ABSTRACT
This book has explored issues about language and discrimination within multi-ethnic settings, based on research and training carried out by the ILT service. We have examined the linguistic dimension of disadvantage and discrimination as it has been illuminated by this provision of training in and about communication. The work described has been with people from ethnic minorities who are first-generation immigrants to the UK and reflects the experience of their interaction with the white majority in their workplaces and in seeking access to the public services – for example, housing and the National Health Service. These settings are strategic research sites and what happens in them affects the life chances of ethnic minorities in terms of their economic and social opportunities. ILT provided training opportunities for black and white people to improve their language and communication skills in their dealings with each other. The context, however, was firmly shaped by power relationships which reflect racism in Britain and associated attitudes to cultures and to community languages other than English. Although our insights into the relationship between language and discrimination are firmly rooted in this particular British context, our findings have important implications and conclusions for broader understanding of inter-ethnic communication and for further work in ethnography, linguistics and pedagogy.
