Torkington, Kate2012-07-052012-07-052000AUT: KTO00735;http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/1399Most languages have a variety of dialects, both in geographical and socio-cultural terms. At the same time, there is a standard form of the language which is recognised, if not necessarily spoken (and/or written) by the majority of users of that language. This article aims to provide a critical analysis of the concept of standard English in the discourse of language policy in British education, with particular reference to Bourdieu's framework of symbolic power.engjournal article