What does it mean to say someone speaks "broken English"? And what's the effect of saying it?

What is it about?

Looking in-depth at a variety of examples of people describing others' language as "broken English", we found that it is usually used to characterize non-native English, but there's no strict definition at all. It is often used in very negative contexts, for example to identify potential criminals. Other seemingly neutral uses can still carry this negative 'flavor', whether the speaker intends it to or not. Sometimes it is ambiguous as to who has chosen the label and whether they intend the negative usage or not. This ambiguity can lead to the propagation of negative views of non-native English speakers, even by people who do not hold such views.

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Why is it important?

Everyday talk about language can perpetuate the lower status of social groups such as non-native English speakers. For example, the lack of precision in the term 'broken English' means that sometimes little or no distinction is made between someone who does not sound just like a middle- or upper-class native speaker of English and someone who does not speak English at all. Further, what one person might simply intend to mean "I could tell this person spoke a different language natively" may be interpreted as "this person is un-American and maybe a criminal."