Introdungcing English language part 19: 'In this exciting new textbook, Louise Mullany and Peter Stockwell have provided a fresh and imaginative set of alternatives for teaching and learning a huge amount about the English language. The book allows tor creative and lateral approaches to developing an understanding of important linguistic concepts and, together with the thought-provoking activities, and accessible readings, guarantees there is something to stimulate every learner. | B8 94 DEVELOPMENT ASPECTS OF ENGLISH Letters to the newspapers and fussy complaints about many of these cause them to find their way into the education system and become part of the standard written language. The standard language ideology Where this prescriptivism occurs throughout history it is often accompanied by conservative moral politics and a nostalgic golden age sense of history language is always seen as becoming debased distorted and corrupted. The slippage between language and moral judgement is often an easy one. Prescriptivism can be very powerful because prescriptivists are often in influential positions. Jonathan Swift set out a proposal for correcting and ascertaining that is fixing forever the English language. Samuel Johnson s Dictionary also had an improving aim and was sold alongside popular rules of grammar. Prince Charles has made connections between slovenly grammar slovenly appearance and lawlessness. The elevation of one dialect as the prestige standard usually also involves the relative disparagement of the other varieties of the language. So for example writing in any dialect other than Standard English in anything but a very informal context would be regarded as improper ignorant or even humorous over the last century. Of course there are huge advantages in having a standard written form since no accent or region is privileged. Any English user from any region or any part of the world can read this book - even read it aloud in any accent - without a hint of the Birmingham or Teesside accents of its two authors. Nevertheless the tendency of much standardisation is towards the homogenisation of English. Traditional dictionary-writers and grammarians up until modern times devisers of educational tools and curricula governments looking for national pride and cost-efficient schooling all dislike multiple possible versions of what needs to be taught. Testing and the awarding of qualifications are difficult if there is not a standard answer. .
