Unit 5

The assumptions underlying the standard language ideology are the beliefs that one variety is inherently superior to all others, and that speakers can choose what variety to speak. This ideology is reproduced explicitly through language academies, style manuals, grammar books, and can be reproduced implicitly through mass media (Disney´s villains speak non standard), the court system. c. The assumptions of the standard language ideology are inconsistent with linguistic facts since all languages and varieties are equal, and speakers do not choose what variety to speak since they learn their variety during the critical period//also educationl opp and identity desires are different. d. The real-world concequence is language discrimination against those who do not speak the standard variety, for example, AAVE speakers face discrimination at school since their speech is negatively evaluated by their teachers, and they face peer pressure; also, they face difficulties at finding jobs, etc

The variety of the socio-economic elite, which is generally also the one associated with written language norms, is selected as the standard. The elites guard status to their variety, ensuring it retains overt prestige in the wider society; they decide appropriate and inappropriate ways of speaking. The beliefs about the value or correctness of different language varieties and practices aren´t only about language; they are about the status of the speakers of those varieties and the "perceived intelligence" or cultural value of these groups

The way we think, our ideologies, reflect and reinforces social reality; for example, the standard language ideology influences language discrimination on those who speak non standard varieries, and therefore speakers of non standard are offered less educational and occupational opportunities based on the way they speak. The one country one language ideology influences the lack of bilingual programs in the U.S., etc

- ACADEMIC: when schools treat one language or variety as the correct one, this tells students who speak differently that their way of speaking is wrong/bad, and so their identity, their being (symbolic violence). These ideologies also lead teachers to assume these student´s are not as smart as other based on the way they speak, which impacts their academic outcomes and opportunities.
- PROFESSIONAL: the standard language ideology as a gatekeeping mechanism; these ideologies lead employers not to hire those who do not sound ´professional´, contributing to structural and social inequality. This ideology assumes language as a choice (incorrect)
- POLITICAL: language ideologies can become codified in language policies and laws; e.g., the one nation one language ideology influenced the lack of bilingual programs in the US; educational policies for minority language speakers favor the acquisition of English over the development of their home language

The standard language ideology reflects the higher status and power of the dominant group, and plays a role in helping the dominant group maintain that status. People who speak standard varieties are portrayed as intelectually and morally superior to speakers of non standard varieties, who are portrayed as ignorant or lazy. A real world consequence of this is that speakers of the standard are offered more educational and professional opportunities

Public discourse is influenced by language ideologies, and public discourse also reinforces specific language ideologies. Discourse reflects and reinforces/disseminates language ideologies to other people.

They are competing ideologies that coexist with hegemonic ideologies. Counter-hegemonic ideologies reveal that it is possible to resist dominant ways of thinking, and that the latter can change over time, so hegemonic ideologies should not be considered as permanent.

By framing certain ways of speaking as better, these ideologies play a role in social differentiation, or the classification and evaluation of individuals and groups; for example, in the U.S. the one nation one language ideology contributes to the portrayal of people who speak languages other than English as un-American, even if they also speak English

Language can express social meaning through a process known as INDEXICALITY. When a linguistic feature (or language, language variety, linguistic practice) is associated with a particular stance, social category or characteristic, the feature is said to index/point to that category/characteristic. We can enact an indentity by speaking in a particular language style, or even just by choosing to use certain words. Indexical meanings depend on context.

In many Latin American contexts, incorporating a few words in English can serve to index internationalism and sophistication, but in the US the exact same practice is sometimes interpreted as linguistic sloppiness or seen as evidence of deficient Spanish knowledge. Another example, the color blue only signals Sureña´s identity in that particular context.

In some countries, there are official language academies, in which ´experts´ decide the correct ways of speaking, portraying speakers as not bing able to use their own language. Language is "mystified"

This ideology conceptualizes monolingualism as the normal/preferred state of affairs. This ideology sees one language as inherently related to the identity of a nation, and, therefore, other languages threaten that identity, and the knowledge of one language implies less knowledge of another. This ideology is inconsistent with linguistic facts since research has shown significant cognitive advantages to early bilinguialism, as well as a correlation between bilingualism, minority language retention, academic achievement and upward economic mobility outcomes; therefore, multilingualism contributes to the cultural richness of a nation.

the belief that languages are definable, countable entities with clear boundaries between them. The term codeswitching refers to the alternation or combination of different languages or varieties within a conversation or utterance. But linguists have come to reject the idea of languages and varieties as distinct bounded entities, and therefore they do not prefer the term codeswitching since you cannot swicht back and forth between two things that are not separate. For this reason, translanguaging is a better name.

It sees languages as consisting of multiple and varied systems that overlap and intersect with each other, and this ideology recognizes individuals´ linguistic repertoires, with different styles, varieties, accents, registers, etc. For example, the linguistic repertoire of bilingual Spanish-speakers in the US include some varieties, styles, words and other linguistic resources associated with English and other associated with Spanish, depending on context, who they are talking to, what they want to express, the relationship they want to establish with their interlocutor, etc. TRANSLANGUAGING is meant to reflect a heteroglossic conception of language by recognizing that in interaction, people may draw from linguistic resources distributed across the boundaries of what we have traditionally been labeled as distinct languages.

Instrumentalist discourses of language emphasize their value for doing something rather than their own right, and a related discourse sees multilingualism as a commodity, having economic value; therefore, the emphasis is put on their market value, rather than on languages as primoridial characteristics of ethnolinguistic groups. A significant sector of Spanish economy is the promotion of Spanish by RAE, Instituto Cervantes, using a marketing discourse emphasizing its instrumental value, giving people job opportunities, economic benefits

It underscores that the symbolic value or meaning of a language is not intrinsic to the language. Impact of this ideology: Whereas Latinx students recounted being ashamed of speaking Spanish as children and of their imperfect Spanish as young adults, the Anglo students´ narratives focused on their sense of accomplishment for acquiring even limited communicative ability in Spanish.

English: portrayed as central to national belonging, a language that naturally leads to being succesful, framed as providing moral, political and intellectual benefits, linked to modernity, civilization
Spanish: constructed as a ´barrier´ to communication, seen as an immigrant language, spoken by the underclass, thus erasing the status of Spanish as a global language that is used for business, diplomacy, politics

The ideology of "Spanish as Essential to Latinx Identity" refers to the pressure within Latinx communities to speak ´flawless´ Spanish in order to demonstrate their authenticity/Latinx identity; it is a construction of Spanish as an inherent part of Latinx identity. A co-occurring ideology sees languages and language varieties as separate from identity and equally available to everyone. This ideology is reflected in the standard language ideology as well as
the neoliberal commodifying discourses. This ideology sees learning language as a matter of choice and, thus, makes possible to blame people who do not speak English, rather than recognizing language discrimination.