Nationalism and language standardisation

Processes of standardization seem to have benefited the powerful in society, but were not developed with a linguistic, ideological, or state target in mind. Communities were unified by language, also creating an awareness of “others”, but this was not ideologically manipulated. The advent of nationalism changed this.

Nationalism has clear roots in the development of printcapitalism, but takes them one step further. Emerging in the 17 th century and lasting through to the present day, the idea of nations and nationhood highlights difference, using it to create what Anderson calls “imagined communities”.

Ethnic groups (nations) become the focus of legitimacy, controlling their own destiny by governing themselves in their own unique territory. Nations thus become the most effective unit of international politics, and can act at their most efficient if they have internal cohesion. Clearly many factors contribute to this sense of nation the development of a national character, a national culture, a history, and often a national language. national languages are often used consciously as tools, facilitators, and weapons in creating internal unity and external differentiation.

Standard Language is primarily a national symbol, one that can be linked to a permanent past much more easily than often changing geographical boundaries, especially for newer nations. It can also be used as a symbol of formality and solemnity. It replaces the older administrative dialects to provide a more general lingua franca function, helping the internal cohesion of the state, and performs various nationforming functions such as in literature, broadcasting, education, etc. 

Anderson, B. (1991): Imagined Communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Verso, London. (Revised and extended edition)

Haugen, E. (1966/1972): “Dialect,Language, Nation” reprinted in Pride and Holmes, J.(eds.) Sociolinguistics. Penguin, London.

Joseph, J.E.(1987): Eloquence and Power: the rise of language standards and standard languages. Frances Pinter, London.

Milroy, J. and Milroy, L.(1991): Authority in Language: investigating language standardization and prescription. Routledge, London.

Nairn, T. (1977): The BreakUp of Britain. NLB, London.