Watch your language! Students as citizen sociolinguists

Abstract

Carelessly used language can create offense and miscommunication, so it’s important for students and teachers alike to pay attention to the language they use. Betsy Rymes advocates adopting a practice of citizen sociolinguistics, which involves curiosity about the differences in the way people use language. She encourages teachers to build on students’ curiosity and wonderment about language to start conversations about how the words people use vary according to context. In addition, she suggests that when someone critiques another person’s language use, those “citizen sociolinguist’s arrests” can provide fodder for conversations about when and where certain types of language are appropriate. Such conversations require a willingness to take others’ views seriously and to avoid being tone-deaf about the different ways language is used.