Some Stuff About Things

The marvels of multilingualism Aaah, good old English, considered as the lingua franca of the whole globe. Because of this reason, home language speakers of English enjoy linguistic privilege. Read more about this in my previous blog  http://19841647.blogspot.co.za/?zx=44838a9a22b5e696 .  But times a-changing, speaking only one language, even if it is English, is no longer sufficient. Not only does multilingualism give you the edge in our globalized world, but it benefits you in more ways than you can think of. Wait, what? Yes, if you speak two or more languages, you basically have superpowers. Besides being able to talk two or more languages, speakers have a few linguistic superpowers . Speaking a second language benefits your first language  immensely, including proficiency, vocabulary, reading and communicative improvements. Being bi- or multilingual also helps you to learn a language quicker and easier in the future.  You also have quite a ...

Language and Privilege Privilege- something every single person is born with in one form or another: Race, sexuality, gender and class to name some of the most talked (argued) about privileges that exist. Most people are aware of the bigotry that revolves around these subjects and most (decent) people are actively trying to bridge the inequality gap. In this day and age it would seem strange that a social injustice exists without someone rioting about or at least questioning it. But such a social injustice does exist: Linguistic bigotry. So let's take the time to check your privilege. Wait, what? Yes, if you speak a standard dialect of English, you enjoy linguistic privilege.  We performed a simple experiment in class that proved that even the most open-minded of us are likely to make snap judgments based simply on a person's speech. Out of 10 voice-clips of people inquiring after an advertised room, most students would have prefer the person who spoke standard Bri...