Cultivating Linguistic Justice

Why do people attach different meanings and values to different ways of speaking?

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Where do our beliefs and biases about language come from, and how do they shape everyday interactions and institutions?

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What can different disciplines and communities teach us about language variation?

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What can individuals, organizations, and communities do to transform attitudes, practices, or policies that contribute to linguistic injustice?

How do our beliefs and biases about language shape everyday interactions, institutions, and opportunities?

Cultivating Linguistic Justice begins with a simple but challenging question: If language variation is a natural feature of all languages, then why (and how) are linguistic differences used to discriminate and marginalize? Together, students will investigate how language variation shapes experiences in schools, healthcare, workplaces, media, the legal system, and everyday life. Drawing on multiple disciplinary perspectives, students will examine how language intersects with identity, culture, history, and power. Working collaboratively, students will research a context that matters to them and develop a public-facing project that promotes greater understanding, access, and linguistic justice within a community or institution.

Collaborations

Collaborators TBA

Impact Outcomes

Students will share their findings with the general public in a format of their choosing. Check this page at the end of the semester for updates!