Language Ideology and Linguistic Diversity in Speech and Language Pathology

Published: March 28, 2021, 10 a.m.

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Episode Summary:

In this week’s episode, guest expert Chelsea Privette helps us get real about language ideology and our responsibilities to shift the “standard” as language professionals supporting linguistically and culturally diverse communicators.  There was more than one “ah-ha” moment across this Nerdcast as Chelsea helps us consider tangible strategies to shift our thinking and practice around core issues in the field. There’s also a healthy dose of challenging the status-quo, urging us to question many of our long-standing speech-language pathology paradigms.  Come along with us on the journey - you might get a little uncomfortable - but open your mind, fill up your wine glass, and tune in to learn about language ideology in the United States and what it has to do with you as an SLP.

Chelsea is a doctoral candidate at the University of Arizona researching bilingualism and the interactions of Spanish and African American English in preschoolers. You can learn more about Chelsea here.

Learning Outcomes

1. Define the dominant language ideology in the United States.

2. Describe linguistic environment in inclusive terms.

3. Distinguish between inclusive and anglocentric terminology in clinical documentation and professional meetings.

References

Artiles, A. J. (1998). The dilemma of difference: Enriching the disproportionality discourse with theory and context. The Journal of Special Education, 32(1), 32-36.

Berthele, R. (2002). Learning a second dialect: A model of idiolectal dissonance. Multilingua, 21, 327-344.

Blum, S. D. (2017). Unseen WEIRD assumptions: The so-called language gap discourse and ideologies of language, childhood, and learning. International Multilingual Research Journal, 11(1), 23-38. 

Brandt, D. (1998). Sponsors of literacy. College Composition and Communication, 49(2), 165-185.

Baugh, J. (2003). Linguistic profiling. In S. Makoni, G. Smitherman, A. F. Ball, & A. K. Spears (Eds.), Black linguistics: Language, society, and politics in Africa and the Americas (pp. 155-168). Routledge.

Boser, U., Wilhelm, M., & Hanna, R. (2014). The Power of the Pygmalion Effect Teachers Expectations Strongly Predict College Completion. Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED564606.pdf

Carter, P. M. (2013). Shared spaces, shared structures: Latino social formation and African American English in the U.S. South. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 17(1), 66-92. 

Goldstein, L. M. (1987). Standard English: The only target for nonnative speakers of English? TESOL Quarterly, 21(3), 417-436.

Hill, J. H. (2008). The everyday language of white racism. Wiley-Blackwell.

Minow, M. (1990). Making all the difference: Inclusion, exclusion, and American law. Cornell University Press.

Oetting, J. B. (2020). General American English as a dialect: A call for change. The ASHA LeaderLive. https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.FMP.25112020.12/full/.

Oetting, J. B., Gregory, K. D., & Rivière, A. M. (2016). Changing how speech-language pathologists think and talk about dialect variation. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups SIG 16, 1(1), 28-37.

Purnell, T., Idsardi, W., & Baugh, J. (1999). Perceptual and phonetic experiments on American English dialect identification. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 18, 10-30.

Stanford, S., & Muhammad, B. (2018). The confluence of language and learning disorders and the school-to-prison pipeline among minority students of color: A critical race theory. American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law, 26(2), 691-718

Online Resources:

Larson, A. (2021). Bias in Bilingualism: Changing How We Talk About Language Learners. Bilinguistics. https://bilinguistics.com/catalog/speech-pathology-ceus/webinar/bias-in-bilingualism/

Summarizes Soto, Larson, & Olszewski paper (forthcoming?)

Stanford, S. (2021). Transforming Our Language to Change Clinical Narratives for Youth with Disorders. Bilinguistics. https://bilinguistics.com/catalog/speech-pathology-ceus/webinar/transforming-your-language/

Baugh, J. (2019). The significance of linguistic profiling. TEDxEmory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjFtIg-nLAA

Disclosures:

Chelsea Privette financial disclosures: Chelsea’s research is funded by the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders. Chelsea has no non-financial relationships to disclose.

Kate Grandbois financial disclosures: Kate is the owner / founder of Grandbois Therapy + Consulting, LLC and co-founder of SLP Nerdcast.  Kate Grandbois non-financial disclosures: Kate is a member of ASHA, SIG 12, and serves on the AAC Advisory Group for Massachusetts Advocates for Children. She is also a member of the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy (BABAT), MassABA, the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) and the corresponding Speech Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis SIG. 

Amy Wonkka financial disclosures:  Amy is an employee of a public school system and co-founder for SLP Nerdcast. Amy Wonkka non-financial disclosures: Amy is a member of ASHA, SIG 12, and serves on the AAC Advisory Group for Massachusetts Advocates for Children.

Time Ordered Agenda:

10 minutes: Introduction, Disclaimers and Disclosures

20 minutes: Descriptions of the dominant language ideology in the United States.

15 minutes: Descriptions of linguistic environment in inclusive terms

10 minutes: Descriptions of the differences between inclusive and anglocentric terminology in clinical documentation and professional meetings.

5 minutes: Summary and Closing

Disclaimer

The contents of this episode are not meant to replace clinical advice.  SLP Nerdcast, its hosts and guests do not represent or endorse specific products or procedures mentioned during our episodes unless otherwise stated.  We are NOT PhDs, but we do research our material.  We do our best to provide a thorough review and fair representation of each topic that we tackle.  That being said, it is always likely that there is an article we’ve missed, or another perspective that isn’t shared.  If you have something to add to the conversation, please email us! Wed love to hear from you!

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Summary Written by Tanna Neufeld, MS, CCC-SLP, Contributing Editor

Key Terms and Additional Information provided by Maria De Leon, MS, CCC-SLP, Contributing Editor

Audio File Editing provided by Caitlan Akier, MA, CCC-SLP/L, Contributing Editor

Promotional Content provided by Ashley Sturgis, MA, CCC-SLP, Contributing Editor

Web Editing provided by Sinead Rogazzo, MS, CCC-SLP, Contributing Editor

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