"This work presents 26 case studies from all over the world and raises three questions: whether people consider language the most important factor in creating a sense of nationality; whether people in multi-ethnic states, or regional minorities, are most loyal to the shared-language community or the shared-citizenship community; and whether people in countries with civil strife find a common language enough to create a sense of solidarity. The study also covers hybrid languages, language revivals, dialects versus languages, government promotion or avoidance of bilingualism, the manipulation of spelling, and alphabet reform. Illustrations include postage stamps, banknotes, flags, and posters."--Jacket.