Abstract
Much current literature on language death is flawed by not taking into sufficient account the role of the nation-states in bringing about much of today’s global language endangerment. It is argued that modern nation-states—different from any other type of social organization—are based upon forced integration, and that a reduction of linguistic diversity within their borders is an inescapable component of nation-building. Two essentially different kinds of processes potentially leading to language loss are recognized, with the presence of a certain level of coercion making the difference between the two: while economic, cultural, etc. pressure is always present in language replacement, coercion is rather typical of the establishment of national languages, coupled with the extension of the role of the state as a provider of public services and goods, as typical of modern Western-style societies.
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