Language hierarchy

Our underlying ideas about languages influence how we see languages in our societies and also how interact with different speakers of those languages. However, many of our ideas about the languages surrounding us are implicit.

In the following video, you will see how a group of students attending the Master in Multilingualism at the University of Groningen perform a language hierarchy exercise. This exercise intends to make implicit ideas about the position of languages in society become explicit, allowing for a reflection on existing language ideologies. It also allows for international comparison of the position of different languages within different societies.

Let us see how the students perform the task!

And remember that a language hierarchy is always an artificial construction, a means to start a discussion and never an end in itself.