Exploring linguistic inequalities through Global Englishes in US higher education

US higher education has been through a long-standing dominance of white mainstream English (WME), creating systematic linguistic inequalities for students who do not use WME, such as African American students (AAS). This demands an inclusive instructional approach. While Global Englishes (GE) embraces diversity in instructional policies and practices and acknowledges GE in language education, it may offer inclusive pedagogical practices in US higher education. Although GE-informed teacher-student research has gained a momentum in language education, there is a lack of research on exploring the ideologies of African American students, a marginalized population, in US. Thus, this study explores the ideologies of undergraduate African American students regarding GE and “standard” English ideology. The findings show participants’ acknowledgement of GE in their classes, viewing them as resources of classroom. However, participants reported that “standard” English ideology that advocates for WME over other varieties of English, is predominantly used for instruction. Such “standard” English ideologies create linguistic inequalities by granting greater power and prestige to one language variety compared to others within the classroom. Thus, findings suggest that educational policymakers, materials designers, and teachers need to develop educational policies and practices in such a way that embraces linguistic diversity and inclusivity.