Standard English

The video below is taken from my Spelling Sounds and Patterns course.

So what is Standard and Non-Standard English? Do you know?

I want to tell you something that helped me with my English, my confidence and my self-esteem, and that's understanding the differences between Standard English vs Non-Standard English .

So what is Standard and Non-Standard English? Do you know?

Standard English is the standardised grammar used in grammar books, newspapers, academia etc. And only about 10% of the population speak 
Standard English.

90% of us speak in Non-Standard English with our own grammar, words, slang, English usage, dialect. Which is fantastic and that's why
English is so rich and interesting.

Valuing your accent and dialect is so important, but also knowing,  using, switching to Standard English is vital in more formal situations,
especially, in business, job interviews and academia.

Standard English has nothing to do with accent. We can speak Standard English in any accent we want. Standard English is about the grammar not the pronunciation.

And that's what I discuss in my the video below - Standard English vs Non-Standard English. 

In the video I discuss:
* why you should respect your accent and dialect (your own grammar, slang, words)
* never be embarrassed by your English again
* and understand the common mistakes most people make with everyday grammar. 


Most of us in the UK don't have a clue about grammar. We haven't learnt it at school and just know when something sounds 'strange' or 'not quite right' but haven't a clue why.  Which is a shame because we can be so much more confident in our English and language usage if we knew more about grammar.

The good news is you don't need to understand everything about grammar. But I think you need to understand the common mistakes that a lot
of us make with grammar. I know these mistakes because I made them too.

I hate the word 'mistake' because they're not exactly 'mistakes' just a way of speaking that some dialects have. But knowing the 'why'
will help you so much with your English.

 

Watch and listen to the musician and director Plan B - his accent and variety of English/dialect is London (SE London).
Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew. Also known as Ben Drew. Born 22 October 1983 (age 29), Forest Gate, London, England.

Check out his use of "I done." In Standard English it should be "I've done" or "I did". His usage is OK but will sound 'rough' and uneducated on anyone else and not to be used in certain situations such as job interviews or you'll be judged. (But he's confident, famous and doesn't give a shit! But you have to be able to code switch between Standard and Non to be able to fit in and manipulate the system!)