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.

In what ways do social categories influence our understanding of language?

What is the significance of the results from the author's daughter's ESL placement exam?

What challenges do bilingual children face in educational settings according to the text?

How does the author relate their personal experiences with their children to broader issues of language and identity?