Examining the language ideologies of highly proficient English speakers in Sweden

Abstract: Taking into consideration Bourdieu’s theories on language and symbolic power, the current study aims to examine how English speakers in Sweden use language in different settings, at work and outside of work, to determine if language ideologies can be perceived or identified. The method chosen for investigating this was language portraits and semi-structured interviews. Three participants, university staff at an English-speaking department, drew two language portraits each and performed a semi- structured interview. The study showed that there might be a hierarchy of languages apparent both at the workplace and outside, where proficiency in Swedish might be what dictates the reason of exclusion being perceived by the participants.