Talking College Glossary

“Acting white” not performing what others perceive as linguistically authentic Blackness
African American English (AAE)a linguistic variety predominantly used by African Americans and in places where African Americans live
Black language practicesa general term for Black people’s language use that emphasizes a connection to the broader Black Diaspora
The Charity Hudley Rule for Liberatory LinguisticsAny published research that you conduct in a community that you are not a part of should include an explicit discussion of the inclusion of members from that community in your research process and your efforts to increase the participation of community members at your university, in your department, and in your research area
​​Code-switchingThe ability to shift between linguistic varieties or languages depending on the context, setting, or topic, among other factors
CreoleA language that emerges when speakers of different languages come into intense, extensive contact with one another; some speakers of a Creole may use a name derived from the word Creole (e.g., Kreyòl for Haitian Creole) to refer to their language
Linguistic featureAny aspect of the sounds, grammatical structures, vocabulary, or use of a language or a linguistic variety
Liberatory linguisticsLinguistics that is intentionally designed by Black people (as well as people from other communities in solidarity) and that is expressly focused on Black languages, language varieties, linguistic expression, and communicative practices within the ongoing struggle for Black liberation
Linguistic microaggressionAn everyday insult or indignity perpetrated by a more structurally powerful individual against a member of one or more marginalized groups on the basis of the targeted person’s use of language (Charity Hudley & Mallinson, 2014)
Linguistic racismlanguage-related beliefs, actions, structures, and processes that perpetuate white supremacy 
Linguistic repertoireA language user’s full range of linguistic knowledge, comprising all the languages, varieties, and styles that they use or know to any degree
Metacognitionawareness of one’s own thought processes
PidginA linguistic system that is used for limited communication (e.g., for the purposes of trading goods or services) between groups that do not share a common language
Raciolinguistic ideologies Societal beliefs that view race and language as “naturally” connected (Rosa & Flores, 2017)
Respectability politics comporting oneself in accordance with white notions of appropriateness and acceptability as a political strategy
Standardized EnglishThe socially constructed, idealized prestige variety of English that is associated with school and reinforced by schooling in the United States (Charity Hudley & Mallinson, 2011, 2014; Dunn & Lindblom, 2003; Richardson, 2003)
Standard language ideologyA bias toward an idealized “standard” or normative form of a language that is used by powerful gatekeepers and institutions as a rationale for language domination (Lippi-Green, 1997)
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