Social outcomes due to the interplay between language competition and ideology struggle

Abstract

I study the interplay between language competition and ideology struggle in a country where there are two competing languages. Language transition is governed by a three-state model similar to Minett–Wang (2008) and Heinsalu et al. (2014). In this class of models, I further assume that among monolinguals of one of the competing languages there is an ideology struggle between assimilationist individuals who accept to deal with foreign language speakers and nationalist individuals who oppose any form of foreign culture. Ideology transition follows a two-state model as in Abrams–Strogatz (2003). Depending on both ideology and language status, the possible equilibria show that when nationalism is introduced in the language competition model, complete assimilation might take place and one language disappears with the entire population becoming monolingual. On the other hand, when bilingualism emerges, it is associated with a segregated society with a bilingual group surviving in the long run together with an isolated monolingual group entirely composed of nationalist individuals. Another kind of segregation might also emerge in the equilibrium, in which two monolingual groups survive in the long run, one of them entirely composed of nationalists. In the latter case, both linguistic segregation and isolation are the negative social outcomes of ideology struggle.