Partial Language Acquisition: The Impact of Conformity

William A. Brock (), Bo Chen (), Steven N. Durlauf () and Shlomo Weber ()
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William A. Brock: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Bo Chen: Southern Methodist University
Steven N. Durlauf: University of Chicago
Shlomo Weber: Southern Methodist University

Chapter Chapter 6 in The Palgrave Handbook of Economics and Language, 2026, pp 147-162 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract In this chapter, we analyze patterns of majority language acquisition within an economy consisting of a majority group and multiple minority groups. Our framework builds on the communicative benefits model by Selten and Pool (The distribution of foreign language skills as a game equilibrium. In Game Equilibrium Models IV: Social and Political Interaction (pp 64–87). Springer, 1991) and the Brock et al. (Econ Theory, Forthcoming, 2024) framework, which allows individuals to choose among three options: full learning, partial learning, or no learning of the majority language. The key innovation in our approach is the introduction of a conformity factor in language acquisition, where peer pressure and community status may outweigh communicative and economic incentives for some individuals. Notably, we identify a non-monotonic relationship between the level of conformity and the distribution of full learners, partial learners, and non-learners in equilibrium. This finding is significant for policy considerations, as small adjustments in language acquisition costs may unpredictably influence language acquisition patterns across minority groups.

Keywords: Language acquisition; Minority groups; Conformity; Peer effects; Social norms; Partial learning; Network externalities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-88240-1_6

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-88240-1_6

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