It is worth mentioning that the standard itself, although it carries an elevated amount of prestige--or respect--is only one dialect of English. It is set as the standard not because of any linguistic superiority in the sense of forms and rules (such as lexicon, pronunciation, or grammar) within that dialect, but rather for political reasons (Milroy & Milroy, In Authority in Language). In the case of American English, like most standards, the political motivation focuses on assigning power to those in power: Standard English is based on the variety of English spoken by those in power, and any variety other than this standard is stigmatized as “bad language” (Language, Society, and Culture class notes). Chicano English is no exception when it comes to this stigmatization.…show more content… However, this also means that speakers of nonstandard dialects are associated with less prestige. This aspect of standardization is highlighted by Chambers & Trudgill (1980). They note that dialects are seen popularly as associated with “peasantry, the working class, or other groups lacking in prestige” and are regularly regarded as “(often erroneous) deviation from a norm.”
The prestige of a dialect derives from the prestige of the people who speak it (McGuire, Good language and bad language). “Dialects happen 'naturally', unconsciously; standards
