LING55AC Lecture 16 - Language Ideology and Language Subordination (Lippi-Green 2012 Chps. 4-5)

Standard American English (SAE)

A myth with no linguistic basis; an abstracted, idealized variety constructed and maintained by those with a vested interest in the concept, lacking any official US language academy or uniform linguistic system (like a “Unicorn” - Lippi-Green)

Standard Language Ideology

A bias toward an idealized, homogenous spoken language (drawn from upper-middle-class speech and modeled on written language) that establishes a false hierarchy, misinforming users that some varieties are inherently better and serving as a proxy for ethnic, class, and regional discrimination

The 8-Step Model of Language Subordination

• Mystifying language (“beyond your understanding”)

• Claiming authority (“we are the experts”)

• Generating Misinformation (“your variety is inaccurate; mine is correct”)

• Trivializing targeted varieties (“how funny/cute/homey”)

• Rewarding conformers (“see how far they got”)

• Marginalizing non-conformers (“see how deviant they are”)

• Making explicit promises (“you will succeed”)

• Making threats (“doors will close”)

Language Subordination as a Proxy

Due to tight anti-discrimination laws protecting race, religion, and gender, language and accent have become a socially acceptable excuse to publicly turn away or refuse to recognize others and their rights

The Communicative Burden & Language Ideology Filters

Listeners pass a speaker's accent (L1 or L2) through subjective "language ideology filters," determining whether they accept or reject the communicative burden (often refusing to understand a speaker due to social bias rather than actual lack of comprehension).