Engaging in critical dialogues in language classrooms that draw on critical pedagogical perspectives can be challenging for learners because of gaps in communicative resources in their L1 and L2. Since critically oriented classrooms involve discussing social issues, students are expected to deploy "literate talk" to engage in critiquing society and a wide range of texts. Although recent studies have explored teachers' and students' engagement with critical materials and critical dialogues, research that explores language development in critical language teaching remains a concern for language teachers. In this paper, I share my experience of fostering language development, specifically the overt teaching of critical vocabulary to students of (Tagalog-based) Filipino language at a university in Hawai'i. Through a discussion of racist stereotypes targeting Filipinos and the impacts of these discourses on students' lived experiences, the notion of "critical vocabulary" emerges as an important tool for students to articulate the presence of and to dismantle oppressive structures of power, including everyday discourses supporting the status quo. This paper defines critical vocabulary and advances its theoretical and practical contribution to critical language teaching. It also includes students' perspectives of their language development and ends with pedagogical implications for heritage/world language teachers around the world.