The Need to Dismantle “Standard” Language Ideology at the Community College: An Analysis of Writing and Literacy Instructor Attitudes

ABSTRACT In spite of years of sociolinguistic research establishing that all language varieties are valid and equal, there is a disconnect between this knowledge and pedagogical practices at the college level. Certain Englishes, particularly those of minoritized speakers, are stigmatized, and “standard” English is upheld as the goal of writing and literacy instruction. To better understand this disconnect, we conducted a study to examine writing and literacy instructors’ attitudes toward “standard” and “nonstandard” Englishes in the community college setting. Employing a critical discursive approach to analyze language ideologies, we discovered that instructors held beliefs that were deeply rooted in standard language ideology, including attitudes toward nonstandard Englishes that superficially expressed tolerance but which underlyingly revealed rejection through lack of appreciation and validation. We argue that professional development that focuses on developing critical language awareness is needed for instructors, which—crucially—must begin with increasing awareness of the language ideologies that govern our beliefs, as these ideologies ultimately discriminate against speakers of stigmatized languages.