Language Racism

This book aims to deconstruct underlying 'language racist' views in everyday discourse, first by raising them to the level of awareness and then showing to what extent they are based on erroneous assumptions about the nature of social and linguistic reality. Language racism is a covert form of racism that informs widespread societal discourses that are ostensibly about language but often tied up in more complicated anxieties about race, for example the English Only movement in the USA and wider integration conversations in Europe. These discourses are widely circulated on the internet, through the media, in official texts and in everyday talk, and have as a result become part of our everyday common sense. Ultimately, the book is a manifesto promoting a more positive view of linguistic and cultural diversity. It will appeal to researchers of multilingualism and discourse, as well those interested in language as a social and political issue.

Jean-Jacques Weber is Professor of English and Education at the University of Luxembourg. He has published widely in the areas of discourse analysis, multilingualism and education, including Flexible Multilingual Education: Putting Children's Needs First and Introducing Multilingualism: A Social Approach.