Linguistic imperialism
Linguistic imperialism is the dominance of one language through institutions and practices that reproduce political, economic, or cultural inequality.
Language policy: A set of laws, practices, and decisions that shape language use and status in a community. Schools, governments, and workplaces can make one language necessary for public participation.
Colonialism: A system in which a state or people establishes control over another territory and its population. Colonial rule spread imperial languages through administration, schooling, and settlement.
Linguistic nationalism: The promotion of a shared language as a basis for national identity and political unity. National language projects can centralize power within states without being imperial expansion.
English as a lingua franca: The use of English as a shared language among speakers with different first languages. Its global role raises questions about access, dependence, and unequal communicative burden.
Medium of instruction: The language used to teach academic subjects in an educational setting. Choosing a dominant language for schooling can privilege its speakers and limit others’ access.
British Empire: A global empire ruled or controlled by Britain from the early modern period into the twentieth century. Its expansion established English in government and education across many regions.
Lingua franca: A language used for communication between people who do not share a first language. A shared contact language may spread through convenience, though unequal power can shape its use.
Diglossia: A stable division in which distinct language varieties serve different functions in a community. Functional separation can assign prestige and formal authority unevenly across varieties.
Language ideology: Beliefs about language that connect ways of speaking with values, identities, or social groups. Claims that one language is neutral or superior can make unequal arrangements seem natural.
French colonial empire: The overseas territories and protectorates governed by France from the sixteenth century to the twentieth. French rule promoted French as a language of administration and schooling.