Language Ideologies

Language ideologies are beliefs and feelings about language that shape the way we use language. Language ideologies constitute a bridge between linguistic and social structure, as they rationalize and justify social inequality as an outcome of linguistic difference. To explain the complexity of language ideologies, this article draws on examples of the standard language ideology and of the “one nation, one language” ideology in the context of global migration. The multiple and contested nature of language ideologies and their relationship to broader sociopolitical ideologies is explored with reference to the role of language in neoliberal globalization.