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Article published In:
English-medium instruction: Different stakeholders and conflicting interests
Edited by Robert Wilkinson and René Gabriëls
[Journal of English-Medium Instruction 3:1] 2024
► pp. 11–29

Linguistic domination or discrimination?

Local and international academic staff contest the (in)justice of English as the language of international academic mobility

ORCID logo | Stockholm University
ORCID logo | University of Tartu

This article analyses some of the linguistic tensions derived from international academic mobility in English-medium instruction multilingual university contexts, focusing on local and international academic staff’s interests from a linguistic justice viewpoint. Firstly, we develop a normative argument to explore whether international academic mobility and increased use of English can become a source of linguistic domination for local staff, or if suggested countermeasures, such as requiring international scholars to learn the local language, might lead to linguistic discrimination against the latter group. Secondly, via a qualitative analysis of survey data, we ask local and international scholars at the University of Tartu about their views on the language policy regime at the university. Protective language policies that encourage locals to use Estonian more and require internationals to learn some Estonian could help enhance linguistic justice, according to local staff. However, international scholars may perceive such requests as discriminatory. Linguistic domination and discrimination play a key role in the clashing interests of stakeholders, creating tension. The study highlights the complexity of the dilemmas faced by many university officials today in their attempt to balance institutional goals with on-the-ground realities.

Keywords: English-medium instruction (EMI), international mobility, linguistic justice, linguistic domination, linguistic discrimination, stakeholders’ interests
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Linguistic domination and linguistic discrimination in EMI settings: A linguistic justice approach
  • The research setting: Brief overview
  • Data and methodology
  • Findings
    • Local academic staff (L1 Estonian)
    • International academic staff (L1 Other)
  • Discussion and conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 19 December 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.22016.sol
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