Language as a political category : The viewpoint of political science

The article is based on an understanding that everything in society – including language – is political, at least potentially. For that reason, language must be seen (and analyzed) as a political phenomenon. Language is one of the decisive 'nation building' factors among others – sometimes cross-cutting other potentially defining factors. In its identity-building capacity, language is inclusive and exclusive at the very same time. Language has to be seen as one of the most important social (and: therefore political) cleavages. As more and more societies are confronted with 'multiculturalism' expressed in a multi-linguistic reality, politics have to come to terms with diversity in different ways.