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Minority Language and the Stability of Bilingual Equilibria

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  • Iriberri Etxebeste, Nagore
  • Uriarte Ayo, José Ramón

Abstract

We investigate a society with two official languages: A, shared by all individuals and B, spoken by a bilingual mirority. Thus, it is only B that needs t increase its population share, and therefore, only the language dynamics that derive from the intearctions that occur inside the bilingual population are both empirically and theoretically relevant. To this end, a model is developed in which the bilingual agents must make strategic decisions about the language to be used in a conversation. Decisions are taken under imperfect information about the linguistic type of the participants in the interaction. We first study all the posible equilibria the model might produce and the language used in each of them. Then, in a dynamic setting, we study the building of a language convention by the bilingual speakers. The main result is that there is a mixed strategy Nash equilibrium in which bilingual agents use both the A and B languages. This equilibrium is evolutionary stable, and dynamically, it is asymptotically stable for the one-population replicator dynamics. In this equilibrium, the use of B between bilingual individuals could be very low.

Suggested Citation

  • Iriberri Etxebeste, Nagore & Uriarte Ayo, José Ramón, 2011. "Minority Language and the Stability of Bilingual Equilibria," IKERLANAK info:eu-repo/grantAgreeme, Universidad del País Vasco - Departamento de Fundamentos del Análisis Económico I.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehu:ikerla:6368
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Antonio Cabrales & José-Ramón Uriarte, 2013. "Doubts and equilibria," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 783-810, September.
    2. Uriarte, Jose Ramon, 2007. "A behavioural foundation for models of evolutionary drift," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 497-513, July.
    3. Schlag, Karl H., 1998. "Why Imitate, and If So, How?, : A Boundedly Rational Approach to Multi-armed Bandits," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 78(1), pages 130-156, January.
    4. Cabrales, Antonio, 2000. "Stochastic Replicator Dynamics," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 41(2), pages 451-481, May.
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    7. Schlag, Karl H., 1998. "Why Imitate, and If So, How?, : A Boundedly Rational Approach to Multi-armed Bandits," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 78(1), pages 130-156, January.
    8. Patriarca, Marco & Leppänen, Teemu, 2004. "Modeling language competition," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 338(1), pages 296-299.
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