Department or Program

Interdisciplinary Studies

Abstract

In higher education institutions, where Standard American English (SAE) is frequently enforced to the exclusion of other languages, multilingual students are forced to navigate systemic issues of linguistic discrimination and linguistic racism (Baker-Bell, 2020). For this project, I surveyed and interviewed students at Bates College, a small liberal arts institution, who identify as multilingual, multidialectal, and multicultural to investigate whether and how said students experience these pervasive issues. The Google Forms survey I distributed to the Bates student body received 55 responses to quantitative questions aimed to create a broad picture of multilingual student experiences. Following the survey, I also interviewed 11 students over Zoom to ask qualitative questions and engage in a conversation about language justice. I analyzed significant trends of linguistic racism in academic settings and documented a wide range of individual experiences that speak to the intersectionality of language. Based on the research findings and theoretical concepts, I drafted trainings for peer tutors in the Bates Writing Center that utilized translingual and antiracist approaches. Translingualism, as a pedagogical tool, supports the idea that speakers of more than one language or dialect cannot only shuttle in and out of tongues and codes, but also utilize their fluencies as interconnected resources (Lu and Horner, 2013). As a practice, translingualism fosters opportunities to dismantle language biases and address linguistic racism that can be implemented in the Writing Center. While systemic change will take time and persistent efforts, this project aims to take one step forward in the process.

Level of Access

Open Access

First Advisor

Stanford, Dan

Date of Graduation

5-2021

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Number of Pages

141

Components of Thesis

1 pdf

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