Article published In:
Journal of Language and PoliticsVol. 6:1 (2007) ► pp.129–143
Language as a political category
The viewpoint of political science
The article is based on an understanding that everything in society — including language — is political, at least potentially. For that reason, language must be seen (and analyzed) as a political phenomenon. Language is one of the decisive ‘nation building’ factors among others — sometimes cross-cutting other potentially defining factors. In its identity-building capacity, language is inclusive and exclusive at the very same time. Language has to be seen as one of the most important social (and: therefore political) cleavages. As more and more societies are confronted with ‘multiculturalism’ expressed in a multi-linguistic reality, politics have to come to terms with diversity in different ways.
Keywords: cleavage, diversity, linguistic conflicts, minority rights, nation building
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