But mom! I’m not a Spanish Boy: Raciolinguistic socialization in a Two-Way Immersion bilingual program

Abstract

This article is about the ways in which race and class impact socialization in a Two Way Immersion classroom - a process I refer to as raciolinguistic socialization. In line with the concept of raciolinguistic ideologies (Flores and Rosa, 2015), the term raciolinguistic socialization captures the ways in which race and class impact how language and literacy abilities are perceived and evaluated. I illustrate this process through the ethnographic stories of three Kindergarten students. Weaving together observations, recorded interactions, and parent interviews, I show the impact of raciolinguistic expectations on Latinx children; how class and race privilege influence how language development is evaluated positively, and how a disadvantaged socioeconomic position negatively impacts perceptions of linguistic ability.I conclude by discussing implications of this work for both TWI programs and for understanding how raciolinguistic ideologies impact children's socialization more broadly