---

Presenter: Timothy A. Stilphen-Wildes

Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Reedy

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Linguistics and Language Studies

Session: Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, Auditorium, A30

ABSTRACT

Homolingual language ideology, or the belief that a nation, classroom, or community should operate through a single, standardized language, continues to shape contemporary second language (L2) education in powerful and often unexamined ways. This ideology positions linguistic uniformity as natural and desirable, marginalizing multilingual practices and framing linguistic diversity as a pedagogical obstacle rather than a resource. This paper examines how homolingual assumptions influence classroom structures, instructional choices, and learner identities in L2 education. Drawing on sociolinguistic theory, critical applied linguistics, and classroom‑based research, it argues that homolingualism restricts opportunities for authentic communication, reinforces deficit views of emergent bilinguals, and limits teachers’ willingness to incorporate translanguaging or other multilingual pedagogies. The analysis highlights how these ideological constraints manifest in curriculum design, assessment practices, and classroom interactional norms, often privileging native‑speaker models and monolingual performance. At the same time, the paper explores how educators can disrupt homolingual norms by embracing multilingual repertoires, legitimizing students’ home languages, and reframing linguistic diversity as central to language learning. Ultimately, the paper contends that challenging homolingual language ideology is essential for creating equitable, inclusive, and pedagogically effective L2 classrooms. By foregrounding multilingualism as a normative human condition rather than an exception, educators can foster richer learning environments that support linguistic agency, identity development, and more socially just language education.