Unlike other forms of bias, discrimination on linguistic grounds is socially acceptable and tends to go unnoticed, thus serving as a cover for other prejudices. Albeit subtle, however, language ideologies are a very powerful way of perpetuating inequalities, since peripheralized speakers, having internalized their lack of legitimacy, end up reproducing censure rather than resisting it. Despite the efforts of the scholarly community, the beliefs that idolize standard speakers, native and/or "accentless", as authoritative role models remain fully in place in everyday life. As a result, non-native speakers and native speakers "with an accent" limit their agency to preserve face. Against this backdrop, this paper brings to the forefront a dimension that has only recently begun to emerge in the debate, the affective one (Birney et al. 2020, Busch & McNamara 2020, Dewaele & Saito 2022, Dovchin 2020, Piller 2017). To delve into the role of shame in the creation and perpetuation of stigma, the paper presents excerpts from linguistic autobiographies in which university students living in Madrid give an account of their repertoires. These narratives reveal how the ideologies that present languages as idealized abstractions have a deep impact on the subjectivities of speakers who deviate from the norm and contribute to forging subaltern identities. To address the problem, we will advocate for integrating students into the discussion about language ideologies (Cushing 2021, Drummond & Cole 2019, Rose & Galloway 2017, Lew & Siffrinn 2019, Mirhosseini 2018, Tan et al. 2021, Volkmer 2018), so that teaching practices can promote a more inclusive sociolinguistic order.
Birney, M. E., Rabinovich, A., Morton, T. A., Heath, H., & Ashcroft, S. (2020). When speaking English is not enough: The consequences of language-based stigma for nonnative speakers. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 39(1), 67–86.
Busch, B. & McNamara, T. (2020). Language and trauma. Applied Linguistics 41/3, 323–333.
Cushing, I. (2021). 'Say it like the Queen': the standard language ideology and language policy making in English primary schools. Language, Culture and Curriculum 34:3, 321–336.
Dewaele, J.M. & Saito, K. (2022). Positive psychology can help overcome the pernicious native speaker ideology. The European Educational Researcher 5(2), 225–234.
Dovchin, S. (2020). The psychological damages of linguistic racism and international students in Australia. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 14, 1–17.
Drummond, R. & Cole, A. (2019). The accentism project (https://accentism.org/)
Lew, S., & Siffrinn, N.E. (2019). Exploring language ideologies and preparing preservice teachers for multilingual and multicultural classrooms. Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice 68(1), 375–395.
Mirhosseini, S.A. (2018). Issues of ideology in English language education worldwide. Pedagogy, Culture & Society 26(1), 19–33.
Piller, I. (2017). Anatomy of language shaming (https://www.languageonthemove.com/anatomy-of-language-shaming/)
Rose, H. & Galloway, N. (2017). Debating Standard language ideology in the classroom: Using the 'Speak Good English Movement' to raise awareness of global Englishes. RELC Journal 48:3, 294–301.
Tan, K.H., Jospa, M.E.a.W., Mohd-Said, N.-E., & Awang, M.M. (2021). Speak like a native English speaker or be judged. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18(23), 1–16.
Volkmer, A. (2018). Language Justice Curriculum. Center for Participatory Change.
