Latin Americans in London offers a critical sociolinguistic analysis of how Latin American migrants in London negotiate identity and ideology in language practices. Morales Hernández draws on his personal cross-border experiences to situate the study within a broader ethnographic framework, weaving together history, theory, and deep empirical engagement to explore how language practices intersect with class, race, and power.
The book begins by introducing the historical and socio-economic background that shaped Latin American migration to the UK. In chapter 1, Morales Hernández traces how political and economic instability, such as South American dictatorships and neoliberal economic reforms, have driven both intra- and extra-regional migration, with particular attention to the migration waves to the UK analyzed through the lens of diaspora.
Building on this background, the second part of the book outlines the theoretical framework, emphasizing the sociopolitical roots of language ideology and argues that language ideology shapes migrants’ perception of linguistic value and operates through institutional practices to reproduce inequality. This part also proposes that critical discourse studies provide a powerful tool to analyze the language-mediated spatial contexts of migrants’ everyday lives, providing illuminating accounts of their processes of identity construction. These theoretical and methodological frameworks set the stage for the subsequent analysis of how migrants navigate survival strategies within the neoliberal society.
The following empirical chapters offer rich insight into the lived realities of Latin American migrants in London. Through case studies, chapter 3 demonstrates how migrants internalize and reproduce negative discourse. In their self-presentation, migrants distance themselves from the stigmatized ‘immigrant’ identity with legal documents and other evidence, while they simultaneously internalize and adopt labels of ‘illegality’ to themselves, which may lead to the mechanisms of social disentitlement. Chapter 4 uncovers sharp stratifications within the migrant community. In London’s workplace and social encounters, migrants categorize community members based on their language capital, educational background, and occupational status, reinforcing internal hierarchies within the community, and challenging assumptions of its homogeneity. Chapter 5 provides readers with migrants’ diverse language ideologies in the neoliberal multilingual society according to the specific contexts. For instance, their discourse reflects ideologies of linguistic assimilation when developing English-speaking social networks. In pursuing employment and striving for economic mobility, migrants exhibit neoliberal self-disqualification ideologies with the belief that language serves as a tool for improving life conditions. Within public institutions, such as hospitals and courts, their language needs are often sidelined, exposing them to asymmetrical power relations that marginalize their voices.
In conclusion, Morales Hernández urges sociolinguists to challenge unequal discursive structures by foregrounding social class and demonstrates how language ideologies help explain the mechanisms through which individuals construct social relationships and identities. He argues that critical ethnographics should be applied to understanding the material and economic foundations of linguistic practices, thereby fostering greater attention to the social inequalities faced by migrant communities.
This book is a valuable resource for scholars interested in the intersection of language, identity, and ideology, offering a fresh perspective into the ways migrants’ linguistic lives are shaped by broader structures of power.
