The present paper looks in detail at the process of codification, i.e. how a single variety is altered in such a way as to become the publicly accepted, stigma-free variety of a country or major region. There is both implicit and explicit codification. For Haugen it would seem that he was referring to the latter process in which there is formal agreement on what features and structures belong to the codified variety, e.g. by setting these down in a grammar, style usage guide, dictionary, etc. But the process of implicit codification is largely unconscious. The result is a variety of a language which bears no stigma in the society in which it is spoken. An implicitly codified variety contrasts with other co-existing varieties which show features not contained in the codified variety.