Language,dignity, and territory

This article raises two critical concerns about Philippe Van Parijs’s recent book. First, I argue that Van Parijs lacks a convincing account of why global English poses a threat to parity of esteem for other linguistic communities. I argue that English threatens the dignity of speakers of other languages only because background power inequalities are driving its adoption. Second, I question whether linguistic territoriality is the right way to restore parity of esteem. I show that official multilingualism provides a superior approach to managing linguistic heterogeneity.