Abstract
François Grin reviews public and academic discourses concerning linguistic diversity and the concept of language as a ‘public good’ or ‘hyper-public good’. Advancing the concept of ‘linguistic environment’, he maintains that language can be conceived as a ‘public good’ as it shares the characteristics of ‘non-rival consumption’ and ‘impossibility of exclusion’. The notion of language as a ‘hyper-public good’ refers to the fact that a given language may increase its status and dynamism according to the numbers of people who learn and use it. He maintains that it is necessary to clarify concepts such as ‘linguistic environment’, ‘public good’, and ‘hyper-public good’ in order to assist language policy-makers to devise more effective interventions in favour of particular languages.
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Grin, F. (2022). Reflections on Language as a Vehicle of Economic Value. In: McLeod, W., Dunbar, R., Jones, K., Walsh, J. (eds) Language, Policy and Territory. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94346-2_5
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