Unstandardized English

If you are in the field of language education, you know that native speakerism is a prevalent form of discrimination. But we've been talking about it forever and it continues to bedevil the field. In this episode, JPB and guest Dr. Parisa Mehran try to find a productive way forward on the issue.

In this slightly different episode, host JPB Gerald speaks to his experiences being classified as 'smart' from a young age and how that has often been placed in opposition to his status as Black.

In this episode, host JPB Gerald discusses accents with newly-minted PhD-holder Dr. Vijay Ramjattan, who has conducted considerable research on the topic. The dialogue focuses on how the word "accent" is used to marginalize and other, the best ways to describe one's accent or the accent of someone else, and the ways in which possessing certain accents mark racialized speakers as less valuable, with an eye towards finding a way to counteract this discrimination.

In this episode, host JPB Gerald and guest Lydia Villaronga discuss several acronyms within the field of language education, including ESL, ELL, TESOL, and others. Many of these acronyms seem harmless but serve primarly to marginalize and racialize, and in this conversation, these negative results are unpacked and pulled apart.

Welcome to Unstandardized English. In this inaugural episode, host JPB Gerald and guest Rob Sheppard discuss the word 'expat,' its meanings and implications, inclusions and exclusions. Ultimately, who is allowed to be considered an expat, and who isn't? What racial groups can be expats? Listen and find out!