Linguistic discrimination, or linguicism, refers to unequal treatment of speakers of different languages or language varieties. It can be observed with regard to spoken language, where speakers may be discriminated against based on their regional
dialect, their
sociolect, their
accent, or their vocabulary. In terms of
language planning, linguistic discrimination can occur at different stages, such as the choice of one or more
official languages, choosing the
language of instruction, the availability of essential services such as health care in
minority languages, and the protection or lack thereof of minority languages and dialects. In the United States, speakers of
African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) often experience linguistic discrimination. A study, published in 1982, of attitudes towards AAVE at
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary school in
Ann Arbor, Michigan, revealed that black students who primarily spoke AAVE received less help from their teachers in comparison to their white peers. One social worker observed that these AAVE-speaking students faced a significant
linguistic barrier to academic achievement and success in the predominantly
White American society at that time. This is one example of a larger controversy surrounding
African-American Vernacular English in education.
Colonialism Colonialism is a significant context in which linguistic discrimination takes place. When territories were colonized for the purpose of
settlement building, indigenous languages became gravely endangered because the native speaker groups were either destroyed by war and disease, or had undergone a partial language shift to speak their master's language. In
exploitation colonies however, colonizers would usually only teach their language to a select group of locals. In postcolonial states like
India, it was observed that the difference in language education had widened the socioeconomic class divide. Thus, access to education, social mobility, and economic opportunities were deprived of the locals who had not learnt the colonial language of before. As of 2015, more than 75% of all scientific papers were published in English. English is also the most commonly studied foreign language in the world. This
global prevalence of English can be attributed to many developments that have occurred in recent history, namely, the expansion of the
British Empire, which has resulted in the establishment of English as an official language in at least 75 countries.
David Crystal gives a detailed explanation about the spread of English worldwide in Chapter 9 of
A History of the English Language (ed.
Richard M. Hogg).
Robert Phillipson has posited this is an example of linguistic imperialism. However, this notion is
contested in the field of
applied linguistics.
Linguistic imperialism Linguistic imperialism refers to the dominance of one language over another on a national (and sometimes international) scale as a result of language policy and planning. According to
Robert Phillipson, it is a variant of linguicism and is enacted through systemic changes and
language attitudes, resulting in unfair treatment of non-dominant language groups. This form of discrimination works in ways similar to racism, sexism, and classism, on a national administrative scale. As an example, a case study on the usage of
Irish Sign Language (ISL) in
Ireland revealed unfair treatment of a deaf community in Ireland. The study observed the enforcement of English over ISL in the educational system, as well as the prohibition of ISL among deaf children who were deemed capable enough to learn oral language (
oralism). The study also highlighted anti-ISL language attitudes among school officials, unequal pay of ISL teachers, unequal status given to ISL in the education system, and the systemic marginalisation of ISL users. Efforts to elevate the usage of English over ISL also entailed the teaching of
Manually Coded English (MCE) to deaf students, a signed language based on the grammatical structure of English. Unfortunately, MCE and other
manually coded languages are often difficult and slow to use for communication among signers. Despite this, such language policies have influenced members of the deaf community (especially older members) to internalise the belief that ISL is inferior to spoken language. == Names and politics ==