It is argued that viewing learners' errors as evidence for the emergence of new varieties of the English language is dangerously mistaken, particularly where it leads to the abandonment of Standard English as a model for learners. It is shown how this view is mistaken by: (1) citing recent British thinking on the relationship of varieties of English to the standard language; and (2) by presenting a taxonomy of varieties of English that distinguishes between ethnopolitical and linguistic labels for varieties. It is further argued that to displace Standard English from the center of attention is to deny learners access to the wider world of international communication. (JL)