Abstract In this paper we propose that careful analysis of educators’ ontological beliefs concerning English and other languages can be interpreted from their attitudinal discourse and can shed light on how potentially harmful ideological beliefs persist in educational systems. We explore the relationship between ideological and ontological beliefs about language(s) and argue that the ontological dimension has been overlooked in previous work on educator ideologies. Analysis of interview data from educators working with English as an Additional Language (EAL) students at seven primary schools in the north of England suggests a pervasive hegemonic ideological belief, consistent with the ‘monolingual habitus’, in which English is commonly positioned as ‘language itself’ and other languages are associated with stratified levels of cultural capital. From this analysis, we infer shared conceptualizations of English and other languages, and of nation and national identity, separately from the values associated with them. We address how a process of ontological interpretation can potentially be used in teacher development programmes to allow educators to understand and reassess their own ideologies and professional practices, challenging and more effectively resisting unhelpful narratives from those in positions of greater power.

中文翻译：

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教育者对英语和英语以外语言的信念：从意识形态到本体论再回来

摘要 在本文中，我们建议仔细分析教育者关于英语和其他语言的本体论信念，可以从他们的态度话语中进行解释，并可以阐明潜在有害的意识形态信念如何在教育系统中持续存在。我们探讨了关于语言的意识形态和本体论信念之间的关系，并认为本体论维度在以前关于教育者意识形态的工作中被忽视了。对英格兰北部七所小学使用英语作为附加语言 (EAL) 学生的教育工作者的访谈数据的分析表明，一种普遍存在的霸权意识形态信念与“单语习性”一致，其中英语通常被定位为“语言”。本身和其他语言都与文化资本的分层水平相关联。从这个分析中，我们推断出英语和其他语言以及民族和民族认同的共同概念，与与之相关的价值观分开。我们讨论了本体论解释过程如何潜在地用于教师发展计划，使教育者能够理解和重新评估他们自己的意识形态和专业实践，挑战并更有效地抵制来自有权势者的无益叙述。