Language and Racism: Linguistic Appropriation as a Strategy for Racist Domination

 

Jane H. Hill - University of Arizona

 

Abstract: Work on the role of language in White racism has focused on a few salient forms, especially racist epithets and utterances that repeat negative stereotypes or overtly discriminatory policies.  However, linguistic appropriation, the borrowing by Whites of linguistic resources from racialized communities, has gone largely unrecognized. These resources are adapted to White purposes, serving to elevate White identities and denigrate racialized identities in the source communities.  I will discuss examples of appropriations into elite White usage in the U.S. from Native American, African American, and Latino communities, and will look briefly at resistance to such appropriations from within the source communities.