ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 provides a conceptual apparatus for understanding language inequality and its implications for teaching a dominant language (English), a dominant dialect (Standard English), and a dominant set of discourses (academic literacy), which throughout the book are referred to conjointly as “dominant codes.” English as a Second Language (ESL) students are trying to take ownership of dominant codes within the context of asymmetrical power relations. A theoretical exploration of how these asymmetries operate in second language acquisition is essential for designing pedagogical strategies that can put dominant codes within reach of ESL students. Bourdieu’s theory of linguistic inequality and Gee’s notion of “Discourse ‘with a capital D’” are central to this analysis. Within this theoretical paradigm, the traditional conception of academic literacy—based on the exclusive use of one language, one dialect, and a set of indisputable rhetorical conventions—is constructed as a dominant code that excludes language minority students, whose home language, dialects, Discourses, and identities are not valued by learning institutions, from academic success. To make this dominant code more accessible, academic discourse needs to be more welcoming of students’ subjectivities, social realities, and translanguaging practices. It is within this student-centered, culturally responsive pedagogical approach that the mother tongue becomes a resource for second language and literacy acquisition.
