Dominant languages


Part 1: Linguistic dominance

Language is more than a tool for communication—it shapes social structures and cultural identities. When a new language is forcibly introduced in a region which has its own local language, the new (foreign) language can become dominant, leading to social and cultural inequality. The foreign language gains linguistic capital[1] and market value[2], offering economic and social advantages, such as jobs, services, and connections, while the local language becomes less important, less prestigious, or less worthy.

This dominance is upheld through symbolic power[3] and cultural hegemony[4], which make people internalize the superiority of the foreign language, even if they speak their local language at home. This can lead to speakers of the local language feeling inferior.

The foreign language spreads at the expense of the local language, often supported by institutions. It functions like racism or sexism—privileging one group while marginalizing the other. This process shapes education, media, and public life, and leads to inequality.

Over time, the foreign language spreads successfully—not by erasing the local language, but by being more appealing and rewarded. As more people adopt it, especially children, the local language weakens and may eventually disappear.


Footnotes

  • [1] Linguistic capital: The accumulation of a person's linguistic skills that predetermines their position in society, as delegated by powerful institutions.
  • [2] Market value: A language has market value when it can be used to earn money or assigned a price. Its value is determined by the economic benefits it offers and the symbolic power[3] it holds.
  • [3] Symbolic power: Hidden ways that culture and society control individuals through everyday habits, often without their awareness.
  • [4] Cultural hegemony: Dominance of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class—shaping the beliefs, explanations, perceptions, values, and norms of that society—so that the worldview of the ruling class becomes the accepted cultural norm.

Case Study

The French government made efforts to promote the use of French, hoping to unify the country through a common language.

The regional languages began to decline in 1539, when the French government made the Paris dialect, Francien (Standard French), the only official language.

The spread of Standard French was eventually driven by increased literacy and access to written language. In the 1880s, new school laws banned other languages and punished children for speaking them. The French administration made Occitan (regional language) speakers believe that their language was just a corrupted form of French, used only by uneducated and ignorant people.

In 2021, a new bill (called Molac's Law) tried to allow schools to teach most subjects in regional languages instead of French, but the French supreme court rejected that part, saying it went against the French constitution, which says French must be the language of the Republic.

In the present day, Occitan is spoken only by the oldest inhabitants of the region (only within the neighborhood and family circle), and is likely to die out when they are gone.


Part 2: Why English matters

In a study by the European Institute of Business Administration, Kai Chan created the Power Language Index (PLI), which ranked languages based on five types of opportunities they offer: (1) Geography: The ability to travel, (2) Economy: The ability to participate in an economy, (3) Communication: The ability to engage in dialogue, (4) Knowledge and media: The ability to consume knowledge and media, (5) Diplomacy: The ability to engage in international relations.

After comparing the efficacy of more than one hundred languages in these five domains, it was found that English is the most powerful language overall, and it ranks highest in all five areas. It holds the top position as the world's lingua franca.

Mandarin is gaining influence but still ranks a distant second. French takes third place, with strong results in geography and diplomacy. Next are Spanish, Arabic, and Russian, completing the top six—all of which, even without considering diplomacy, are official languages of the United Nations. German and Japanese, spoken in major economic powers, rank seventh and eighth. The top ten is completed by Portuguese and Hindi, both of which are also BRIC languages.

Language is a key factor in global competitiveness. It is not a coincidence that eight of the world's top ten financial centres are cities where English is widely spoken or well understood.


Implications:

For individuals, language can help them succeed, and the index shows which languages are most useful. For business leaders, the index shows which languages are most important for reaching people worldwide. For policymakers, the index supports the idea that English gives people a big advantage.

India should prioritize improving English proficiency among the population along with preserving local languages rather than imposing Hindi across all regions of the country. The fact that English was once the language of the colonizers is less relevant today. What is more significant is that English is now one of the most widely spoken languages globally, serves as a lingua franca, and offers greater practical advantages compared to many other languages.


References

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