ABSTRACT
Wyld's argument for the superiority of 'received standard English (RSE) can best be read in the context of the shift in meaning of the term 'standard English' from its sense of the written language to that of the form of the spoken language which, according to the OED definition, 'by means of its cultural status and currency, is held to represent the best form of that speech'. His argument in fact attempts to take the definition of 'standard English' one step further than that given by the dictionary in that he intends to demonstrate the intrinsic merit of 'standard English' by the methods of science. For Wyld it is scientificity rather than simply opinion which lends its authority to the claims made for RSE.
