Global North settings such as Australia are an attractive option for prospective students from the Global South to undertake tertiary studies. Using Linguistic Ethnography, we investigate the experiences that postgraduate students from the Global South have when studying in Australian university settings, to understand how translingual English discrimination affects them. We find that many students from the Global South encounter situations of translingual English discrimination, which affect their academic sense of belonging and the hiring order of things. Being penalised for their linguistic practises in their assignment work, or being provided with unclear and insufficient information during the early stages of their studies can both result in a loss of sense of academic belonging. These students may also be affected by the hiring order of things through additional barriers in gaining university employment due to perceptions that they have linguistic, work experience and qualification shortcomings, despite strong evidence to the contrary. We outline the implications of these forms of translingual English discrimination and recommend institutional changes to address these discriminatory actions.

Drawing on linguistic ethnographic data, this study examines the language-based discriminatory experiences of skilled transnational migrants in the labour market of Australia. Moving beyond two main concepts of ‘interlingual’ and ‘intra-lingual’ discrimination in applied linguistics, this article points out the concept of ‘translingual discrimination’, which refers to inequality based on transnational identities’ specific linguistic repertoires and backgrounds that are substantiated by the national order of things. Translingual discrimination adds intensity to transnational processes, with the skilled migrants showing particular potential for exclusion regarding two factors: translingual ‘name discrimination’ and ‘English discrimination’. ‘Translingual name discrimination’ is a homogenous form of ‘name’ policing, evident in multiple examples where the skilled transnational migrants’ job applications are often largely rejected on the grounds of their ‘birth name’ written on their curriculum vitae. ‘Translingual English discrimination’ is another common form of discrimination, where the skilled transnational migrants become subject to discrimination based on their English proficiency and their overall language skills, leading to ‘the paradoxes of migration’—discrepancies between the imagination and the reality—where they fall from ‘hero to zero’ in the host society.

Using Linguistic Ethnography (LE), we analyse the ways in which English as an additional language (LX) users from migrant backgrounds in Australia encounter overt and covert ‘accentism’ from the dominant English-speaking Australian society. These forms of accentism may be used to discriminate against LX users’ pronunciation and accent in a bid to conform, normalise, contest, and encourage unequal power. Overt accentism is used to reinforce stereotypes and ideologies about the culture, race, ethnicity or gender of the LX users on the receiving end, using mockery, laughter, and sexualisation to denigrate and stigmatise their accents. Covert accentism occurs in a subtle and indirect way when LX users may feel social exclusion by strong local accents, or through locals misunderstanding migrants’ non-standard English accents. Consequently, these participants often experience feelings of embarrassment, frustration, and loss of confidence. Accentism can also lead to problems with employment, maintaining relationships with local Australians, and exclusion from social situations. We show that these accentism experiences are intersectionally linked with race, ethnicity, nationality and gender, all of which are affected by the broader cause of structural racism, that discriminates against English LX migrants with these identity attributes.

Translanguaging literature has broadly discussed translanguaging as fostering expressive and creative interactions within classroom contexts. Often overlooked, however, are the responses of students who are encouraged to translanguage in spaces they previously deemed to be reserved for the dominant language only. Using Linguistic Ethno‐graphy, we investigate the interactions of eight Chinese university students in two classroom settings at an Australian university. We examine how explicit or implicit English only norms at this university, combined with students' beliefs about English use, affect translanguaging practices and how English as an additional language (LX) users incorporate various resources, including spatial repertoires, peer support, and silence, to varying degrees of success within two different classrooms. The pedagogical implications of this examination point toward academics needing to embrace and legitimize translanguaging practices, not only at classroom level, but at course, university and policy level. Teachers in pre‐tertiary English language courses also need to incorporate such practices into their classrooms if EAL/D students are to be convinced of the legitimacy of translanguaging in the university classroom.

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: This article aims to explore the link between linguistic subordination and linguistic inferiority complexes in the context of English as a second language (ESL) migrants in Australia. We address the following research questions: (a) To what extent and how do ESL migrants in Australia suffer from linguistic subordination? (b) To what extent and how is this linguistic subordination linked to linguistic inferiority complexes for ESL-migrants in Australia? (c) What are the main social implications of the link between linguistic subordination and linguistic inferiority complexes for ESL migrants? Design/methodology/approach: The study involved the participation of 150 participants who were observed using linguistic ethnography. The participants engaged in interviews and focus group discussions so that we could explore the psychological consequences of linguistic subordination that they encountered. Data and analysis: The interviews and focus group discussions were transcribed and analysed with consideration to the context, as well as the participants’ utterances and paralanguage. The study followed alternative quality criteria. Findings/conclusions: Many ESL migrants in Australia face linguistic subordination for the way they speak English. Consequently, these migrants suffer from linguistic inferiority complexes – psychological and emotional damages, which result in self-marginalisation, self-vindication, loss of sense of belonging, social withdrawal, fear, anxiety and the erosion of self-confidence. We find that there is a direct link between linguistic subordination and linguistic inferiority complexes. Originality: This article addresses a gap that exists regarding the link between linguistic subordination and the development of linguistic inferiority complexes, discusses how this has real-life consequences for ESL migrants, and explores how this may be overcome. Significance/implications: ESL migrants need support so that they can cope with their experiences of linguistic subordination, thus helping them better deal with issues related to linguistic inferiority complexes. In addition, the broader society needs greater education on how their comments and actions can affect the wellbeing of others.