Description
This paper investigates how linguistic differences impact the onset, escalation, and resolution of political conflicts. We highlight the overlooked significance of minor linguistic differences, or “small-difference dynamics,” in fostering confusion and conflict. How far apart must two languages be in order to be recognized as distinct? Is Ukrainian just a regional dialect of Russian? Is Cantonese merely Mandarin, mispronounced? Are we one people or two? The answers to such questions are necessarily ideological, but they are also constrained by reality. Indeed, the issue arises only under certain linguistic conditions. Putin can’t say that Estonian is bad Russian. The facts of language matter.
Traditional approaches in International Relations assume that larger linguistic disparities will lead to increased tensions, but our research suggests that smaller distinctions can also drive conflict. In this danger zone, two languages are different enough to motivate the desire for recognition from minoritized speakers, but they are similar enough that majority speakers want only assimilation. From the majority perspective, the rival dialect is not a legitimate language. The minority language is not different, exactly. It’s just wrong. In small-difference contexts, claims for recognition from minority-language speakers intrinsically threaten the ethnic solidarity of the majority group, because the cultural barrier that separates one ethnolinguistic group from another is blurry and contestable.
Leveraging recently released linguistic datasets and AI-powered analysis, our research quantifies linguistic similarity across ethnic groups globally and explores correlations with political violence. Our mixed-methods approach combines large-scale quantitative analysis with case studies in regions like Ukraine, Sri Lanka, and Kurdistan, revealing how linguistic differences, large and small, influence group dynamics and conflict. This framework can help policymakers, researchers, and peacebuilders understand the subtleties of language conflict, aiding in crafting more inclusive and context-aware interventions.
