Non-standard English is an informal version of English. It usually contains slang and colloquialisms that wouldn’t be used in more formal or professional settings.
It’s the opposite of standard English, which is defined by its use of proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. With non-standard English, it’s more relaxed – there’s no pressure to spell everything correctly, for example.
When do we use non-standard English?
We use non-standard English daily (unless you speak super formally, of course). Non-standard English is many people use informal language when talking to friends and family.
We use non-standard English in writing too. For example, when sending text messages, emails, postcards, or letters to friends and family, we tend to write in non-standard English.
It is because we want to convey a friendly and informal tone – when talking to friends and family, it’s not the same as talking to an authority figure you want to impress and show respect to.
For most informal situations, we use non-standard English. However, standard English is used for formal situations such as essential letters or schoolwork.
How do you identify non-standard English?
The easiest way to identify non-standard English is to look for its most common features. These are usually the opposite of what you’d find in standard English. Here’s how the features of the two compare:
| Standard English | Non-Standard English |
| Formal and polite style or tone. | The friendly and relaxed style and tone. |
| Standard grammar is used accurately and correctly. | Mostly standard grammar, but there may be some variation or room for error. |
| Correct spellings. | Some incorrect spelling to shorten words. For example, in text messages, ‘you’ might be spelled ‘u.’ |
| Advanced vocabulary and phrases. | Simpler vocabulary – direct and to the point. |
| Fewer or no contracted words (I’d, I’ve, aren’t, wouldn’t). | Frequent use of contracted words. |
| No slang or colloquialisms. | Use of slang and colloquialisms throughout. |
| Fewer or no abbreviations. | Use abbreviations such as ‘I’m gonna’ (I’m going to) or ‘TTYL’ (talk to you later). |
Non-Standard English Examples
Here are some non-standard English examples:
- ‘Yeah’ rather than ‘yes’ is perhaps the most obvious and used non-standard English example.
- ‘We was’ in place of ‘we were.’
- ‘If I was you’ instead of ‘If I were you.’
- ‘Ain’t’ is a word that’s frequently used in non-standard English to replace ‘am not.’ So, for example, ‘I am not going to do that.’ vs. ‘I ain’t doing that.’
- ‘Innit’ is sometimes said rather than ‘isn’t it’. For example, ‘It’s hot out today, innit?’
- ‘Gotta’ is used instead of ‘have (got) to.’ ‘I gotta do my homework.’
- ‘Wanna’ is used instead of ‘want to.’ For example, ‘Do you wanna get pizza for dinner?’
- ‘Because’ is regularly shortened to ‘cos.’
- ‘I don’t know is shortened to ‘I dunno.’
- ‘Kind of’ and ‘sort of’ are shortened to ‘kinda’ and ‘sorta.’
Is non-standard English acceptable?
Non-standard English is only acceptable in certain settings. For example, it is when chatting with friends in informal situations.
It’s not acceptable in formal situations such as schoolwork or exams. Instead, pupils must write in standard English when completing their classwork and homework. It is because non-standard English allows for errors (whether purposeful or accidental) in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
