Translingual Discrimination

Abstract

Moving beyond two main concepts of 'interlingual' and 'intralingual' discrimination, this Cambridge Element addresses the concept of 'translingual discrimination', which refers to inequality based on transnational migrants' specific linguistic and communicative repertoires that are (il)legitimized by the national order of things. Translingual discrimination adds intensity to transnational processes, with transnational migrants showing two main characteristics of exclusion - 'translingual name discrimination' and its associated elements such as 'name stigma' and 'name microaggression'; and 'translingual English discrimination' and its elements such as 'accentism', 'stereotyping' and 'hallucination'. The accumulation of these characteristics of translingual discrimination causes negative emotionality in its victims, including 'foreign language anxiety' and 'translingual inferiority complexes'. Consequently, transnational migrants adopt coping strategies such as 'CV whitening', 'renaming practices', 'purification', and 'ethnic evasion' while searching for translingual safe spaces. The Element concludes with the social and pedagogical implications of translingual discrimination in relation to transnational migrants.

Linguistic prejudice and electoral discrimination: What can political theory learn from sociolinguistics?

“…We wholeheartedly agree with the thesis that language and accent do serve as a proxy for racist discourse in various settings in Australia: that is, people can and do sometimes comment on accent purely and simply as a way of making wider racist judgments (Starks and Willoughby 2015). We also argue, however, that there is complexity in the relationship between linguistic prejudice and racism, and thus it is important to distinguish between them and recognize that they can be separate vehicles for prejudice and discrimination (Dovchin 2022). A simple example of their separate nature can be seen in the fact that not all racist attacks on politicians are linguistic in form.…”

“…Speakers of the unmarked standard, he goes on to argue, look down on other varieties to varying degrees, perhaps regarding their language practices as either more or less appropriate in less formal contexts. These ideas are developed by Jonathan Rosa (2016) and by Nelson Flores and Rosa (2015), who argue that language‐minoritized populations are not simply heard as using language differently but become “incapable of producing any legitimate language” (Rosa 2016, 163) because their practices are interpreted as deviant “based on their racial positioning in society as opposed to any objective characteristics of their language use” (Flores and Rosa 2015, 151)—a process that Dovchin (2022) refers to as “accent hallucination.” What this means concretely is that a language practice that might pass unremarked in an educated white speaker (such as saying nothin’ instead of nothing ) is likely, when coming from a minoritized or racialized speaker, to be considered as evidence that they are a deviant speaker who may not be suitable for a specific task or position.…”

Review of selected research in applied linguistics published in Australia (2015–2022)

“…Long-standing claims have been made that Australia's successful multicultural society is at risk if migrants fail to integrate and develop proficient English skills. For new migrants, developing proficiency in SAE can help build recognition within society, allowing them to develop a strong sense of belonging (Dovchin, 2022;Dovchin & Dryden, 2022).…”

Antisocial language teaching: English and the pervasive pathology of whitenessBy J. P. B.Gerald. Multilingual Matters. 192 pages. Price USD 89.95 (hardcover), USD 24.95 (paperback), USD 13.00 (e‐book). ISBN 978–180041–326‐9

“…Whiteness is, according to Gerald (p. 14), "the world's greatest example of multilevel marketing, a massive pyramid scheme," as it "feeds upon all of us, including the people who bow before it, and it creates no victors, only a desperate battle to avoid losing." Whiteness has positioned Blackness, dis/ability, and unstandardized English as its opposites, making the self-serving cases that language ideologies and language teaching have been employed as tools of pathologization for members of -Other groups (see also Dovchin, 2022). The ideologies and practices of whiteness are like The Great Pyramid Scheme, as its development has been gradual, systematic, and…”

“…In so doing, Gerald starts tracking the history of whiteness and its chameleonic and self‐serving definitions (Part 1). Whiteness is, according to Gerald (p. 14), “the world's greatest example of multilevel marketing, a massive pyramid scheme,” as it “feeds upon all of us, including the people who bow before it, and it creates no victors, only a desperate battle to avoid losing.” Whiteness has positioned Blackness, dis/ability, and unstandardized English as its opposites, making the self‐serving cases that language ideologies and language teaching have been employed as tools of pathologization for members of ‐Other groups (see also Dovchin, 2022). The ideologies and practices of whiteness are like The Great Pyramid Scheme, as its development has been gradual, systematic, and multifaceted until it became an organizing feature of a powerful self‐serving scheme in all areas of society.Perhaps above all else, however, whiteness also implies beauty and wealth, ability and intelligence.…”