Comparing an inner-circle variety such as African American English to a linguistic phenomenon associated with the expanding circle, English as a lingua franca, was a helpful exercise in establishing that common non-standardized features could not be based on historical or social similarities. Comparing an inner-circle variety such as African American English to a linguistic phenomenon associated with the expanding circle, English as a lingua franca, was a helpful exercise in establishing that common non-standardized features could not be based on historical or social similarities. There are good reasons for having a standardized variety of English, but the existence of a standardized variety comes at a high price for those who do not participate in standard language culture. It makes good sense for many reasons to make use of the advantages associated with a standardized or the prescriptive variety of English.