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Linguistics & Grammar vocabulary · Sociolinguistics

Standard language

Meaning in linguistics & grammar, with examples

nounCommon term

In linguistics & grammar, standard language means: The variety of a language used in education, government, the media and dictionaries, and generally accepted as the norm for formal writing.

In Turkish: ölçünlü dil, standart dil

How it is used

Linguists see the standard as one dialect among others that gained prestige for social and historical reasons, not because it is more logical. People also say standard variety or, for English, Standard English.

Example sentences

  1. Exams usually expect the standard language, even if students speak a regional dialect at home.

  2. The standard language in Turkey developed mainly from the Istanbul dialect.

Common collocations

  • standard variety
  • Standard English
  • non-standard forms
  • standard language ideology
  • dialectA variety of a language used by speakers in a particular region or social group, with its own vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
  • prescriptiveDescribes an approach that tells people how they should speak or write according to rules of 'correct' usage, instead of describing how they actually use the language.
  • accentA way of pronouncing a language that shows where a speaker comes from, such as their region, social group or first language, as in a Scottish or a Turkish accent.
  • registerA variety of language used for a particular situation or purpose, from formal to informal, such as academic writing, legal language or chatting with friends.
  • sociolinguisticsThe study of how language varies and changes with society: how age, region, social class, gender and situation shape the way people speak.

More terms: Sociolinguistics

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