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Unit 11 discussion 2

In your own words please explain what is meant by the term linguistic profiling.

6 thoughts on “Unit 11 discussion 2”

  1. Chayanne Vasquez says:

    Linguistic profiling is basically when people judge you based on the way you talk. It’s like, you could be super smart, but if you have a certain accent or use a different dialect, some folks might make assumptions about your intelligence or background. It’s kind of like how racial profiling happens, but instead of focusing on how you look, it’s all about your language. I guess some examples off the top of my dome are employment discrimination — oh boy, do I have a story for this one, landlord/housing bias, the way media represents certain people.

    So, if someone assumes you’re not educated or treats you differently because of the way you speak, that’s linguistic profiling.

      1. Chayanne Vasquez says:

        Oh, I apologize, Professor. I just came across this comment. Let me provide more context. I reside in a predominantly Hispanic/Latino neighborhood undergoing rapid gentrification. Following my role as a stay-at-home mom, finding employment became challenging. Many new establishments were upscale and sought experienced individuals. Amidst this, I stumbled upon a recently opened coffee shop tucked away with minimal foot traffic.

        Upon entering, I connected with the owner, a pleasant woman who inquired about my familiarity with the community. I, being well-acquainted with many members, was hired to attract the Latino community to her shop. However, as months passed, I overheard her expressing dissatisfaction with Hispanic patrons, labeling them as frugal and repeatedly questioning my use of government resources.

        She voiced discontent about the perceived financial status of the neighborhood, urging me to encourage greater spending in her establishment. Despite my efforts, progress was slow, mainly due to the exorbitant prices, particularly for the older community members. The situation worsened when she criticized my tattoos, deeming them detrimental to the business.

        Then, just after Thanksgiving and right before the holidays, she inexplicably terminated my employment. Despite being appointed as a “manager” and receiving positive feedback from customers who specifically requested my coffee-making skills, she let me go without reason. While I valued the experience gained, the abrupt termination left me profoundly devastated… A few weeks later, she brought on a new employee who seemed to share a resemblance in both appearance and speech mannerisms with her. I was also informed by a former coworker that she openly expressed her disapproval of my interactions with customers in Spanish, citing a preference for everyone to speak English in New York. It’s not a case of justifying one wrong with another, but it’s perplexing considering that when her business partner visited the shop, they communicated in Russian. The inconsistency in her stance leaves me genuinely puzzled.

  2. Carlos Wil says:

    Linguistic profiling is when someone categorizes you based on your language or dialect to place you in a group of individuals with a similar dialect. Linguistic profiling is a form of racism and discrimination or a means of casting a shadow over a group of individuals based on their speech. The person profiled can be denied services that the average person is to receive under normal circumstances. An example of this can be if a person sounds African American or Latino, they could be denied housing in certain communities. United States is made up of immigrants and frankly some people could have issues with the English language or may not read enough to develop a stronger vocabulary but there is not a reason to profile or discriminate against anyone for the way they speak.

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