APPROPRIATE ENGLISH USAGE SHOULD NOT BE DETERMINED BY RIGID AND ARTIFICAL REGULATIONS SET UP BY SCHOLARS MORE INTERESTED IN DEMONSTRATING THEIR OWN SUPERIORITY THAN IN DESCRIBING THE WAY LANGUAGE IS ACTUALLY USED. INSTEAD, GOOD ENGLISH SHOULD REVEAL ITSELF AS "THE PRODUCT OF CUSTOM" AND SHOULD CHANGE WITH "THE ORGANIC LIFE OF THE LANGUAGE." THUS, STANDARD ENGLISH IS THAT WHICH IS "WIDELY RECOGNIZED AS ACCEPTABLE WHENEVER ENGLISH IS SPOKEN AND UNDERSTOOD," AND SUBSTANDARD ENGLISH REFERS TO THOSE WORDS AND PHRASES NOT INCORRECT IN THEMSELVES BUT NOT USED BY THE PRESTIGE GROUP IN A COMMUNITY. CONSEQUENTLY, ALTHOUGH A STUDENT SHOULD BE CAUTIONED ABOUT THE RELATIVELY FEW EXPRESSIONS TO WHICH TEACHERS OBJECT ON EXAMINATIONS, HE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT ENGLISH TAKES ITS FORM NOT FROM AUTHORITATIVE RULES BUT FROM BEING (1) APPROPRIATE TO THE SUBJECT, (2) VALID IN RELATION TO CONTEMPORARY USAGE, AND (3) COMFORTABLE FOR BOTH SPEAKER AND LISTENER. SUCH USAGE INCLUDES COLLOQUIAL ENGLISH. (THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN "LANGUAGE, LINGUISTICS, AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS, PROCEEDINGS OF THE SPRING INSTITUTES, 1963." CHAMPAIGN, ILL., NCTE, 1963.) (LH)