ABSTRACT
Like water and food, language is a powerful natural (and social) resource. That is why, again like water and food, it is managed socially and politically, both for cultivation (of those we care about) and for control (to exclude “others”). Its management therefore requires moral and political vigilance. This introduction explains the various senses in which the authors renew and broaden the call for linguistic equality, introduces the chapters to follow, and more deeply explores the implications of acknowledging that language is a natural resource that is managed socially and politically.
