In our formative years, particularly through education and even into the workforce, we’re always being told to speak and write ‘correct’ English. But what does that mean for the dialects that use non-standard English? Are they ‘incorrect’?

Nicola Brayan has produced a revealing podcast series, Standard Deviations, in which she explores the many ways we speak the English language.

Language can define us: our identity, our culture, our community. It can also divide us. Language can be used to discriminate, oppress and marginalise.

The three-part podcast reveals the legitimacy of the English everyone speaks, here in Australia and around the world. It challenges us to think before we judge the way others speak.

Standard Deviations is a Junction Journalism podcast. Listen to the full episode here.