Co-linguist

Muslim Bengal asserted its Muslim personality in 1947 against its co-linguist Hindu neighbours. Twenty-four years later, it asserted its regional personality also, through a revolt against its co-religionist West Pakistanis.

The former is capable — when speaking to a co-linguist — of conveying almost a photographic image of an area of bush so extensive is his knowledge of the names of vegetation and descriptions of terrain.

The city of Boston also employs some co-ethnic and co-linguist liaison officers in the city's Office of Neighborhood Services, including people who can speak Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish and Cape Verdean Creole.

However, in the context of both Afghanistan and the civil war, the fact that most identifiable Afghan groups have co-linguists, co-ethnics, or co-religionists across national boundaries became a catalyst for the nation's collapse

If citizens cannot understand one another, or if they seek to deliberate with co-linguists only, then democratic politics is likely to be compromised.