From English to Englishing: Fostering Linguistic Equality on Campuses

Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/07/2024
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Led by Yaseen Ali

University of Toronto

International students, permanent residents, first generation students, protected persons, and students with international experiences are prominently represented at English medium instruction (EMI) institutions across Canada today. Many of these students are English as additional language (EAL) users of innumerable global dialects, accents, and local forms. However, Jenkins (2018) contends that internationalization efforts often do not extend to the promotion of linguistic diversity on campuses. Multilingual students are often “evaluated against a benchmark of native English”, contributing to native-speakerist and deficit perspectives.

This workshop poses the question: How might all the Englishes and Englishing practices used on our campuses be validated as equal? Whereas “English” is often considered a fixed language system with firm rules and standards, Englishing refers to communicative practices that are dynamic, context-specific, and user-centered.

The presentation will be grounded in theoretical approaches such as Lingua Franca English, translanguaging, English native-speakerism, and critical language awareness. Using Tsuda’s Ecology of Language Paradigm (2014) to drive our group discussions, these critical perspectives will raise consciousness about the right to language for all students and de-center the hegemony of a so-called “standard” English. Together, we will generate strategies and practices to promote linguistic equality for EAL students within the scope of our specific contexts and roles.

Activities will include:

• Anonymous polls (e.g., Mentimeter)
• Time for reflective writing in response to prompts
• Paired and small group discussions
• Collaborative space to develop tailored and personalized strategies

Learning Outcomes

• Participants will recognize the subtle and overt ways that English native-speakerism can negatively impact EAL users on EMI campuses
• Participants will be introduced to key theoretical frameworks around translanguaging, Englishing, and Lingua Franca English and why they pertain to our work on EMI campuses
• Participants will crowdsource practical and tailored strategies to promote linguistic pluralism and equality for their particular contexts

Yaseen Ali (he/him) is a Learning Strategist at the University of Toronto and is pursuing a PhD in the Language and Literacies Education department at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. He is interested in the learning possibilities when critical language awareness is stressed for all students using English(es/ing) in spaces of learning, as well as the principles of intercultural responsibility and humility that can inform their collaborations.