ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to clarify why language policies should inform a variety of important democratic requirements and why fair language policies should be pursued within and by democratic polities. The chapter argues that, without language skills, access to various spheres of citizenship (political as well as socio-economic) is hindered; that no political, social, and economic duties can be properly exercised, and that no rights claims can be adequately voiced. Finally, the chapter defends the view that language skills are not goods per se but goods that are politically enabling, in that they allow members of democratic polities to connect and interact in meaningful ways.
