standard language

plural standard languages

1. human sciencesA form of a language that is institutionally promoted, regarded as the most correct or neutral variety, and is used by a population for public and formal purposes.

   In modern standard languages, norms of usage often seem to be superimposed by prescriptive norms.

   2014, Stephan Elspaß, Prescriptive norms and norms of usage in nineteenth-century German, University of Salzburg [Gijsbert Rutten, Rik Vosters, Wim Vandenbussche, Norms and Usage in Language History, 1600–1900: A sociolinguistic and comparative perspective, John Benjamins Publishing Company] p. 303

   Synonyms: standard, standard dialect, standard variety · Antonyms: nonstandard variety

2. human sciencesA language that has a standard form as one of its varieties; a language that has undergone standardization.

   Not all standard languages have the backing of institutions such as the Académie française. English is a good example of a standard language without such a regulatory body.

   1994, Suzanne Romaine, Language in Society: An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 85

   1 more example

   Some remain clusters of dialects like those of the Pamirs; others are at varying levels of stabilisation; some may be young standard languages, having only recently achieved that status; [...]

   1978, James E. Alatis, International Dimensions of Bilingual Education, Georgetown University Press, page xii

   Synonyms: standardized language