Even within the United States, standard English in the Northeast is different in some respects from standard English in the Southwest. What is standard English in Oakland contrasts with standard English in Tampa or in Detroit. Certainly standard written English is not as variable as standard spoken English. The distinction between written and spoken English seems to have been overlooked in the Ebonics debate, perhaps because the correct English myth holds written standard English as the criterion against which speech may be judged. Socio-linguistic studies show that all dialects have linguistic integrity.
None is more regular than another.
The features of AAVE that contrast with standard English varieties are patterned and predictable, not random deviations. In other words, AAVE is just as standardized as standard English-though it is not subject to prescription as is standard English. What makes standard English standard is a matter of social attitudes and the political power of those who speak the standard dialect. Because standard English speakers control education, commerce, government, and other powerful institutions, the standard dialect is firmly associated with public life. Here again, however, beliefs outweigh empirical knowledge.