Linguistic insecurity: A complicated reality

According to Calvet (1993), linguistic security occurs when social conditions allow individuals to feel at ease in their way of speaking, when they consider their linguistic varieties valued and accepted in society. Linguistic insecurity, on the other hand, is defined by a lack of confidence in one's linguistic abilities, which is grounded in the idea that there is a superior, more authentic standard against which one's own language variety should be measured. In French-as-a-second-language education in Canada, linguistic insecurity often leaves teachers and teacher candidates questioning their sense of belonging in the teaching profession, especially those who speak French as a second language themselves. This insecurity can be attributed to a persisting orientation to the European standard of French as well as the tendency for teachers to aspire to the idealized standard of the native speaker. In this presentation, I draw on data extracts from my research with FSL teachers to discuss various manifestations of this insecurity. The discussion centers on so-called “non-francophone” teachers and the ways they navigate these language ideologies in constructing a legitimate professional identity.

Meike Wernicke's research in French-as-a-second language (FSL) teacher education includes teacher professional development and teacher identity, and builds on an extensive background in modern language teaching (German and French), German heritage language education, and French Linguistics. These research interests extend to English as an additional language teaching, bi-/multilingual language policy and pedagogies, and translingual practices in higher education. A related area of research focuses on critical intercultural learning and decolonial approaches in language education, with an emphasis on discourse analytic research methodologies.

Collaboration in international research includes projects that have focused on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages at the Centre for Modern Language in Graz, Austria, as well as an international project on “Multilingualism and Teacher Education” with the Coordination Office for Multilingualism and Language Education (KoMBi) at the Universität Hamburg, Germany.

Within the Canadian context, projects include initiatives supporting the integration of Indigenous knowledges and ways of learning in K-12 and postsecondary education, decolonizing approaches in French language curriculum implementation, second language teacher professional development, and intercultural learning among FSL teachers in British Columbia, Canada.