ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates essentialism in the domain of language education and offers solutions to some of the problems that essentialism engenders. Essentialism is disclosed and criticized with reference to discussions about standardization, stigmatized language, and language purism; sections of these discussions link education and politics. One of the most salient issues in language education is that of speaking, learning, and teaching the standard variety of a language. In most countries, the standard variety of the language of that country is focused on and assigned much social prestige. The sociopolitics of spoken language standardization may be seen as a token of essentialism, leading to conflict, oppression, and injustice in the domain of language education. Ebonics a dialect of English or declaring it a separate language had financial significance. Speakers of Ebonics understood as a dialect of English do not qualify for funds usually allocated within bilingual education programs.
