Language

Language and Culture  Tone, structure, gestures “speak” volumes about the values of a culture  Ex: Spanish Subjunctive Tense  Symbol of unity  Source of pride

Language Vocab  Language family  Languages that share unknown origins Ex: Indo European  Language branch  Languages that share origins found in the archeological record Ex: Germanic  Language group  Languages within a branch that share recent origins and share very similar vocab and grammar Western Germanic Group o Language: English

Indo-European Language Family  Most extensively spoken language family  Includes: Indo-Iranian, Romance, Germanic, and Balto-Slavic  Clustered from S. Asia in India and Iran to Europe (including Russia) to N. America and Australia  What is English?

Language Vocab  Dialect  Regional language variations differing in Pronunciation, Grammar, and Vocab  Standard Language  Most acceptable dialect for Gov. Biz., Ed., Mass communication  Isogloss  Regional boundaries between word- usage

Evolution of Languages  Result of interaction and isolation  Interaction ~> same language ~> migration ~> isolation ~> dialects ~> new languages  FUNtivity

Origins of Indo-European  Similar roots for:  Beech, oak, bear, deer, pheasant, bee  Winter and snow  So what type of environment may this family have originated in  Marija Gimbutas’s Theory  4300 BCE Kurgan People (Btwn Russia and Kazakhstan)  Nomadic Herders: Warriors spreading to Asia and Europe

Origins of Indo-European  Colin Renfrew  6300 BCE From Anatolia in Turkey, Eastward and Westward  Migrated with agriculture not militarily

British~> American English  What do you think was the biggest factor?  No voice technology until 20 th century  American influenced by Environment  Took Native American words for new things  New inventions new words [elevator (lift); flashlight (torch)]  US Dialects result of independent colonies

Distribution of English  English is the official language in more countries than any other language  Why????  British Colonization

Language Vocab  Creole language  Mixing of colonizer’s language and indigenous language  Ex: Haitian Creole (mix of French from colonizers and indigenous, African, and Spanish influences)  Lingua Franca  Languages created through trade  Mixes elements of both languages  English is the predominant lingua Franca today

 Centripetal Force: unifying force  Countries where different peoples speak the same language united (Ex?)  Centrifugal Force: dividing force  Countries with multiple languages less united Ex: India: 18 official languages o Business in English o Hindi majority (33 %) o Others less connected  Isolate  Languages surrounded by other languages but share no ancestry with those other languages Ex: Bosque Language in Spain Small ethnic group in Northern Spain(isolate themselves in the Pyrenees Mountains along the border with France) speak a distinct language completely unrelated to Spanish or any other Indo-European Language Causes separatism between these groups without protection by Spanish government Language Vocab

Revival of Folk Languages  Predominance of colonizing languages, especially English, are making ethnic languages disappear.  People are trying to change this despite globalization:  Maintaining distinct culture: Elders determined to teach younger generation their language: Ex: Native Americans (trying to get grants to teach certified Native American teachers their first language to pass on to the children before elders are gone)

Revival of Folk Languages  Governments promote unity: Countries with multiple cultures make more than one language official in order to lower the risk for division Ex: India, although these multiple languages can be a centrifugal force, India tries to diminish this problem by giving each recognition within the government

Revival of Folk Languages  Increased Communication Technology: Distance Decay is reduces because areas have telephones and the internet to stay in contact and utilize native languages regardless of space. Also, specialized cable networks and newspapers are created to keep heritage and language alive  Ex: Hispanic Radio stations and TV networks broadcast Latin American programming in the US