How do dominant languages marginalize minority languages?

Dominant languages can marginalize minority languages in several ways, which can have long-term social, cultural, and economic impacts. Here are some of the key mechanisms through which this happens:

1. Education Systems: In many countries, the education system prioritizes the dominant language, often offering little or no support for minority languages. Children who speak a minority language may face challenges in school, as they are forced to learn and perform in a language they are not fluent in. This can lead to lower academic achievement, social exclusion, and a lack of opportunities for those who speak only a minority language.
2. Media and Communication: The dominant language typically dominates the media—television, radio, newspapers, social media, and other communication platforms. This reduces the visibility of minority languages and their speakers, leading to the erosion of language skills and knowledge. In many cases, minority languages are underrepresented or misrepresented, which can reinforce negative stereotypes.
3. Economic Opportunities: Dominant languages are often the key to economic success. In many societies, fluency in the dominant language is required for access to high-paying jobs, government services, and professional advancement. This economic pressure can push minority language speakers to abandon their languages in favor of the dominant one in order to improve their job prospects and standard of living.
4. Legal and Political Systems: Laws, policies, and official documents are typically written in the dominant language. This means that people who speak minority languages may face difficulty accessing justice, public services, or participating in political processes. Without proficiency in the dominant language, minority language speakers may be disenfranchised or excluded from critical societal functions.
5. Cultural Suppression: Language is a key part of cultural identity. When a dominant language marginalizes minority languages, it can lead to the erosion of cultural practices, traditions, and worldviews associated with those languages. This process is often referred to as cultural assimilation. Minority communities may feel pressure to abandon their language and adopt the dominant culture in order to integrate more fully into society.
6. Generational Shift: When younger generations are taught to value the dominant language over their native minority language, they may stop speaking it altogether. Over time, this can lead to language loss. As children grow up with limited exposure to the minority language, they may not pass it on to their own children, resulting in the gradual disappearance of the language.
7. Stigmatization: In some cases, minority languages may be stigmatized as “inferior” or “primitive” compared to the dominant language. This can lead to shame and discrimination, causing speakers of minority languages to abandon their mother tongue in favor of the dominant language in order to avoid negative social judgments.
8. Globalization: As globalization increases, the dominant global languages—such as English—are often seen as essential for participation in global markets, travel, and communication. This further marginalizes minority languages, especially in smaller or isolated communities, by making them less relevant in a globally connected world.