5 Standard language

STANDARD LANGUAGE
• According to a number of sociolinguists, one of the main

characteristics of a language is variation, heterogeneity and
change within language.
• There is, however, an opposing process working towards making

language uniform and homogenous.
• This opposing process is called standardization.
• A standard language has been described as having ‘maximal

variation in function’ but ‘minimal variation in form’.
The grammar and vocabulary of standard English are much
the same everywhere in the world:
• Variation among standards is really quite minor
• the Singapore, South African, and Irish varieties are

really very little different from one another in so far as
grammar and vocabulary are concerned.
• The process of standardization happens under certain socio-
historical conditions. A standard is socially and historically
created (Downes 1998 P 35).
• There are conditions which lead to the emergence of

Standard languages:
• Social conditions
• Hitorical/ political conditions
Social conditions
• Some linguistic features have prestige because they are
used by the socially and politically powerful. (The
educated, rich and affluent).
• Prestige derives from the socio-economic class of

speakers.
• This has nothing to do with the language itself: there’s

nothing inherently prestigious about the linguistic
features themselves.
Hitorical/ political conditions
• Standardization is sometimes deliberately undertaken for
political reasons.
• Most of the present day standard languages of Europe

emerged within a climate of intense political nationalism.
• They were developed in part out of the need to create

prominent ideological symbols of shared purpose,
nationhood, etc.
• It becomes ‘part of a much wider process of economic,
political and cultural unification . . . of great . . . importance
in the establishment of nationhood.’ (Fairclough 2001 p 47)
• The varieties of language selected for codification were

those current in capitals like Copenhagen, Paris, and
London—seats of the court, centers of trade and finance,
and breeding places of the aristocracy. (Romaine 1994 P 85)
Finnish and Norwegian
• Finnish and Norwegian are two good examples showing the

importance that standard language has in the creation of
strong symbols of shared purpose, unity and nationhood.
Finnish (Finland)
The Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe
bordered by Sweden to the west, Norway to the north, and
Russia to the east.
• In the nineteenth century, Finns developed their spoken
language to make it serve a complete set of functions.
• They needed a standardized language to assert their

independence from both Swedes and Russians.
A historical background
• From the 13th century onwards, most of the region became

a part of the Kingdom of Sweden and the realm of the
Catholic Church, due to the Northern Crusades and Swedish
colonisation of some Finnish coastal areas.
• In 1809, after the Finnish War, the vast majority of the

Finnish-speaking areas of Sweden were ceded to the Russian
Empire.
• In the 19th century, Finnish nationalism emerged.
• It focused on Finnish cultural traditions and folklore,

including music and—especially—the highly distinctive
language and lyrics associated with it.
• In 1917, Finland declared independence.

• Finns succeeded in their task so that now the Finnish
language has become a strong force in the nation’s political
life and a strong marker of Finnish identity among :
• Germanic tongues (central Europe : Dutch, German,

English) on the one side.
• Slavic tongues (central and Eastern Europe and Russia :

Belerusian, Ukranain Russian, polish…etc) on the other.
Norwegian
• Norwegian is a good example with its two standards (two
competing varieties):
• Nynorsk
• Bokmål.
• In this case there is a special problem, that of trying to unify

the two varieties in a way that pleases everyone.
Unification and amalgamation is official
government policy
• Some kind of unification or amalgamation is now official
government policy
• Countries with two or more competing languages that
cannot possibly be unified may tear themselves apart.
• In Yugoslavia, this happened.

• Belgium and Canada periodically seem to come very close
to doing that.
STANDARDISATION PROCESSES
1
1- Selection
• A process by which a particular variety has been selected as
the one to be developed into a standard language:
• An existing variety
• An Amalgam of various varieties.
• The choice is a matter of great social and political

importance as the chosen variety gains prestige.
• A particular variety must be selected as the one to be
developed into a standard language.
• This process of Selection tends to be a very sensitive

and delicate issue for the members of the community
where different varieties are used.
• Selection is sensitive and delicate issue because:
• choosing one vernacular as a norm means favoring those

who speak that variety.
• It also diminishes all the other varieties and possible

competing norms, and those who use those varieties.
They would probably take the fact that their variety is ruled
out and not been selected as an affirmation that:
• their variety is not good and sophisticated enough to be

the standard variety, used for all different types of
functions.
• That can then lead them to think that they are

themselves marginalised as members of that community
and not just their variety.
2-Codification
It refers to the process by which a certain variety is codified.
It is concerned with developing norms and typically means :
• to develop a writing system

• set up official rules for grammar, orthography pronunciation
syntax and vocabulary
• publish grammar books, dictionaries and similar guidelines.
• Several variants exist for a specific aspect :
Several variants → choosing the standard variant
• There are, for example, different ways of spelling a word.
• Decisions on which variant is going to be the standard one

have to be made.
The creation of governmental official bodies
• Governments sometimes very deliberately involve

themselves in the standardization process by establishing
official bodies of one kind or another.
• In some countries such codification is done by a body

constituted by the state.
• An agency such as an academy establishes the rules, writes

dictionaries and grammar books and everyone agrees on
what is correct and what is not.
The ‘Académie Française’
One of the most famous examples of an official body

established to promote the language of a country was
Richelieu’s establishment of the Académie Française in
1635.
Cardinal Richelieu
Prime Minister of France
1585 - 1642
The French academy was founded at a time when:
• a variety of languages existed in France,

