| Abstract: |
The paper proposes a general model that will encompass trade and social
benefits of a common language, a preference for a variety of languages, the
fundamental role of translators, an emo-tional attachment to maternal
language, and the threat that globalization poses to the vast ma-jority of
languages. With respect to people’s emotional attachment, the model considers
minor-ities to suffer losses from the subordinate status of their language. In
addition, the model treats the threat to minority language as coming from the
failure of the parents in the minority to transmit their maternal language
(durably) to their children. Some familiar results occur. In particular, we
encounter the usual social inefficiencies of decentralized solutions to
language learning when the sole benefits of the learning are communicative
benefits (though translation intervenes). However, these social inefficiencies
assume a totally different air when the con-sumer gains of variety are brought
in. One fundamental aim of the paper is to bring together contributions to the
economics of language from labor economics, network externalities and
international trade that are typically treated separately. |