Dominant languages

This book takes an interdisciplinary approach to the relations between power and language. Many societies are 'multilingual' throughout their history, but there is often a hierarchial ordering of their languages, dialects, and ways of speaking. These are rarely of equal status, power or authority. Through a detailed and systematic comparison of Britain and France, the author examines the concept of language dominance, and the causes and consequences of linguistic hierarchy. -- Book Jacket.