Standard Language Ideology and World Englishes: A Multiple Narrative Case Study of Immigrant Educators’ Experiences in Canada

The spread of English and its users across the world has made imperative, an exploration of the language education histories and experiences of immigrant educators who use Outer Circle English varieties in Inner Circle countries. Using an interpretivist approach, this multiple narrative case study explores tensions between standard language ideology and Outer Circle varieties of English as well as their effects on the experiences of educators in Canada who use Outer Circle English. In Inner Circle countries, power imbalances embedded in ideologies about standard English and varieties of English from Outer and Expanding Circle countries can influence the trajectories of immigrant educators. World Englishes scholars have focused on history, definitions, teaching models, native versus non-native speaker dichotomies, language testing and discrimination, while narratives from Outer Circle English users, educated in both Inner and Outer Circle countries are noticeably lacking. Kachru’s concentric circles English model, organized along geopolitical and ideological lines, underpins this discussion about the status and spread of world Englishes. Intersectionality Theory is deployed as the main heuristic in order to explore the experiences and identities of educators who use Outer Circle English varieties. Further, Bourdieu’s notions of linguistic capital - wherein language is understood as capital mediated by social and power relations - facilitate this inquiry into language as a site-of-struggle, its effects, as well as resilience and agency. This study culls from data collected from ten educators in Canada who come from one former American colony and six former British colonies. Data include questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and language autobiographies. Participants’ language education histories and how their language-related experiences have shaped various facets of their lives inform the results of this study. Findings include narratives about heritage, education, teaching practices and research activities that showcase participants’ linguistic, personal, cultural and professional identities. Narrative inquiry fosters a deeper understanding of how participating educators’ experiences influence their multiple and fluid identities, teaching philosophies and pedagogical practices. Narrative provides opportunities for showing connections between participants’ histories, professional trajectories and belongingness. Implications for further research into linguistic variation, social selection and opportunities for educators who use Outer Circle English are discussed.

Department dc:contributor.department

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Altidor, Alison

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Gagné, Antoinette

• educators
• intersectionality theory
• standard language ideology
• world Englishes

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1807/101115

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utoronto.scholaris.ca:1807/101115