EDUCATED ENGLISH

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | 700+ words | Copyright

EDUCATED ENGLISH, also educated usage. The USAGE of speakers and writers of English who have been educated at least to the end of secondary level. The term is sometimes used as a synonym for STANDARD ENGLISH: ‘Social levels of English shade gradually into one another. But we can recognize three main levels. At the top is educated or standard English; at the bottom is uneducated English, and between them comes what H. L. MENCKEN called the VERNACULAR’ ( W. Nelson Francis, The English Language: An Introduction, 1967). He adds: ‘Uneducated English is that naturally used by people whose schooling is limited and who perform the unskilled labor in country and city. Certain grammatical features, such as the double or multiple negative are common to most regional varieties [of AmE].’ See GENERAL ENGLISH, STANDARD, VERNACULAR.

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TOM McARTHUR. "EDUCATED ENGLISH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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TOM McARTHUR. "EDUCATED ENGLISH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-EDUCATEDENGLISH.html

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