“Nobody will say I speak Indian English”: Exploring the impact of native-speakerist ideology on South Korean multilinguals’ linguistic practices and identity negotiations

초록

While substantial scholarly attention has focused on native-speakerism’s influence on teachers’ professional identities, considerably less research has examined its effects on multilinguals navigating transnational spaces. When combined with neoliberal educational frameworks that commodify language skills as marketable assets, native-speakerism creates complex challenges for multilingual individuals. This study addresses this gap by examining three South Korean multilinguals who completed K-12 education at English-medium international schools abroad. Based on in-depth qualitative interviews, this study explores how native-speakerist ideology influences multilinguals’ everyday language practices and learning investments. Participants’ experiences illuminate how native-speakerist judgments operate primarily as social positioning mechanisms rather than genuine linguistic assessments, with geographical and racialized credentials mattering more than actual competence. The participants developed sophisticated strategic responses including geographical legitimacy-seeking, alternative linguistic capital accumulation and identity repositioning to navigate ideological constraints. These findings reveal how native-speakerist hierarchies impose profound personal and professional costs on multilinguals, a process that highlights the urgent need to dismantle systems that privilege ideological conformity over authentic multilingual competence. © The Author(s) 2026

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