Custom «Function of Language Ideologies in the US» Essay Paper Sample

This paper seeks to review the article titled "continuity and change in the function of language ideologies in the United States"(Terrence 68). Various language ideologies have been used in conjunction with English to achieve socio-political objectives in the US. This has led to undesired results such as racial discrimination and domination. Consequently, reviewing the above mentioned article will help in understanding the role of language ideologies in regard to the social cohesion of the American community.

The overall purpose of the article is to illustrate the history of the purpose of language ideologies and how they have been used in America. The article is a critique of the "language tolerance hypothesis"(Terrence 69). Thus English monolingualism as an ideology and how it has been used to justify the policies that have been used to subordinate various communities in the US is the main theme of the article. The author concludes that English has been used to subordinate various group in the US.

The main flaw in the article is that it is based on the opinion of other researchers instead of empirical evidence. The authors ought to have conducted primary research in order to verify the validity of the existing literature on the functions of language ideologies. The research was conducted through historical analysis on language ideologies and their function in US. Thus the information was collected by reviewing secondary sources of data. Data analysis was done by evaluating the validity of Koss' "language tolerance hypothesis"(Terrence 69). The population of study consisted of various groups such as African-Americans that constitute the American community. The researchers concluded that "language and literacy have always been used as a tool of social control"(Terrence 85). The conclusions were made by making reference to the historical evidence on the use of language ideologies.

The main strength of the article is that the findings clearly explain the role of English and language ideology in the history of America. I also agree with the findings since they are consistent with historical evidence in regard to the role of language ideology in the US.

The main weakness of the article is that the validity of the findings can not be confirmed since they are based on historical evidence rather than empirical evidence. Besides, there is over emphasis on the history of American communities instead of focusing on the role of language ideologies.