Understanding the Race-Language Nexus: A Critical Review of Jonathan Rosa’s Looking like a Language, Sounding like a Race

Review of Looking like a Language, Sounding like a Race: Raciolinguistic Ideologies and the Learning of Latinidad

Abstract

Jonathan Rosa's Looking like a Language, Sounding like a Race (2019) is recognized for being one of the most impactful works in linguistic anthropology, critical race studies, and educational studies. In the book, Rosa examines the relationship between language and race in a Chicago public high school. Instead of distinguishing between language discrimination and racial discrimination, he argues that the evaluation of racialized individuals is done by applying raciolinguistic ideology, which allows people to view individuals as persons who "look like a language" and "sound like a race."

The importance of the book resides in both empirical examination of Latinx youth people and theoretical contribution. Rosa challenges the view existing in sociolinguistics that proficiency in language possesses nothing to do with the view about one’s race. Therefore, he builds upon the ideas of Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, Edward Said, Paulo Freire, Bonny Norton, and Cornel West. Thus, the book should not be viewed as merely discussing the issue of bilingualism but also serving as a critique of modern institutions that contribute to racial differences via language.