The Myth of Linguistic Homogeneity in U.S. College Composition

College English Jul 2006

The Myth of Linguistic Homogeneity in U.S. College Composition

Paul Kei Matsuda

Abstract

The author suggests that English-only classrooms are not only the implicit goal of much language policy in the United States, but also assumed to be already the case, an ironic situation in light of composition’s historical role as “containing” language differences in U.S. higher education. He suggests that the myth of linguistic homogeneity has serious implications not only for international second-language writers in U.S. classrooms but also for resident second-language writers and for native speakers of unprivileged varieties of English, and that rather than simply abandon the placement practices that have worked to contain—but also to support—multilingual writers, composition teachers need to reimagine the composition classroom as the multilingual space that it is, where the presence of language differences is the default.

Journal: College English
Published: 2006-07-01
DOI: 10.58680/ce20065042
Topics: translingualism multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

Ghimire (2025)

Utilizing ChatGPT to integrate world English and diverse knowledge: A transnati…

Computers and Composition
Frandsen et al. (2024)

Challenging the Myth of the Traditional Grad Student: A Case Study about Academ…

College Composition and Communication
Gallagher (2024)

What Need Not Be Said: Transnational Policy Regimes and England’s Technical Pro…

College English
Sanders et al. (2023)

Making Good on Our Promises to Language Justice: Spheres of Coalitional Possibi…

College Composition and Communication
Fraiberg et al. (2016)

Weaving Relationship Webs: Tracing how IMing Practices Mediate the Trajectories…

Computers and Composition

Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.

CrossRef global citation count: 108 View in citation network →