Assumptions, prejudices, and being: exploring students’ uses of their linguistic resources

This study sought to better understand students’ choices regarding their linguistic resources and the language practices arising from their choices. This study involved multilingual interviews with seven students undertaking education-related postgraduate study in the UK. Data analysis indicates that the students make purposeful choices regarding their linguistic resources for their UK-based studies as part of their broader endeavour of being and becoming. However, their purposefulness is shaped by their assumptions and prejudices in the linguistic ecology at an English-foregrounded university. They seem to see ‘all in English’ as an ideal, while attaching little significance to plurilingual competence.