Passage 1

English is the official language of the United Kingdom and is the first language of the vast majority of its citizens. The use of language is extremely important to Britain’s. class structure. Some educated English people, regardless of their class origin, Strive to free themselves of regional or local accents in order to sound like educated English-speaking people. Some people in England regard regional accents and slang as substandard. On the other hand, many local people, such as Cockneys in East London and people in northern England, enjoy their particular way of speaking, regarding it as warmer and friendlier than standard English. Scottish people appreciate the Scottish accent so much they insist the BBC carry programs with Scottish-accented speakers. The Celtic language, an ancient tongue, continues to be spoken in Scotland by some people, usually those in the more remote areas of the country. Approximately 80,000 Scots speak Scottish Gaelic, a type of Celtic language. English is the main language in Northern Ireland, although at least some of the Roman Catholic minority speak Irish, another Gaelic dialect, as a second language. The ancient Celtic language of Wales is strongly tied to the cultural nationalism of the region. At the time of the 1991 census(人口调查), about 20 percent of the Welsh population could speak Welsh. Welsh is spoken in northern and western Wales much more than in southern Wales, where many English people have relocated. Many schools in Wales offer bilingual education, and there is a Welsh-language television channel. In 1993, after long and considerable struggle by Welsh nationalists, the government made Welsh a joint official language with English in Wales for use in the courts, the civil service, and other aspects of the government department.

"Some people in England regard regional accents and slang as substandard." "substandard" means______.