The Stories of English

Overview

• Discussion focuses on the stories of English, distinct from the Story of English series from 20+ years ago.
• Highlights the neglect of dialects in favor of standard English.

Standard versus Non-standard English

• The narrative surrounding English has traditionally centered on standard English.
• Nonstandard varieties, or dialects, have been overlooked and regarded as inferior.
• H.C. Wyld's perspective from A Short History of English:
  • Dialects mentioned only at the end, deemed less important.
  • Described as "quaint and eccentric" and relegated to a secondary status.
  • Suggests sophistication in dialects but still inferior to standard English.

Attitudes Towards Dialect

• Standard English is often perceived as "proper" or "correct."
• Dialects considered inferior with many negative associations:
  • Terms like "patois," "cant," "broken English," and "gutter English" reflect this bias.
• Linguists prefer terms like "non-standard English" which still carry a negative connotation.

Reality of English Usage

• Standard English represents a minority of dialects.
  • Only about 1% of English speakers are standard English users.
• Standard English primarily pertains to written communication:
  • Defined by grammar, spelling, punctuation, and to some extent, vocabulary.

Examples of Standard vs. Non-standard English

• Standard English avoids double negatives:
  • Example: "I don't have anything" vs. "I haven't got nuffink."
• The term "ain't" is considered non-standard.
• Spelling and punctuation are crucial for proper standard English usage.

Spoken English Statistics

• Despite perceptions, only about 5% of spoken English is in standard form.
• Most speakers use variations that incorporate double negatives or other non-standard forms.