What does it mean that although my native language is Lao, I speak English most of the time? And why does it matter that although the world has over thousand languages, more than 80% of the internet’s content is in English? (W3Techs n.d.)

It might not matter in in other disciplines, but in sociology, it does.

Sociologically, these incidents are far from neutral. The seemingly trivial things in everyday life, such as the language we speak, the food we eat, or the values we have, carry important social and political meanings. These simple choices can reflect global power, cultural dominance, and struggles for identity. They are also interconnected; whether there is space for our language affects whether there is space for our culture, and vice versa.

So this makes me ask questions like:
If English becomes the world’s language, how does that shape which cultures are seen and valued globally?

Whose stories are told and whose are disappearing?

Taking sociology has changed how I see my own culture. It’s not just something that I practice. I become more critical and observant of it, which makes me notice how it is slowly disappearing both from myself as a native speaker and from the online world, where I see Lao people often expressing ourselves in English for social, economic, and political reasons.

Sociology also teaches me how important language and culture truly are, and that deepens my motivation to preserve my native language and promote Lao culture online. It’s more than just about national identity; I have come to understand it as a form of power, visibility, and resistance. Language presence is cultural presence, and cultural presence is tied to social power. I don’t want my culture to become insignificant, overshadowed, or silenced in global spaces. Because when that happens, our perspectives and ways of living become misunderstood, undervalued, and potentially suppressed. 

The issue of disappearing languages is not new. Watch the video below to see why it matters.