What impact does colonization have on indigenous languages?

Colonization generally results in the dominance of the colonizer's language because the processes associated with colonization often involve the imposition of the colonizer's culture, governance, and social structures upon indigenous populations. This tends to lead to the displacement or marginalization of local languages as the colonizers establish their language as the primary medium for administration, education, and commerce.

As a result, indigenous people may adopt the colonizer's language for socio-economic advantages, leading to a decline in the use of their native languages. Often, generations that grow up under colonial rule become more fluent in the colonizer’s language while their indigenous languages suffer from lack of use and transmission. Consequently, many indigenous languages may become endangered or even extinct as younger generations shift to using the dominant language in everyday life and formal contexts.

While there may be some cases where colonization results in a complex linguistic landscape, including the emergence of pidgins or creoles, the overarching trend is that colonizer languages overshadow indigenous languages, which can lead to linguistic homogenization.