2) Standard, non-standard and substandard In a country with a so-called Kultursprache, a
language with a long written tradition and a literature, such as the majority of countries of the
West, it makes sense to talk of a codified standard. By implicit or explicit comparison with this
standard one can then classify other varieties as non-standard or substandard (a more loaded term
than the former). In each country there is a term for the standard. In Germany this is simply
Hochdeutsch whereas in England there are various terms such as The Queen’s English, Oxford
English, BBC English, Received Pronunciation. Only the last of these finds favour with linguists.
Although the layperson may use these terms indiscriminately and although he/she may not be able
to be precise about what he means by them, he/she is always able to recognise them and may not
infrequently be in a position to imitate them also. Here one sees that the receptive ability of a
speaker is greater that his/her productive ability.
There are a number of further labels which are used to refer to language variation along
various axes. Students should be aware of at least the following three terms.
Diatopic Refers to variation in language on a geographical level.
Diastratic Refers to variation in language between social classes.
Diachronic Refers to variation in language over time.