Language becomes politicized when it is used as the basis for dividing people into political groups, or when the services that are available or the laws that apply to people depend upon the language that they speak.
Incidence:
The politicization of language is very widespread, as language is one of the chief unifying elements of a nation. Within nations, it is also widespread. For example, Belgium has separate governments for the designated Flemish-speaking areas, Flanders, and for the designated French-speaking areas, Wallonia.