:-) mostly -- McWhorter on "standard English"

[Robin Hamilton]

> I disagree: Standard American Written English dialect, with a focus
> on the academic register within that dialect.
>
> ---Amy West

Yes!!!   Beautifully put, Amy, and exactly what I was trying to point to,
only couched more succinctly and clearly than I managed.

I suppose to be picky one could expand this to:

        Standard American English  -- dialect
            Written -- [variety]
                Academic -- register

-- and lodge a caveat that there would be several varieties of register, or
sub-registers, within the primary Academic Register.

But you get it down to five words, and signal most of my caveat-expansions
by putting "dialect" uniquely in lower-case.

I'm impressed.  And jealous.  <g>

Robin

>>Date:    Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:11:42 -0500
>>From:    Robin Hamilton <robin.hamilton2 at BTINTERNET.COM>
>>Subject: Re: :-) mostly -- McWhorter on "standard English"
>>
>>>  Well, maybe we need to start putting "dialect" in after "Standard
>>>  English". I think I might start putting "Standard American Written
>>>  English dialect" in my composition syllabus to emphasize its
>>>  linguistic parity with Appalachian dialects, Southern dialects, etc.
>>>
>>>  ---Amy West
>>
>>I'd concur with this, Amy, but reword as "Standard American Written
>>English
>>Register."
>>
>>The wording of the syllabus description would, of course, be
>>self-referential, being written in SAWER.
>>
>>Robin Hamilton

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org