The phrase \u201clinguistic justice\u201d can take on several meanings, but at Pitt, it means meeting students where they\u2019re at.<\/p>\n
The Oxford Review defines linguistic justice<\/a> as a set of principles that ensure people have equitable access to communication in the language they know best. Linguistic justice, according to TOR, involves recognizing language as an integral part of identity and culture, though practice varies on an individual basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pitt programs, such as the Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education<\/a>, provide resources for how teachers can integrate linguistic justice into lessons. The linguistics department at Pitt also prioritizes research on sociolinguistics<\/a>, which looks at the connection between language and identity.<\/p>\n Linguistic justice encompasses a variety of groups \u2014 including international students who do not speak English as a first language and may feel social and cultural barriers<\/a> when it comes to classroom participation.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the most recent report by the Office of International Services<\/a>, Pitt has over 3,000 enrolled international students. In classes like \u201cENGCMP 0200: Seminar in Composition,\u201d students are exposed to academic writing practices and expectations. Classes like \u201cENGCMP 0152 ESL: Workshop in Composition\u201d are designed specifically for international students.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tina Cafasso, a part-time instructor in the English department, has taught Seminar in Composition for five years and takes an intentional approach towards including cultural differences.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have students coming from so many different countries, and we learn more from them,\u201d Cafasso said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to change who they are. I just try to give them some ideas to make it a little bit stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n Cafasso said she builds her classroom policies around inclusion and creating a community where students learn from each other, rather than fearing judgement.<\/p>\n \u201cI know students from other countries are afraid to talk in class because they might not say [things] 100% correctly,\u201d Cafasso said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t [cold-call] on people a lot for that reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Linguistic justice also includes English dialects often excluded from professional or academic settings, such as African American Vernacular English<\/a>. While the use of AAVE has traditionally been excluded<\/a> from academic spaces, the dialect has its own historical background, syntax and vocabulary<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Writing Center<\/a> at Pitt prioritizes linguistic justice as one of its values, especially when thinking about traditional language standards<\/a>. According to Angela Farkas, director of the Writing Center at Pitt, linguistic justice means \u201cchallenging language discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt means advocacy, it means allowing students to use their home language as a resource,\u201d Farkas said. \u201cIt\u2019s really important that we have conversations with students and try to get to know their linguistic backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n Farkas noted how important language is to a student\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of us wants to be unintentionally perpetuating harms associated with discriminatory practices<\/a>,\u201d Farkas said. \u201cIt\u2019s just important to let people know we believe language is identity, and it\u2019s important not to erase identity or to make students hide their identities.\u201d<\/p>\n Incoming international students are evaluated by the Test of English as a Foreign Language\/Duolingo\/International English Language Testing System Institute<\/a> for English language placement. The Writing Center has consultants for international students<\/a> learning English as a second language who might be adjusting to American educational expectations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe all, as a group, are respectful of differences and don\u2019t automatically assume, for example, if we see an accent in writing, that\u2019s an error,\u201d Farkas said. \u201cWe don\u2019t automatically see different varieties of English or accented English as an error or a problem unless it interferes with meaning with a particular context.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Farkas, representation is a core part of linguistic justice at Pitt.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make it possible to have many voices in the University,\u201d Farkas said.<\/p>\n Aizha Castellano, a junior teacher education major and peer tutor in the Writing Center, spoke about her experience with linguistic justice in the \u201cENGCMP 1210: Tutoring Peer Writers\u201d<\/a> course \u2014 a prerequisite for the peer tutor internship with the Writing Center.<\/p>\n