maintain unequal divisions of power, prestige, resources, etc., between
groups on the basis of language.
see linguistic imperialismlinguist n
1 a person who specializes in the study of language. Different areas of
specialization are indicated by the field of study, as in applied linguist,
psycholinguist, sociolinguist, etc.
2 in popular usage, a person who speaks several languages fluently and
shows a propensity for language learning.
linguistically disadvantaged adj
a term sometimes used to refer to a person who has an insufficient command
of the dominant language in a country. This term is not favoured by linguists
since it suggests the person’s home language is not useful or is unimportant.
see also deficit hypothesis
linguistic analysis n
investigation into the structure and functions of a particular language or
language variety (see language^2 ) or of language in general as a system of
human communication (see language^1 ).
linguistic capitaln
see cultural capital
linguistic ecologyn
also ecology of language
a branch of linguistics that uses the metaphor of an ecosystem to describe
relationships and interaction among the languages of the world and the
groups of people who speak them.
linguistic enviroment n
the spoken language that a learner encounters in both educational and
social settings, and which serves as potential listening input to the language
learning process.
linguistic imperialism n
the theory that languages may be seen as occupying a dominant or dominated
role in a society. It is argued that English plays a dominant role inter-
nationally and plays a role in maintaining the economic and political
dominance of some societies over others. Because of the role of English as
the dominant international language, many other languages have been
linguistic imperialism