The Standard English: Language Attitudes and Linguistic Ideologies

Subject and Section:
Professor’s Name:
Date Submitted:
The Standard English: Language Attitudes and Linguistic Ideologies
Introduction
The English language is considered a global language because of its predominance in many countries worldwide. Many countries also widely use it to communicate and be understood by other regions of the world both for official and public reasons. However, even with the diversity of the people using the English language, there are still prescriptivists who believe that standard English is the only kind of English that should be used. In this belief, the other ways that people from different regions use English are labeled as nonstandard.
It is common for language, an essential aspect of humanity, to evoke many beliefs and ideas shaped by the human experience, including political, social, and moral factors. Standard English had developed these ideologies that are now deeply ingrained in American culture and society. These ideologies have become so powerful and influential that it impacts an individual’s personal experience in aspects such as socialization with other people, the quality of education from institutions, and cultural expression (Flores et al.). Some issues are present in these beliefs when it comes to the oral and written forms, associating the standard to superiority and privilege. In addition to this, learning standard English has become a need for the oppressed to survive in society. This research aims to explore the power of language, linguistic ideologies, and the correlation between language attitudes and standardized English forms.
Functions of Language
There are different ways that language is used. Primarily, its function is communication. This includes the sharing of information, expression of emotions and identity, and the conveying of feelings. The context affects its usage in both the standard and nonstandard versions of the English language. In settings such as the internet or social media, the nonstandard ways of speaking and writing the English language are often used, while the standard English can often be used and experienced in academic institutions.
The standard English language in the professional setting, such as academia, is required and expected from its students and faculty. However, it is worth noting that the scholars and students’ research and other academic writings are not how an individual typically conveys thoughts and emotions. The use of the standard English language means that the rules such as noun-pronoun agreement, possessive cases, and punctuation marks are applicable and should be practiced, among many others. Considering the standard English language as the only correct way diminishes the accessibility of the English language and the equity that the society is striving for.
Based on recent studies, the strict beliefs of the prescriptivists that uphold the rules of standard English, promoting it as the correct way of using the language, already presents issues in modern society. These issues include the lack of considerations to the evolution in the practice of the community in the modern world. The rules that encompass standard English feed the “white middle-class norms” of society that are benefici...