Standard Language

In the Lippie-Green article, I found it interesting how the author discusses how a standard U.S. English does not exist because language is always changing and evolving.  However, people still believe that a homogeneous, one-language-fits-all language is desirable and possible.  The author talks about how this language doesn’t really exist but the ideal does in the minds of speakers.  I always knew that there was never a Standard English language but, I never thought of how it was really just an ideal that that people had in their minds that they saw as attainable.  I think that this is another reason why students need to be educated on dialects.  Not only is that a good way to start off a discussion on world Englishes.  Students, along with people in general, need to realize that there is not Standard English and that it is not ok to make generalizations or stereotypes based on people’s dialects or accents.

In McKay’s chapter 5, standard language is also addressed.  McKay talks about how discourses attempt to “suppress variations in their attempts to impose control and order on English language acquisition and use.  What is scary is that the author proposes that schools are among the group of institutions that participate in these ideologies.  I think that it is important that educators stay up to date on issues like these and that this knowledge also gets passed on to their students.  I agree with McKay that standard language and ideologies that go along with this idea are mostly about control and issues of power.  It is so critical that we get these ideologies out of our school.