Chapter 1: Identifying and Responding to Linguicism: Toward a Conceptual Model

Linguicism, the linguistic equivalent to such phenomena as racism, sexism, ageism, audism, classism, and so on, has been defined as the “ideologies, structures and practices which are used to legitimate, effectuate and reproduce an unequal division of power and resources (both material and immaterial) between groups which are defined on the basis of language” (Skutnabb-Kangas, 1988, p. 13). It has significant implications for virtually every aspect of human society and every domain of human life, and this is especially the case with respect to the educational sphere. In this chapter, we adapt some of the existing models used to conceptualize and respond to racism to offer a proposal for a typology of linguicism. We suggest three distinct kinds of linguicism: internalized linguicism, interpersonal linguicism, and institutional linguicism.