*Inclusive Language Reform in Catalonia and Valencia (*Some Exclusions May Apply)

Status: published in Journal of Belonging, Identity, Language and Diversity, 2025

Abstract: Romance languages have traditionally represented gender through binary markers (Papadopoulos, 2019; Rainer, 2020). More recently, they are shifting toward inclusive innovations, with some degree of popular support (Slemp, 2021), as well as resistance (Kosnick, 2021; Niklison, 2020). Following the recent linguistic innovation to move beyond binary markers in Spain, gender-inclusive discourse usually focuses on the Spanish language, with little research available on other languages in the country, such as Aranese, Basque, Catalan, Galician, and Valencian. This study examines Catalan and Valencian, spoken primarily in Catalonia and Valencia, respectively. Using twelve institutional documents published between 2005-2021, this analysis examines how public discourse conceptualizes gender and inclusive/exclusionary linguistic practices and how discourse supports and limits linguistic innovation. Using critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 2003) as a framework, this study aims to connect language practices to social, cultural, and political contexts, thus highlighting how discourse can enact, reproduce, or challenge relations of power. Findings show that even in texts that are meant to prescribe inclusive language, inclusivity is shaped - and often limited - by conceptualizations of gender. 

Related publication:

Ali, F. (in press). Pride or Prejudice? La Real Academia Española on Inclusive Language. In S. Burnett and F. Vigo (Eds.) Battlefield Linguistics: Contemporary Contestations of Language, Gender, and Sexuality. De Gruyter. 

Constructing Victims and Perpetrators: A Textual Analysis of Media Discourses on Sexual Violence

Status: published in Language, Discourse and Society, 2025

Abstract: Sexual violence has become increasingly visible in the public eye, which has in turn prompted scholarly research across disciplines to critically examine how such cases are handled, ranging from the investigation processes to how the accused and accusing parties are impacted. Linguistic research in particular has made an important contribution to our understanding of the role of language in interpreting and evaluating sexual violence by focusing on the narrations of specific cases. Yet linguistic perspectives are somewhat sparse with regard to mass media discourse, which can play an influential role in shaping discussions on sexual violence. This study examines discourse on sexual violence found in online news reports in the U.S., and specifically focuses on contrasts between different discourse participants. Findings reveal that news reports employ various linguistic strategies that distance sexual violence from their perpetrators (faculty, in the cases examined in this study) and offer disparate attention to perpetrators and victims. Given the increasing visibility of public discourse on sexual aggression and the power that such discourse has in influencing audiences, analyzing the language used to construct victims and perpetrators is crucial to our understanding of the various ways that sexual violence perpetuates injustice. 

Related publication:

Ali, F. (2024). Sexual Violence in Higher Education: A Critical Discourse Analysis of University Policies. Higher Education Policy.

Teaching the Sociopolitics of Spanish: Language Pedagogy from a Sociolinguistic Lens 

Status: published in Narratives of Non-English L2 Language Teachers , 2025

Abstract: While proficiency-centered pedagogy is a mainstream approach to language teaching, it is critical to recognize and emphasize that language is a social practice that is shaped by the people and societies that use it, as well as the social, cultural, political, and historical layers of a speech community. Through this lens, students are positioned to understand the power and privilege that shape their language learning experiences, as well as the power dynamics that have shaped the L2 speech communities that they study, all while developing linguistic competencies. Using an autoethnographic approach and focusing primarily on intermediate level courses, I reflect on my experiences teaching Spanish as an L2 in the U.S. from a sociolinguistic perspective, through which students are challenged to reconsider their expectations that a language class should consist of focusing solely on linguistic proficiency. Through a sociolinguistic, and indeed, a social justice oriented course, students are encouraged to develop their linguistic proficiency for analytical purposes and build their awareness of the sociopolitics of language, such that they come to see language not just as vocabulary and grammatical rules, but a dynamic and fluid system that reflects the cultures and histories of the communities that use it. 

A Critical Review of Multilingual and Multidialectal Approaches to Heritage and L2 Arabic Instruction

Status: published in Critical Multilingualism Studies, 2024

Abstract: While Arabic instruction has traditionally focused heavily - and often exclusively - on the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) (Ryding, 2006), scholars and practitioners have become increasingly critical of instructional approaches that ignore colloquial dialects of Arabic, and have therefore proposed an integrated approach to Arabic instruction (Younes, 1990). Such an approach interrogates and prompts a reflection on different notions and practices related to multilingualism, and how these practices may be relevant for heritage language (HL) and second language (L2) learners. This article thus offers a comprehensive and critical review of research on multilingual/-dialectal approaches to Arabic instruction. Focusing primarily on HL/L2 instruction in the United States, this review is premised by a brief history of research and practices in HL and L2 Arabic instruction. I then discuss multilingualism and multidialectalism as it pertains to Arabic instruction, as well as how these notions provide a lens for reevaluating ideas about diglossia, monolingual ideologies, and exclusive MSA instruction. This also involves an examination of specific multilingual practices in the language classroom, including code-switching, translanguaging, and the use of Arabizi. I conclude with a discussion of the implications that current research has for classroom practices, as well as a note about areas of investigation that merit further attention.