At the societal and individual level, language hierarchies have an impact on which languages we speak, which languages we can speak and which languages we want to be able to speak. Language hierarchies are maintained through inclusive and exclusionary practices and manifested through language choices and language representations.
Language representations refer to how language is represented discursively. They are expressed in the way language is spoken and written: is representation characterized by positive descriptions of the language or is language represented primarily through negative expressions or is language omitted and forgotten altogether?
Language selection, on the other hand, is about the way language is used at both macro and micro level. At the macro level, it refers to the language that, for example, the state, educational institutions and companies impose on individuals by virtue of their language policies. At the micro level, it is also about people's individual language choices, which include both the production and reception of speech and writing.
Thus, everybody who uses a language has influence on how the language hierarchical landscape looks, through his or her language choices and through the representations of the language the person supports. This is an important aspect when talking about neighbouring languages.