Language Chapter 6

What are Languages, and what Role do Languages Play in Cultures? Key Question: What are Languages, and what Role do Languages Play in Cultures?

Language Language – a set of sounds, combinations of sounds, and symbols that are used for communication. Linguist- scientist studying languages

Language and Cultural Identity

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

Language and Political Conflict Belgium: Flanders (Flemish language) Wallonia (French language)

Why are Languages Distributed the way they are? Key Question:

Dialect variants of a standard language along regional or ethnic lines - vocabulary -syntax - pronunciation - cadence - pace of speech Isogloss A geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs 21 accents around the world

Dialects of American English & British English Vocabulary American English- Elevator, Apartment, Parking Lot British English- Lift, Flat, Car Park Pronunciation American English- Schedule (SKED-juhl) British English- Schedule (SCHEDZH-uhl) Spelling American English- Meter, Color, Tire, Center, Theater British English- Metre, Colour, Tyre, Centre, Theatre Common phrases American English- “I’m tired” British English- “I’m knackered”

Mutual Intelligibility

How are Languages Formed? Can find linkages among languages by examining sound shifts – a slight change in a word across languages over time. eg. Milk = lacte in Latin latta in Italian leche in Spanish lait in French Italian, Spanish, and French are all part of the Romance language family, which is derived from Latin.

How are Languages Formed? Language divergence (the splitting of branches) – when a lack of spatial interaction among speakers of a language breaks the language into dialects and then new languages. example: between the Spanish and Portuguese and now with Quebecois French Language convergence (branches coming together) – when peoples with different languages have consistent spatial interaction and their languages collapse into one.

Slang- informal words that many times become part of the normal language Ex: brunch Ex: Yeet Ex. Green

Historical Linkages among Languages

We still do not know where the Proto-Indo-European language was born, or the location of its hearth.

How do Languages Diffuse? Key Question: How do Languages Diffuse?

How do Languages Diffuse? human interaction print distribution migration trade rise of nation-states Colonialism ** Internet

Spatial Interaction helps create: Lingua franca – A language used among speakers of different languages for the purposes of trade and commerce. Pidgin language – a language created when people combine parts of two or more languages into a simplified structure and vocabulary. Creole language – a pidgin language that has developed a more complex structure and vocabulary and has become the native language of a group of people.

Creole languages Example: Haitian Creole Example: Swahili Haitian and French Louisiana Example: Swahili 8th century- Arab-speaking merchants communicating with Bantu-speaking residents of East Africa Official languages in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and the DRC

Monolingual State a country in which only one language is spoken Multilingual State a country in which more than one language is in use Official Language should a multilingual state adopt an official language?

Official languages Some countries designate a language by law to be the language of government, and some do not. Homogeneous countries- Iceland, Japan Encourage quick assimilation- English colonizers attempted in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales cultural/ethnic pluralism in a country- honor all groups equally Zimbabwe- 16 official languages English is the lingua franca

Languages of the world

Identify these languages on your world map

Indo-European Languages About 50% of the world’s people speak languages belonging to the Indo-European family. Languages from this family are on all continents but are dominant in Europe, Russia, North and South America, Australia, and parts of southwestern Asia. Germanic, Romance, Slavic, Indic, Celtic, and Iranic.

The Languages of Europe figure 6.2, pg.150 Romance languages- lie in areas that were once controlled by the Roman Empire *French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Portuguese Germanic languages- reflect the expansion of peoples out of Northern Europe to the west and south *English, German, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish Slavic languages- developed as Slavic people migrated from a base in present-day Ukraine close to 2000 years ago *Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian, and Bulgarian

Euskera The Basque speak the Euskera language, which is in no way related to any other language family in Europe. How did Euskera survive?

The Basques and their language The Basques have a strong identity tied to their language and independent history. After the horrible dictator of Spain, Francisco Franco, died in 1975, a Basque separatist group demanded autonomy within Spain. In 1979, Spain recognized Basque autonomy in its constitution, granting the Basque region its own parliament, giving their language official status.

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

Nigeria In Nigeria, there are approximately 20 million schoolchildren. They MUST first learn English The use of English has helped Nigeria avoid cultural conflicts based on language, but… Most children stay in school for only 6 years, and will never use English in their villages

Sino-Tibetan Languages 20% of the world’s people speak languages from the Sino-Tibetan family. Mostly throughout Southeast Asia and China Chinese (world’s most speakers), Burmese, Tibetan, Japanese, and Korean

What Role does Language Play in Making Places? Key Question: What Role does Language Play in Making Places?

Toponym A toponym: A place name 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 Commemorative- named after someone/something Shift- reflects changing peoples into the area

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 Weatherman pronounces this!

Changing Toponyms Major reasons people change toponyms: After decolonization After a political revolution To memorialize people or events To commodify or brand a place Example: 657 BCE- Greeks named a city Byzantium, under Roman Control = Constantinople, in 1453 the Turks changed the name to Istanbul

Toponymy The study of how place names reflect the culture and heritage of people.

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?

Where are MLK Streets in the US?