Jennifer: Welcome back to "Diverse Dialogues: Embracing Linguistic Variation"! I'm your host, Jennifer Gregoriano, and today we have a variety of important topics to discuss. The guests today on my show and I are all currently in a class called “Sociolinguistic Perspectives in Childhood Education”. In this class we have all gained so much knowledge about linguistics, diversity, inclusion, and education. Today, we are excited to discuss designing learning environments and classrooms that celebrate linguistic variation and diversity, and questioning and unlearning systemic notions about linguistic supremacy and racialized linguistic hierarchies. Joining me today are Emily, Savanna, and Madeline. Welcome, ladies!

Emily: Thanks for having us, Jennifer! I'm Emily, and I'm looking forward to being a part of this discussion.

Savanna: Hi everyone, I'm Savanna. It is great to be here and have the opportunity to discuss issues in education that many individuals aren’t aware of.

Madeline: Hey, I'm Madeline. I am excited to discuss language and education with you all.

Jennifer: Great, I am excited to have each of you here and to begin the discussion. From everything you have all learned in our sociolinguistic course, how do you think we can design learning environments that truly celebrate linguistic variation and diversity?

Emily: I believe that as an educator, designing learning environments that celebrate linguistic variation and diversity is so important and can really affect a student’s learning experience. I believe it begins with acknowledging that there isn't one "correct" way to speak or communicate. We need to embrace linguistic diversity and see it as a positive thing, not as something “incorrect”.

Savanna: I definitely agree with you, Emily. Teachers should encourage students to use languages they are comfortable using in the classroom in order to help them be their authentic selves and feel comfortable with their linguistic abilities.

Madeline: I agree, and believe that a good classroom is an inclusive space where every student feels valued, and that they are not inferior to anyone else based on their languaging. It is so important for teachers to support students who are learning English as a second language by going at their pace and finding a style of learning that works for them at that time. Language does not have to be a reason for a child to fall behind in their education, because they deserve the chance that everyone else receives.

Jennifer: That's such an important point, Madeline. Going back to what Emily said about there not being one correct way of languaging, I fully agree with this. With so many different backgrounds and experiences, people are bound to have different ways of talking, different accents, different terminology, and speak different languages. Teachers need to respect this and treat all students with patience and kindness, and not criticize any students languaging. Now, let's talk about questioning and unlearning systemic notions about linguistic supremacy and racialized linguistic hierarchies. How can we start dismantling these harmful beliefs in our education system?

Emily: This is an important question and a tough one to answer. There are a lot of ways that we can begin dismantling these notions, but I think it starts with education and awareness. Teachers need to be educated and aware about the history of linguistic discrimination and its impact on marginalized communities, and how treating some students languaging as inferior can be very harmful. Once we understand and educate educators about the roots of these notions and how race is involved, we can begin to question and unlearn them.

Savanna: I completely agree, Emily. Teachers should encourage linguistic diversity and appreciate each student's languaging, because diversity is vital in a classroom. Teachers need to break down their beliefs of their being a certain way students should speak.

Jennifer: Savanna I would like to build on your statement with an example. A teacher may correct a student who uses AAVE, which is African American Vernacular English. This perpetuates linguistic supremacy and linguistic hierarchies because it does not take the students' culture and experiences into account.

Madeline: Savanna and Emily, you both brought up great points, and Jennifer I believe your example was very relevant to this discussion. I am sure scenarios like that happen often in classrooms, and I know I have definitely witnessed this in my own schooling experience. I think it can be very common for teachers to perpetuate racialized linguistic hierarchies in the classroom subconsciously and consciously which can be very uncomfortable and make many students feel unwelcome in the classroom. According to an article I found really fascinating in how we can handle and conquer linguistic racism is by going to the root and educating the teachers and administration on what is acceptable versus what is not. Within the article it discusses linguistic racism towards black students where teachers correct their grammar and sentence structure to academic language. Which is actually just mainstream white language. Instead teachers need to embrace students' languages and educate them on white linguistic supremacy within the classroom so if they have a teacher or peer in the future mistreating their language practices, they can educate others and stand up for themselves.

Jennifer: I agree that it is going to take effort from teachers in order to dismantle these notions. I also looked into that article you mentioned and can see amazing recommendations for teachers to consider in order for linguistic justice. I will summarize some of the points for our listeners. One of the recommendations is that teachers stop using academic language and standard English as the accepted communicative norm, and to stop encouraging black students to code switch. The recommendation is rather to teach black students about anti-black linguistic langauge and white linguistic supremacy.

Emily: I think it is so important for students to be educated on this so they can be aware of it, and notice it in the classroom. This can help students reject these notions and understand why linguistic supremacy is being pushed upon them, and why it is wrong.

Savanna: I agree with you Emily, and believe it is vital to acknowledge how important it is for educators to be educated on Black linguistic consciousness, and teach this to their students, in order to unlearn white supremacy and stop perpetuating anti-black linguistic racism.

Jennifer: I agree that it is going to take effort from teachers in order to dismantle these notions. I think we can all agree that in our Sociolinguistics course we have learned a lot about topics such as language and diversity. I would love to hear about some misconceptions you girls had before entering this class, and what you know now. Personally, before this course I had not studied language or sociolinguistics whatsoever, and was excited to take this course and learn. I never knew how much language and notions about language in the classroom can affect students, and how important it is to create an inclusive learning environment.

Emily: I definitely agree, Jennifer, and can admit I had some misconceptions before the beginning of this course. I came into sociolinguistics with the idea that language was just about grammar rules. Now I can recognize that it's about so much more, like how language reflects societal norms and biases. It makes me more conscious of my own language choices

Savanna: Definitely agree with you both Emily and Jennifer. Before this course, I used to think accents were just about where you're from, but now I see that they can reflect someone's identity and can impact how they are perceived. This realization really changed my perspective. I never saw how much language can be criticized in the classroom and what the consequences for students can be.

Madeline: Exactly! I never realized the power dynamics present in language until this course. What is important is not just about what is said, but who is saying it and how it's interpreted. This is so important for educators to be aware of and be educated on. I feel that going forward, I can put my new knowledge to the test and improve on my inclusivity and celebration of diversity, especially in the classroom.

Jennifer: I agree that this has been so enlightening, and I think there is so much we can all take away from this course. I believe that not only will we benefit as educators, but also as people because we have gained so much knowledge to improve and grow. Thank you ladies for joining me today on “Diverse Dialogues: Embracing Linguistic Variation”. Emily, Madeline, Savanna, it has been a pleasure having you all and hearing your insightful thoughts about sociolinguistics. To all of our listeners, I hope you have learned something new and taken away something positive from today's show. Have a great day everyone!