During my time as a Linguistics and Philosophy major in UConn’s linguistics department, I’ve realized just how misunderstood language is by most people. The most common way I’ve seen this is linguistic discrimination, which is held up by misconceptions about the fundamentals of language that pervade everyday life, to the point that many well-meaning people are completely unaware of how they may be perpetuating linguistic discrimination. Most people know that you shouldn’t harbor bias against people who speak a certain language or shame people for having a non-American accent. Yet even some of my most progressive peers won’t question using a Southern accent as a shorthand for stupidity. They feel the need to point out and shame people when they say “melk.” They still fall into the trap of thinking younger generations are deteriorating the English language. Language isn’t a frivolous thing to be made fun of. The most important thing I’ve learned in the linguistics department is that language is a fundamental tool for both oppression and resistance.
While that may seem like a massive overreaction to the examples I listed — who doesn’t make fun of their friends sometimes? — they’re symptoms of an attitude that promotes and justifies oppression at a wider scale. In a time where the Supreme Court has given ICE the legal ability to racially profile people on the basis of speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent, understanding and valuing linguistic diversity is necessary for resistance. Resources for combatting ICE must be provided in Spanish, and concerted efforts must be made not to judge, other or exclude people who speak with Latin-American accents. Without efforts like these, the most vulnerable groups in our society will only be pushed into further vulnerability.
This doesn’t just apply to Spanish. Appalachian accents, for example, are also heavily discriminated against in other parts of America. According to an article in the Appalachian Journal of Law, speakers with Appalachian accents are seen as unintelligent, lazy and incestuous, and are also subject to high levels of employment discrimination. As we lead up to the 2026 midterms and Republican approval rating of Donald Trump is lower than ever, progressives should not hold “sounding Republican” against people who want to oppose conservative control at a federal level. Thinking everyone with a Southern accent is ignorant and hateful is bigotry, despite how common that kind of bigotry is in New England and other urban liberal populations.
Perhaps the most prominent example of a social justice movement focusing on a battle for language is the fight for transgender rights. Trans people argue that the language around gender has been used to police and oppress everybody, keeping us in boxes according to linguistic labels. This doesn’t include only trans people; cisgender, straight men and women are affected as well as anyone who isn’t fully cis and straight.
Trans people ask to be referred to with certain gendered pronouns, names and words, or invent new words entirely. Meanwhile, anti-trans advocates argue that trans people cannot change language just as they cannot change their innate gender. Here, language is being used as a proxy and stepping-stone towards tearing down the system of gender roles. If we stop being so rigid with gender roles, we will naturally stop being so rigid with gendered language. “He” could refer to a woman. We could find words that don’t put people into the boxes of man or woman at all, like “they” to refer to one person or other, new gender-neutral words like “nibling.” Speaking in such a free state of gender now communicates alliance with these ideals as well as a continuous fight towards them.
On the other side of the coin, the alt-right rely on control of language as a way to control their public perception. They use “radicals” as a synonym for leftists of any kind to stigmatize societal change and to enforce their own extremist goals as normal and acceptable in comparison. Even the term “alt-right” has its origins in white supremacy as a euphemistic label for right-wing extremism. By using the word “alternative” instead of “extremist” and by characterizing white supremacy as a generic right-wing movement, the alt-right’s association with white supremacy becomes obfuscated.
It is important for every social movement to have an in-depth understanding of language and how it can influence or be influenced by people for political purposes. During my time in linguistics courses, I’ve realized how esoteric the issues I’ve discussed can be without more in-depth education on language. I urge anyone who is interested in this topic to take a linguistics course during their time in college. Learn about language’s interplay with power and keep linguistics in mind when engaging in political action.