Rethinking Language Program Promotion: A Critical Discourse Analysis of University Website Descriptions

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Interrogating Ideologies in Language Education: From Native Speakerism to Raciolinguistic Ideology (Table 10)

Abstract

The Modern Language Association report (MLA) (2021) indicated a 16.6% decline in language enrollments from 2016 to 2021, emphasizing the need for advocacy. This study investigated university language program websites’ descriptions of “why you should learn” their languages, reflecting programs’ values and beliefs about language learning and their potential impact on enrollment.
Using Fairclough’s (2013) Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework, we identified four key language ideologies: pedagogic authority, marketplace ideology, linguistic nationalism, and culture emphasis. Our analysis reveals that university language programs often perpetuate prevailing ideologies, highlighting the need for critical revisions in promotional strategies to align with inclusive, anticolonial, and equitable education practices. Additionally, we call for a shift from competence-based pedagogy toward critical, justice-centered language pedagogy.

Authors

• Tingting Schwartz, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Ruth Olayemi Adeniyi, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• L.J. Randolph, University of Wisconsin - Madison