“Sir, Please Can I Speak Twi?”: Examining Students’ Linguistic Rights in Senior High Schools in Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22333/ijme.2025.9894Keywords:
Ghana, Indigenous languages, Linguistic rights, Mother-tongue, PowerAbstract
In multilingual societies, the selection of languages in educational institutions can mirror and perpetuate power imbalances, thus influencing students’ educational experiences and sense of identity. This paper examines how language choices in the classroom reflect power dynamics and affect students’ linguistic rights. Drawing on Linguistic Human Rights (Skutnabb-Kangas & Phillipson, 1995) and Maher and Tetreault’s (1994) framework of classroom dynamics, the study investigates how classroom interactions construct and sustain linguistic power. Data were collected from four Senior High Schools in the Ashanti region, chosen for their accessibility and proximity. The study involved eighty (80) participants, comprising eighteen (18) students and two (2) language teachers from each school. Data collection instruments included semi-structured interviews and participant observation. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using an iterative coding process to identify recurring themes and patterns. The study revealed that language teachers often functioned as gatekeepers and enforcers of the official language policy, adversely affecting students and causing feelings of shame, anxiety, and isolation. A notable finding from the study was that school administrators and teachers equated English proficiency with innocence while viewing the use of indigenous languages as a sign of guilt. The study concluded that power dynamics in the classroom have detrimental effects on students, leading to the suppression of their linguistic rights. These dynamics not only affect students’ emotional and psychological well-being but also their overall educational experiences, emphasizing the urgent need for a more inclusive and equitable language policy in Ghanaian Senior High Schools.
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