ABSTRACT
The extent and the quality of civic participation in state affairs is a defining element of the modern state. Effective participation in politics as well as the market economy requires the development of common vernacular expressions, the free flow of information, and established codes of communication. All these exchanges are enhanced when individuals speak the same language. If a fixed proportion of the population cannot speak the national language, the reach of the state and the market will shrink. This is because communication from one language to another can translate into different meanings, and also because different language structures themselves reflect diverse perspectives on modernity. To learn a different language is to learn a different lifestyle.
