Decolonial linguistics as paradigm shift: A commentary

Abstract

Decolonial Linguistics can be described as an intellectual critical movement that, according to Buaventura de Sousa Santos (2018), aims to end the Western “cognitive empire.” This chapter argues that even though it is not hard to document this type of coloniality in linguistics, not all of the inadequacies of the state of the art about languages of former European colonies need be associated with coloniality. As so often, the situation is complex. However, the idea of decolonial linguistics is important for current practice: it allows scholars to reduce the Western bias and hegemony in how languages of the global South and the (socio)linguistic behaviours of their speakers/writers are analysed.