Parallels between gender performativity and linguistic identity: linguistic bias and othering of non-native identities

Abstract

Abstract This article offers a critical conceptual synthesis of linguistic bias, native-speaker authority, and the othering of non-native speakers (NNSs) through the lens of Judith Butler’s theory of performativity. Rather than treating NNS identity as a fixed linguistic deficit, the article argues that it is repeatedly produced through interactional, ideological, and institutional processes: speaker self-presentation, listener uptake, evaluative judgement, and the ratification of dominant language norms in such as workplaces, classrooms, and public discourse. Drawing on scholarship in performativity, language ideology, native-speakerism, raciolinguistics, and accent discrimination, the article develops a conceptual model of performative linguistic othering. It also clarifies the limits of the analogy between gender performativity and linguistic identity, arguing that native-speakerness is not organized in exactly the same way as gender but often functions as a unipolar standard of legitimacy, intelligibility, and professional authority. The article contributes to applied linguistics by reframing accent bias as an interactional and institutional process rather than merely an individual prejudice and by identifying implications for language education, assessment, recruitment, and inclusive communication practice.