Mind Over Matter

Language attitude and language ideology are interrelated concepts that can help us understand how people perceive and use languages in different contexts. Language attitude refers to people’s feelings, beliefs, and opinions about languages, dialects, accents, or speakers of different languages. Language ideology refers to the underlying assumptions, values, and norms that shape how people view and evaluate languages and their users.

In this blog post, I will discuss some examples of language attitude and language ideology in various domains, such as education, media, politics, and identity. I will also explore how these concepts affect language policy, planning, and rights. Finally, I will suggest some ways to promote positive language attitudes and language ideology that can foster linguistic diversity, social justice, and intercultural communication.

Language attitude and ideology are not fixed or static; they can change over time and vary across situations. In addition, other elements like power dynamics, social identities, cultural values, and historical occurrences can both influence and be influenced by them. For instance, some languages may be seen as more prestigious, useful, or beautiful than others, depending on the social context and the speakers’ goals. Some languages may also be associated with certain stereotypes, prejudices, or ideologies that can affect how others perceive and treat them.

Education is one domain where language, attitude, and ideology play a significant role. Language education policies and practices can reflect and reinforce certain attitudes and ideologies about languages and their speakers. For example, some languages may be given more importance or status in the curriculum than others, or some languages may be taught as subjects while others are used as mediums of instruction. These decisions can affect the linguistic rights, opportunities, and outcomes of students from different linguistic backgrounds.

Another domain where language attitude and language ideology are relevant is the media. Media outlets can shape and reflect public opinion about languages and their speakers through their choice of words, images, stories, and perspectives. For instance, some media may portray certain languages or dialects as more standard, correct, or desirable than others, or they may depict certain speakers as more intelligent, competent, or trustworthy than others. These representations can affect how audiences perceive and evaluate languages and their users.

A third domain where language attitude and language ideology matter is politics. Political discourse and debates can reveal and influence people’s attitudes and ideologies about languages and their speakers. For example, some politicians may use certain languages or accents to appeal to certain voters or to distance themselves from others. Some politicians may also advocate for or against certain language policies or rights based on their or their constituents’ views on languages and their users.

A fourth domain where language attitude and language ideology are important is identity. Language is a key component of one’s personal and social identity; it can express one’s personality, values, beliefs, emotions, affiliations, and aspirations. Language can also be a source of pride or shame, enhancing or diminishing one’s self-esteem or sense of belonging. Language attitude and ideology can affect how one identifies with or relates to one’s own or other languages and their speakers.

As we have seen, language attitude and ideology are complex and dynamic phenomena affecting various life aspects. They can affect how we communicate with others, how we learn new languages, how we access information and opportunities, how we participate in society, and how we view ourselves and others. Therefore, we must know others’ attitudes and ideologies about languages and their users. Challenging any negative or harmful attitudes or ideologies that may limit our or others’ linguistic potential or rights is also important.

One way to promote positive language attitudes and language ideology is to expose ourselves to different languages and cultures. By learning new languages or interacting with speakers of different languages, we can broaden our horizons, enrich our experiences, appreciate diversity, and develop empathy. We can also discover the beauty and value of each language and its speakers.

Another way to promote positive language attitude and language ideology is to educate ourselves about the history and structure of languages. By understanding languages’ origins, evolution, variation, and patterns, we can appreciate their complexity and richness. We can also recognize that no language is superior or inferior to another; each language has strengths and weaknesses.

Advocating for linguistic justice is the third way to promote a positive language attitude and language ideology. By supporting the rights of all languages and their speakers to exist, develop, use, maintain, revitalize, protect, promote, respect, recognize, and celebrate their languages in all domains of life without discrimination or oppression. We can also contribute to preserving linguistic diversity, a valuable human resource.

To conclude, language attitude and language ideology are two related but distinct concepts that can help us understand the complex relationship between language and society. By examining both concepts, we can gain insights into how people use, learn and evaluate languages and dialects in different contexts and for different purposes.