Economics of language
Encyclopedia
The economics of language is an emerging field of study concerning a range of topics such as the effect of language on culture
, income, markets for language-related goods and services, and the costs and benefits of language planning
options, preservation of minority languages, etc. It is relevant to analysis of language policy
.
Cultural economics
Cultural economics is the branch of economics that studies the relation of culture to economic outcomes. Here, 'culture' is defined by shared beliefs and preferences of respective groups. Programmatic issues include whether and how much culture matters as to economic outcomes and what its relation...
, income, markets for language-related goods and services, and the costs and benefits of language planning
Language planning
Language planning is a deliberate effort to influence the function, structure, or acquisition of languages or language variety within a speech community. It is often associated with government planning, but is also used by a variety of non-governmental organizations, such as grass-roots...
options, preservation of minority languages, etc. It is relevant to analysis of language policy
Language policy
Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. Although nations historically have used language policies most often to promote one official language at the expense of others, many countries now have policies designed to...
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Selected readings
- Breton, Albert, ed. 2000. Exploring the Economics of Language. Ottawa: Official Languages Support Program, Canadian Heritage.
- Chiswick, Barry R., and Paul W. Miller. 2007. The Economics of Language: International Analyses. Routledge.
- Grin, François, and François Vaillancourt. n.d. "The Economics of Multilingualism: Overview of the Literature and Analytical Framework"
- Lamberton, Donald M., ed. 2002. The Economics of Language. Cheltenham, UK: E. Elgar Pub.