When I recently explained why teaching grammar in primary school still matters, Radio 4’s Today programme invited me to debate the importance of standard English. My opponent was Nevile Gwynne, a ...

In Rob Jenkins’s essay, “We Must Help Our Students Master Standard English” (The Chronicle, In Rob Jenkins’s essay, “We Must Help Our Students Master Standard English” (The Chronicle, April 10), he ...

Did you see that great documentary on linguistics the other night? What about that terrific series on Radio 4 about the Indo-European language family tree? Or that news report on language extinction?

Standard English is the form of English that is taught around the world and understood by all speakers of the language. Non-standard English is the informal version of the language, which can change ...