intimates. Standard English is only acquired through formal education.
- However, it wasn’t until the 18th century, with the rise of prescriptive grammar books and dictionaries, that Standard English started gaining widespread acceptance.
- Linguistically speaking, there is not just one Standard English, and even L1 speakers of English can sound very different from each other.
- Pronunciation: Standard English pronunciation follows patterns generally associated with educated speech, although there may be some regional variations.
- This also implies that, although all RP speakers speak Standard English, Standard English can be spoken with an accent.
- Non-standard English is an informal version of English. It usually contains slang and colloquialisms that wouldn’t be used in more formal or professional settings.
- It is interesting to note how many regional standards of English there actually are, if we take into account English spoken as both a first and second language.
- It is important to remember that there isn't just one 'Standard English' as different English-speaking countries have slight variations in their standard.