ABSTRACT
In view of the general agreement among the literate that a "correct" standard English exists, and in view of the vituperation directed at anyone suspected of corrupting it, one would expect some kind of agreement about what is correct. In actual fact, the standard English used by literate Americans is no pale flower being overgrown by the weeds of vulgar usage: it is a strong, flourishing growth. In this sense, standard American English is the sum of the language habits of the millions of educated people in this country. The nature of English is one of the absolutes of our world, like air, water and gravity. The standard English written by Americans is not, however, the written form of educated speech, which shows great local variation. The people might better adjust our minds to the divergences of usage in standard written English, for time, space and the normal drift of culture have put them there.
