| By: |
Weiguo Zhang (Center fo Economic Rsearch, Shandong University, 27 South Shanda Road, Shandong, P.R.China,250100);
Gilles Grenier (Department of Economics, University of Ottawa, 55 Laurier E., Ottawa,Ontario) |
| Abstract: |
As the use of languages is playing a more and more important role in economic
activities with the globalization of the world economy, there is growing
interest in the relationship between language and economic theory. The rapidly
expanding literature in this field, however, is highly fragmented. It is
difficult to tell what this field of study focuses on, what has actually been
investigated, and what remains to be studied. The authors attempt to review,
assess and categorize the major orientations of the research on the economics
of language. Those include a traditional strand of research that has focused
on language and economic status, the dynamic development of languages, and
language policy and planning, as well as a new strand based on game theory and
pragmatics. The authors propose the use of the term “Language and economics”
to define this area of research. |
| Keywords: |
economics of language, language skill, human capital, language planning, game theory, pragmatics. |
| JEL: |
A12 J24 C79 |
| Date: |
2012 |
| URL: |
http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ott:wpaper:1206e&r=neu |