The Power of Languages

See how languages shape culture and identity

Languages are more than just tools for communication. They shape politics, culture, and identity around the world.

Join the University of York’s online course to explore how languages rise, fall, and influence social structures. You’ll investigate the powerful role languages play in shaping personal, community, and global identities.

Explore how languages change and grow

Begin by uncovering how languages evolve through interaction and the factors that drive their rise or fall in status.

You’ll then learn the historical and ongoing influence of languages on one another and the communities that speak them.

Examine the mechanisms behind language prestige and discover how shifts in social and political power transform languages culturally, socially, and politically.

Investigate language as a social and political tool

Next, explore how languages can reinforce or challenge societal and organisational power.

You’ll examine the role of language in shaping national and community identities and uncover how policies and practices influence inclusion, exclusion, and identity politics at local and global levels.

Understand identity and culture through language

Finally, delve into the connections between language and personal, group, and national identity.

You’ll explore how languages create bonds and divisions in multicultural societies and reflect on their role in cultural resilience, adaptation, and transformation as communities evolve in a globalised world.

This course is ideal for students studying languages, teachers, and anyone interested in a deeper understanding of how languages shape culture, society, and identity worldwide.

This course is ideal for students studying languages, teachers, and anyone interested in a deeper understanding of how languages shape culture, society, and identity worldwide.

• Explore the importance of language in a variety of social, cultural and linguistic contexts.
• Investigate how languages have historically and continue to shape our world.
• Discuss different ways that languages can be used as social, political and cultural tools.