The theme of this collection is a discussion of the notions of 'norms' and 'standards', which are studied from various different angles, but always in relation to the English language. These terms are to be understood in a very wide sense, allowing discussions of topics such as the norms we orient to in social interaction, the benchmark employed in teaching, or the development of English dialects and varieties over time and space and their relation to the standard language. The collection is organized into three parts, each of which covers an important research field for the study of norms and standards. Part 1 is entitled "English over time and space" and is further divided into three thematic subgroups: standard and non-standard features in English varieties and dialects; research on English standardization processes; and issues of standards and norms in oral production. Part 2 deals with "English usage in non-native contexts," and Part 3 is dedicated to "Issues on politeness and impoliteness." The notions of standards and norms are equally important concepts for historical linguists, sociolinguists with a variationist background, applied linguists, pragmaticians, and discourse analysts.

The plural form 'Englishes' conveys the diversity of English as a global language, pinpointing the growth and existence of a large number of national, regional and social forms. The global spread of English and the new varieties that have emerged around the world has grown to be a vast area of study and research, which intersects multiple disciplines. This Handbook provides a comprehensive and authoritative survey of World Englishes from 1600 to the present day. Covering topics such as variationist sociolinguistics, pragmatics, contact linguistics, linguistic anthropology, corpus- and applied linguistics and language history, it combines discussion of traditional topics with a variety of innovative approaches. The chapters, all written by internationally acclaimed authorities, provide up-to-date discussions of the evolution of different Englishes around the globe, a comprehensive coverage of different models and approaches, and some original perspectives on current challenges.

'Native speakers' and 'native users' are playing the same game, sharing, as they do, the model of the Standard Language.

The first book-length exploration of 'standard Englishes' with contributions by the leading experts on each major variety of English discussed.

Examines how English grew from an assortment of dialects into a standard national language with notions of correctness and social sanctions for using incorrect forms. The 12 essays consider the codification of particular forms such as the conclusive perfect and the third person neuter possessive, what people made the decisions, the interaction between written and spoken English, the importance of social factors, and other topics. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book describes standards for the English language arts and defines what K-12 students should know about language and be able to do with language. The book presents the current consensus among literacy teachers and researchers about what students should learn in the English language arts--reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visually representing. The first chapter of the book (Setting Standards in the English Language Arts) addresses defining the standards and the need for standards. The second chapter (Perspectives Informing the English Language Arts Standards) discusses the content, purpose, development, and context of the standards. The third chapter presents the 12 standards in detail. The fourth chapter (Standards in the Classroom) presents elementary, middle-school, and high-school vignettes which illustrate how the standards might be implemented in the classroom. The book concludes that these standards represent not an end but a beginning--a starting point for discussion and action. A glossary (containing more than 100 terms), a list of participants, a history of the standards project, an overview of standards projects, state and international English language arts standards, a 115-item annotated list of resources for teachers, and a comment form are attached. (RS)

Part I: Standards -- Standard English: biography of a symbol / Shirley Brice Heath -- The rise of standard English / Margaret Shaklee -- English Orthography / Wayne O'Neil -- Part II: The new generation -- How Pablo says "love" and "stove" / Timothy Shopen -- An afterword: How English speakers say "finger" and "sing" / Timothy Shopen -- Creative spelling by young children / Charles Read -- Part III: Dialects -- Sections from Bengt Loman's "conversations in a negro American dialect" (with recorded material on side 1 of the cassette) / Timothy Shopen -- The speech of the New York City upper class (with recorded materail on sides 1 and 2 of the cassette) / Geoffrey Nunberg -- Part IV: Dialect encounters standard -- On the application of sociolinguistic information: test evaluation and dialect differences in appalachia (with recorded material on side 2 of the cassette) / Walt Wolfram and Donna Christian -- An afterword: The accidents of history / Joseph M Williams.