ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 deals with conflicts concerning languages and the perceived threat to one’s language and identity.
A ‘language war’ can be taken metaphorically or literally, as the examples from former Yugoslavia and Egypt show. Slobodan Milošević’s speech on the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo can be seen as a forecast of the ensuing wars in Yugoslavia. After its revolution/coup, Egypt experienced its own ‘battle for language’ in which words played a crucial role.
Language conflicts can culminate in full-scale wars. Any oppressor can become oppressed, depending on the circumstances. In most language conflicts, the majority imposes its language on the minority, but in some cases it is the other way round, as the examples of Belgium and Finland reveal. They also show that ‘foreigners’ often play a crucial role in these conflicts.
English is often perceived as a threat to other languages, but it can also be framed as a threatened language. This is what happens in the United States, where the English Only movement feels threatened by Spanish and aims to make English the official language of the country.
