Partial Language Acquisition: The Impact of Conformity / William A. Brock, Bo Chen, Steven N. Durlauf, Shlomo Weber.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brock, William A.

Contributor:

Chen, Bo.

Durlauf, Steven N.

Weber, Shlomo.

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w34138.

NBER working paper series no. w34138

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2025.

Summary:

This paper analyzes patterns of majority language acquisition in an economy consisting of a majority group and multiple minority groups. We consider contexts in which allows individuals choose among three options: full learning, partial learning, or no learning of the majority language. The key innovation in our approach is the introduction of a conformity factor in language acquisition, where peer pressure and community status may outweigh communicative and economic incentives for some individuals. Notably, we identify a non-monotonic relationship between the level of conformity and the distribution of full learners, partial learners, and non-learners in equilibrium. This finding is significant for policy considerations, as small adjustments in language acquisition costs may unpredictably influence language acquisition patterns across minority groups.

Notes:

August 2025.

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