Ranking languages in the European Union: Before and after Brexit

This paper presents a framework for evaluating the impact of languages in multilingual societies. We consider several ranking methods based on various principles, including Minimal Disenfranchisement, Communicative Benefits, Utilitarianism, and the game-theoretical concept of the Shapley Value. We use data from a Special Barometer survey to apply these methods to languages within the European Union and conclude that they generate quite consistent results. Finally, we analyze the impact of Brexit on the rankings, especially in the case where English forfeits its status as an official language of the Union. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.