Abstract This chapter examines issues that arise in speech communities in response to changes in the language. Some usages are more appropriate for formal contexts than for informal ones, while usages out of place in formal contexts may be perfectly fine in informal ones. Schooling tends to accord formal styles a privileged status over others, while a great deal of change comes from the language spoken more casually. While the singular noun English encourages us to view the language as a single, unified speech form, this has never been so. A standard language is a set of linguistic norms established by some generally accepted political or social authority. But different speech communities can have different standards, leading to greater variety across English dialects. Furthermore, each dialect by itself encompasses a variety of “standards,” depending on whether we are speaking or writing and to whom. Writing is generally more conservative, while oral language changes far more readily—to the dismay of those who prefer to leave things as they are.