Human Rights without Distinction as to Language

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Abstract
The charter of the United Nations requires members to promote human rights without discrimination based on language, raising questions about the meaning of discrimination and about relevant policies and practices around the world. The UN itself chooses official and working languages. Governments choose the language(s) to be employed in their internal operations, in their relationships with the public, and in education. The choices necessarily differentiate, conferring benefits on some and imposing burdens on others. The general rule is that differentiation is nondiscriminatory when the grounds for it are sufficient, which means that judgment is necessary based on a weighing of costs and gains. The costs and gains are not only those of individuals but also those of groups, and the fixing of criteria for identifying the language groups that have legitimate claims is a significant pending problem.

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