What is Language Justice?

Language justice is a fundamental right that ensures individuals can participate fully in society, education, and politics in their own languages. This concept challenges the dominant monolingual ideology that has historically privileged a single language and standard dialect over all others, perpetuating the marginalisation of minority languages and dialects.

Speakers of “non-standard” varieties of language often face significant barriers to equal participation in society, education, and politics. To fully engage in these spaces, they are often expected to become fluent in a second language or dialect and to use this professionally and academically. This can be a daunting task, requiring significant time, effort and resources, while those who are not deemed to speak “non-standard” language need not engage in such linguistic labor.

Revitalization efforts and support of minority and Indigenous languages are crucial for promoting linguistic justice. Monolingual ideology and colonial linguistic hierarchies have created an uneven linguistic landscape where some people are required to become multilingual in order to engage in public life, while others are not-and are often blithely oblivious to the linguistic labor going on around them.

Language injustice silences voices and restricts resources to certain language varieties. Language justice breaks down structural inequality and promotes social and economic mobility. It is essential to a diverse society, as it acknowledges and respects the linguistic and cultural diversity of all individuals.