Who counts as a speaker of a language? | Anna Babel

The video discusses the story of the Tower of Babel and its implications on language and communication. It explores the complexity of language identity, especially in bilingual individuals, and how social perceptions influence language understanding. The video highlights studies showing biases in language perception based on social categories and discusses the impact of language bias in educational settings, particularly in ESL testing. It concludes with a personal reflection on racial profiling in language assessment and its potential long-term effects.

What does the story of the Tower of Babel suggest about language and social unity?

• Speaking different languages leads to unity.

• Speaking the same language fosters conflict.

• Language has no impact on social unity.

• Speaking different languages can lead to conflict.

What misconception about bilingualism is highlighted by the speaker?

• Bilinguals must be fluent in both languages equally.

• Bilinguals can only speak one language well.

• Bilinguals do not exist.

• Bilinguals are always better at one language.

What is a common misconception about being a good bilingual?

• Being bilingual means speaking only one language fluently.

• Being bilingual is impossible.

• Being bilingual requires being like two monolinguals in one body.

• Being bilingual means speaking two languages poorly.

In the Bolivian study, what influenced the listeners' perception of language?

• The actual recording quality.

• The social identity of the speaker.

• The language spoken.

• The volume of the recording.

What was a key finding from studies on language perception in different countries?

• Language perception is universal and unaffected by social categories.

• Social categories significantly influence language perception.

• Social categories do not influence language perception.

• Language perception is only influenced by the speaker's tone.

What issue did the speaker encounter with their children's language testing in school?

• The test accurately measured language proficiency.

• The test was not administered properly.

• The test was biased and did not reflect true language ability.

• The test was too easy for their children.

How did the teacher misinterpret the speaker's son's language abilities?

• She thought he was fluent in Spanish.

• She evaluated him as deficient in standard English.

• She believed he spoke African American English.

• She thought he was a native English speaker.

What concern does the speaker express about their children's future?

• They will be fluent in multiple languages.

• They will only speak one language.

• They will face biases based on language and social categories.

• They will not learn any new languages.

What does the speaker hope people will reflect on regarding language?

• The superiority of one language over others.

• The naturalized links between language and social categories.

• The importance of learning multiple languages.

• The need to eliminate all languages except one.

What does the speaker suggest about the relationship between language and social categories?

• They are intricately connected.

• They are connected only in academic settings.

• They are only connected in certain cultures.

• They are completely unrelated.