Transepistemic English language teaching for sustainable futures

Abstract

There is a relationship between language and the environment. Languages shape worldviews, inform behaviours, and are not disconnected from local political, sociocultural, and ecological contexts. English has an enduring colonial, imperialist, and assimilationist legacy and can be easily delinked from context, culture, and place. In this article, I argue that an epistemic (un)learning of the Western ‘epistemological error’ is required to enable equitable validation of all languages and knowledge systems, including those Indigenous and minoritized, in ELT for more sustainable futures. Heritage language pedagogy (HLP), conceptualized differently from mainstream versions, and transepistemic language education in the Canadian context will illustrate how epistemic (un)learning takes place. HLP seeks to relink connections between languages and place-based knowledges. The article demonstrates how HLP and transepistemic language education enables learners and educators to engage in a decolonial and pluriversal sharing of languages, knowledges, and worlds for more equitable and sustainable ELT.