• when literacy was confined to a very few
• there was little national consciousness
• The original purpose of the French Academy was to maintain
standards of literary taste and to establish the literary
language.
• It has often acted as a conservative body, opposed to

innovations in literary content and form.
• its members who referred to as ‘les immortels’ have included

many great names in French literature.
• Many French historians consider Richelieu as the founder
of French unity, as well as the person who released France
from its medieval nature.
• The goal of the French Academy was to fashion and

reinforce French nationalism.
• The parisian variety was the selected variety to be
standadised and this led to people living in other parts to
know paris.
• The French academy was established to:
• regulate language matters or

• to encourage changes felt to be desirable.
The US and the UK : no academies
• Similar attempts to found academies in England and the

United States for the same purpose met with no success.
• Individual dictionary- makers and grammar-writers perform

much the same function for English.
Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture
Royal Institute of the Amazigh Culture
• Maintain and develop the Berber language.
• Help include the Berber language in the Moroccan
educational system and ensure its presence in the social and
cultural fields and in national, regional and local media.
• Reinforce the status of the Berber culture in the media and
society.
• Work with other national institutions and organizations,
especially with the ministry of education.
• Act as a reference in the domain of academic Berber studies
and research, regionally and internationally, especially in
North Africa.
3- Elaboration of function
The selected variety is used in all functions associated with
central government and with writing:
• In parliament
• scientific language
• legal language
• in news reporting
• various forms of literature
It must be possible to use the selected variety in all functions
associated with :
• with writing, in parliament and law courts, in bureaucratic,

educational and scientific documents of all kinds.
• various forms of literature.
• This may require extra linguistic items to be added to the
variety especially technical words.
4-Acceptance
A norm must be selected and accepted.
‘…a standard language, if it is not to be dismissed as dead,

must have a body of users. Acceptance of the norm, even by a
small but influential group, is part of the life of the language.’
(Haungen 1966 P 933)
• Haugen says there are important matters to do with
‘function.’
• Not only does a variety need to be selected, it has to be

accepted by the population.
• Acceptance is therefore even more important than function.

• Neither codification nor elaboration is likely to proceed very
far if the community cannot agree on some kind of model to
act as a norm.
• That norm is also likely to be – or to become – an idealized

norm, one that users of the language are asked to aspire.
Once the standard language has been selected, it serves :
• as a strong unifying force for the state,

• as a symbol of its independence,
• and as a marker of its difference from other states.
It is precisely this symbolic functions that make states go

to some lengths to develop one.
References
• Hudson, R.A. 1980 Sociolinguistics. Cambridge: C.U.P (pages 1-20)
• Wardhaugh 2006 An Introduction to Sociolinguistics: Malden, Oxford
and Victoria: Blackwell publishing.
• Crystal, D The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language 2nd edition.
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press)

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STANDARD LANGUAGE

• According to a number of sociolinguists, one of the main

• There is, however, an opposing process working towards making

• This opposing process is called standardization.

• A standard language has been described as having ‘maximal

• Variation among standards is really quite minor

• the Singapore, South African, and Irish varieties are

• There are conditions which lead to the emergence of

• Prestige derives from the socio-economic class of

• This has nothing to do with the language itself: there’s

• Most of the present day standard languages of Europe

• They were developed in part out of the need to create

• The varieties of language selected for codification were

• Finnish and Norwegian are two good examples showing the

• They needed a standardized language to assert their

• From the 13th century onwards, most of the region became

• In 1809, after the Finnish War, the vast majority of the

• It focused on Finnish cultural traditions and folklore,

• In 1917, Finland declared independence.

• Germanic tongues (central Europe : Dutch, German,

• Slavic tongues (central and Eastern Europe and Russia :

• In this case there is a special problem, that of trying to unify

• In Yugoslavia, this happened.

• The choice is a matter of great social and political

• This process of Selection tends to be a very sensitive

• choosing one vernacular as a norm means favoring those

• It also diminishes all the other varieties and possible

• their variety is not good and sophisticated enough to be

• That can then lead them to think that they are

• to develop a writing system

Several variants → choosing the standard variant

• There are, for example, different ways of spelling a word.

• Decisions on which variant is going to be the standard one

• Governments sometimes very deliberately involve

• In some countries such codification is done by a body

• An agency such as an academy establishes the rules, writes

One of the most famous examples of an ofﬁcial body

• a variety of languages existed in France,

• It has often acted as a conservative body, opposed to

• its members who referred to as ‘les immortels’ have included

• The goal of the French Academy was to fashion and

• The French academy was established to:

• regulate language matters or

• Similar attempts to found academies in England and the

• Individual dictionary- makers and grammar-writers perform

• with writing, in parliament and law courts, in bureaucratic,

‘…a standard language, if it is not to be dismissed as dead,

• Not only does a variety need to be selected, it has to be

• Acceptance is therefore even more important than function.

• That norm is also likely to be – or to become – an idealized

• as a strong unifying force for the state,

It is precisely this symbolic functions that make states go

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