Linguistics ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 4-15-2025

Abstract

Language is a fundamental tool of social control. Linguistic bias plays a crucial role in social hierarchies and opportunities. While research has extensively documented linguistic bias in spoken language, less attention has been given to bias in written language. This study investigates students' evaluations of three instructors’ writings: a bilingual, an instructor with a disability, and a monolingual. The study employs a matched-guise technique to explore potential biases in students' perceptions of preference, leadership skills, expertise, and professionalism.

The Friedman Test revealed that while participants showed a preference for the instructor with a disability over the bilingual instructor and the monolingual instructor, these differences were not statistically significant. Similarly, the presence of grammatical errors did not significantly affect students' preferences, instructor rankings, or perceptions.

Qualitative analysis revealed that participants based their preferences on both biography-related and course-description-related factors. Additionally, the study explored participants' perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) use in course descriptions.

The findings suggest that written language alone does not elicit strong biases for or against bilingual instructors or instructors with disabilities.

Language

English

Keywords

Bilingualism, Disability, Language, Bias

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Linguistics

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Department of Linguistics

First Committee Member (Chair)

Dr. Jill Morford

Second Committee Member

Dr. Naomi Shin

Third Committee Member

Dr. Emma Trentman

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