What are Standard, Nonstandard, Foreign, First and Second Language?

 

What are Standard and nonstandard language, First language, Foreign language, and second language?

Standard and nonstandard language:

Usually, a country has some regional or social dialects which are different in some words, grammar, and or pronunciation from one another. Among them, one is socially favored and accepted as the standard language or variety of a country.

Richard W.  (2010) Says-

“A standard language (also standard variety, standard dialect, and standard) is a language variety that has undergone substantial codification of grammar and usage, and is employed by a population for public communication.”

Finegan, Edward (2007). Language: Its Structure and Use (5th ed.)

 “The term standard language occasionally refers to the entirety of a language that includes a standardized form as one of its varieties.”

 

 Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics defines standard language as

‘‘The variety of a language which has the highest STATUS in a community or nation and which is usually based on the speech and writing of educated native speakers of the language.’’

 The dictionary further writes

 ‘‘A standard variety is generally:

 

(a)     used in the news media and in literature

(b)    described in dictionaries and grammar

(c)     taught in schools and taught to non-native speakers when they learn the language as a foreign language.’’

The standard variety of American English is known as ‘Standard American English', and of British English is ‘Standard British English’.

 

On the other hand, the other dialects or varieties of a language are considered  as non-standard language. Nonstandard language can be defined as  ‘‘use of speech or writing which differs in pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary from the  STANDARD  VARIETY of the language’’.

Wikipedia.org defines as-

“A nonstandard dialect or vernacular dialect is a dialect or language variety that has not historically benefited from the institutional support or sanction that a standard the dialect has.”

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonstandard_dialect]

For example, the English term ‘water’ is used in the standard language of Bangladesh as ‘pani’ but the people of Noakhali pronounciate the word ‘hani’.

Difference between Standard and Nonstandard Language

Standard languages arise when a certain dialect begins to be used in written form, normally throughout a broader area than that of the dialect itself. The ways in which this language is used—e.g., in administrative matters, literature, and economic life—lead to the minimization of linguistic variation.

 

The social prestige attached to the speech of the richest, most powerful, and most highly educated members of a society transforms their language into a model for others; it also contributes to the elimination of deviating linguistic forms.

 

Dictionaries and grammars help to stabilize linguistic norms, as do the activity of scholarly institutions and, sometimes, governmental intervention. In most developed countries, the majority of the population has an active (speaking, writing) or at least passive (understanding) command of the standard language.

 

A nonstandard language does not have the institutional support or sanction that a standard dialect has. Like any dialect, however, it has its own vocabulary and an internally consistent grammar and syntax; and it may be spoken using one or a variety of accents.

 

Note that non-standard language is only ‘ungrammatical’ if the rules of written standard English are taken as a fixed point of reference. Even so, written standard languages continue to enjoy considerable prestige, and written standard English is clearly useful as a global lingua franca. In comparison, non-standard language has historically been stigmatized, and a debate continues about the extent to which non-standard usages should be encouraged, and even simply tolerated, in education.

 

Example of non-standard English:

 

‘I ain’t done it’

‘them bitches over there’ or

‘she sings nice’

 

 

First language:

The first language is generally ‘‘a person’s mother tongue or the language acquired first.’’ For example, the people of Bangladesh acquire Bangla as their first language.

 

“A first language, native tongue, native language, or mother/father/parent tongue, arterial language or L1, is a language that a person has been exposed to from birth.”

[Bloomfield, Leonard. Language ISBN 81-208-1196-8]

 ‘‘In multilingual communities, however, where a child may gradually shift from the main use of one language is the main use of another (e.g. because of the influence of a school language), first language may refer to the language the child feels most comfortable.’’

 

Sometimes first language is thought to be synonymous to native language which can be defined as ‘‘the language which a person acquired in early childhood because it is spoken in the family and/or it is the language of the country where he or she is living.’’

Foreign language:

A foreign language is a language that is not a native language in a country. It is studied usually either for communication with foreigners who speak the language or for reading printed materials in the language.

Wikipedia  defines foreign language as-

“A foreign language is a language not commonly spoken in the country of the speaker. “

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_language

Second language:

A person's second language, or L2, is a language that isn't the local language of the speaker, which is learned later. A speaker's prevailing language, which is the language a speaker utilizes most or is generally alright with, isn't really the speaker's first language. The Second language can likewise be the prevailing one.

 

A person's second language, or L2, is a language that is not the native language of the speaker, but is learned later

Foreign language and a second language are often thought to be the same. But there is a distinction between a foreign language and a second language.

(a)  a foreign language is a language which is taught at a school nor as a language of communication within a country (e.g. in government, business, or industry). English is described as a foreign language in France, Japan, China, etc.

(b) a second language is a language which is not a native language in a country but which is widely used as a medium of communication (e.g. in education and government) and which is usually used alongside another language or languages. English is described as a second language in countries such as Fiji, Singapore, and Nigeria.

 

English was once the second language in Bangladesh. But now it is only a foreign language, according to the description above.

 

 Finally, it can be said that language, an arrangement of regular spoken, manual, or composed images by methods for which individuals, as individuals from a social gathering and members in its way of life, communicate. The elements of language incorporate correspondence, the outflow of personality, play, creative articulation, and enthusiastic delivery.