The Regulation of Language

Can language be centrally planned and controlled? Friedrich Hayek considered language the archetypal example of spontaneous order, yet many countries adopt a planned-order approach to language, attempting to centrally plan and control it through language academies. I collect original data on the reg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of law & economics 2018-08, Vol.61 (3), p.397-425
Main Author: Givati, Yehonatan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cultural anthropology
Language
Language policy
Law
Regulation
Spontaneous order
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Summary:Can language be centrally planned and controlled? Friedrich Hayek considered language the archetypal example of spontaneous order, yet many countries adopt a planned-order approach to language, attempting to centrally plan and control it through language academies. I collect original data on the regulation of language across countries and show that countries that adopt a planned-order approach to language also do so in their law and similarly rely on a planned-order approach in their economy. Countries that adopt a spontaneous-order approach to language also do so in their law and similarly rely on a spontaneous-order approach in their economy. This is consistent with the idea that these approaches are driven by an underlying cultural attitude toward the two types of order.
ISSN:0022-2186
1537-5285
DOI:10.1086/699005