Language policies impact language choice, language prestige, and language spread. Rising regional integration, both formal and informal, adds to the sensitivity and complexity of language politics, whether in North America, South America or Europe. This book shows how language politics vary across the Americas and contrast with Europe.

List of TablesAcknowledgements1. Comparative Language Politics2. Language Politics and Integration in the Americas: Propositions and Framework3. Language Politics in Canada and the United States4. Middle American Language Politics5. Caribbean Language Politics6. Superpower Linguistic Competition in Cuba 7. Conclusion

Language policies are politically sensitive in impacting, either positively or negatively, language choice, language prestige, and language spread. Rising regional integration, both formal and informal, adds to the sensitivity and complexity of language politics, whether in North America, South America or Europe. Language Politics of Regional Integration: Cases from the Americas shows how language politics vary across the region and contrast with language politics in Europe. Morris presents a framework for systematically comparing selected cases from the Americas by distinguishing between eight different dimensions of language politics. These are then applied to case studies of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The book concludes by identifying in each case particularly divisive issues as well as opportunities for promoting reconciliation.

“The general framework for the text is an analysis of how language and politics interact in a world of ever-increasing globalization. … Various charts and tables throughout the text help illustrate important points. The text is neatly organized into seven chapters, and the writing style is relatively straightforward. … Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and faculty.” (K. C. Williams, Choice, Vol. 54 (1), September, 2016)