Building Equity in Theoretical Linguistics and the Classroom

Abstract

The contested status of particular languages and linguistic varieties in classrooms across the world is a subject of intense interest on the part of linguists, educators, and members of the public alike. This chapter discusses the way linguistic variation operates and/or breaks down in school settings as well as the wider social consequences of how language is seen in the classroom. The chapter examines the ways in which language practices that do not serve a diverse set of students may be addressed, as well as suggests a number of types of interventions that may begin to improve linguistic equity in school settings. In particular, it focuses on the role of linguistics as an arena for addressing issues of equality, diversity and inclusion in the pre-university classroom.