Standard English

Standard English is a general term for a form of written and spoken English that is considered the model for educated people. There are no set rules or vocabulary for "standard English" because, unlike languages such as French, English does not have a governing body (see Académie française) to establish usage. As a result, the concept of "standard English" tends to be fluid. Various regional and national "standards" exist.

The issue is particularly complicated because English has become the most widely used language in the world, and therefore it is the language most subject to alteration by non-native speakers.

The two most common internationally recognized varieties of standard English are American English and British/Commonwealth English. However, opposition to these two varieties, which are often too closely associated with their countries of origin (the United States and the United Kingdom), has given rise to many local Englishes. See Varieties of English on the right.