Evaluate the idea that British Standard English is superior to other varieties of English used around the world.

In every language, there is an observable both linguistic and social distinction between the standard, non-regional variety, which is generally seen as more prestigious by its speakers, and its dialectal varieties. This distinction is easily noticeable in the case of RP English and other English dialects. From a sociolinguistic point of view, British Standard English is seen as superior due to being the most widely used form in both spoken language and in most published media, such as textbooks, news broadcasting and documentaries. It is also generally associated by most people with a more highly educated speaker base. Such distinctions in how language and its varieties are perceived by the populations are known to have led to social segregation in lots of cases, a notable example being the social distinction between American English and African American Vernacular English. However, from a purely linguistic point of view, there is no objective reason as to why a certain variety in a language should be viewed as superior. Every dialect in English, as well as in all other languages, is a distinct linguistic entity, meaning it functions by its own set of well defined rules. Although sometimes dialectal syntax or vocabulary can only be understood by a limited number of speakers, it is still considered a well-structured language variety. Therefore, the idea of superiority in languages is purely subjective, as it only takes into consideration how certain varieties are perceived by people, rather than how they function at a linguistic level.