Modeling the survival of minority languages

Abstract

Using differential equations, we were able to create a model that accounts for the survival of the minority language in a population with two competing languages X and Y, adult monolingual speakers, and constant population size. The population was split into two parts, each part having a different perception of the usefulness of a certain language. Interaction between the two partitions was also controlled. This partitioning resulted in the coexistence of the majority and the minority languages for certain parameter values. Our model may explain why certain groups continue to speak minority languages important to their cultural identity.