Languages of Africa There are 1,000 spoken languages in Africa and many are unwritten. There are 4 major indigenous language families; Afro-Asiatic of N. Africa Nilo-Saharan Niger-Congo Khosian Largest ethnic groups are associated with a language. Afro-Asiatic of North Africa includes Somali, Amharic and Tuareg Nilo-Saharan includes Dinka, Turkana and Nuer in East Africa Niger-Congo-the largest family includes Hausa, Yoruba, Zulu, Swahili and Kikuyu. The largest sub-family is Bantu spoken near and south of the Equator. Bantu like Celtic in Europe was once the dominant language of the continent. Khoisan is a small language family spoken by the Bushmen of the Kalahari-noted for distinctive “clicking” vocalizations. The largest ethnic groups are associated with certain dominant languages such as Hausa, Yoruba and Zulu. Attempts to consolidate ethnic groups across boundaries and the struggle for power between groups has been a major cause of conflict

Languages of Subsaharan Africa - extreme language Languages of Subsaharan Africa - extreme language diversity - effects of colonialism

Nigeria More than 400 different languages.

Language and Culture “No one was allowed to speak the language – the Dena’ina language. They [the American government] didn’t allow it in the schools, and a lot of the women had married non-native men, and the men said, ‘You’re American now so you can’t speak the language.’ So, we became invisible in the community. Invisible to each other. And, then, because we couldn’t speak the language – what happens when you can’t speak your own language is you have to think with someone else’s words, and that’s a dreadful kind of isolation [emphasis added].” Clare Swan, elder, Kenaitze band, Dena’ina Indians

Language and National Identity Standard Language a language that is published, widely distributed, and purposefully taught. Government usually plays a big role in standardizing a language.

Street scene in France- note the boulangerie, patisserie, lunch sign. The French government has fought very hard to prevent the infusion of English or other foreign words into the French language

Language Divisions in Belgium Flanders (Flemish language) Wallonia (French language) Fig. 5-16: There has been much tension in Belgium between Flemings, who live in the north and speak Flemish, a Dutch dialect, and Walloons, who live in the south and speak French.

Language and Cultural Identity Rue Saint-Louis in Quebec City displays French Canadian culture in the architecture and street signs

French-English Boundary in Canada Canada is officially bilingual People of Quebec, the Quebecois have periodically called for independence from Canada to protect their language and culture. 1977 the Quebec government passed a law that required all businesses to demonstrate that they functioned in French-many moved out 1993 the Quebec govt. passed a law that required all advertising to be in French-English or other language is allowed, but must be half the size of the French words. Fig. 5-18: Although Canada is bilingual, French speakers are concentrated in the province of Québec, where 80% of the population speaks French.

Top Ten languages spoken at home by Non-English Speakers in the United States from 2000 Census Bureau data

Linguist Bert Vaux’s study of dialects in American English points to the differences in words for common things such as soft drinks and sandwiches. Describe a time when you said something and a speaker of another dialect did not understand a word you used. Was the word a term for a common thing? Why do you think dialects have different words for common things, things found across dialects, such as soft drinks and sandwiches.

Place Place – the uniqueness of a location, what people do in a location, what they create, how they impart a certain character, a certain imprint on the location by making it unique. Baden-Baden, Germany

Toponym Toponym – a place name A toponym: Imparts a certain character on a place Reflects the social processes in a place Can give us a glimpse of the history of a place Mumbai is the new name for Bombay-derived from a Hindu god’s name

Changing Toponyms When people change the toponym of a place, they have the power to “wipe out the past and call forth the new.” - Yi-Fu Tuan Town in Wales with one of the longest names in the world

Changing Toponyms Major reasons people change toponyms: After decolonization After a political revolution To memorialize people or events To commodify or brand a place UN Peace keepers on Israel-Lebanon border

Martin Luther King, Jr. Streets Geographer Derek Alderman asks: * Where are MLK streets? * Why are they where they are? * What controversies surround memorializing MLK with a street name? Greenville, North Carolina-changed West 5th Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in 1999-originally African American members of the community wanted the entire street name change-but businesses and residents on the east end objected-turns out the west end was mostly black, east end mostly white-so name was changed only for the black neighborhoods.