The economic returns to language in Belize: evidence from the 2000 census

Abstract

English is the official language of Belize used in the conduct of official government business and as the standard in public education. However, English is not the primary language spoken in Belizean households nor in the conduct of local business transactions. Belize is a polyglot nation inclusive of European-based languages, native languages, and creole languages. In this paper, we demonstrate the economic returns to language acquisition and usage in Belize using census 2000 data.

Our results indicate that Belize primarily rewards the ability to communicate in English and Spanish.  Other language skills are also important, such as the ability to speak German, to speak Maya and English or Spanish, and the ability to speak in combination Creole-Spanish-English.  There is a severe wage penalty associated with the speaking of Maya and Garifuna.  Other non-language endogenous and exogenous variables are also explored.