WORLD GEOGRAPHY Oct. 21, 2014

Today Unit 5 - Language

- Languages and the role they play in culture - Language distribution - Diffusion of language - Language and places

Most commonly spoken/used languages - The figures will vary by source Mandarin Spanish English Arabic Hindi

Most commonly spoken/used languages - The figures will vary by source

Languages and culture Many sociologists and linguists (and sociolinguists, and philosophers) often state: Language = Culture

Language ‘ Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society. It is quite an illusion to imagine that one adjusts to reality essentially without the use of language and that language is merely an incidental means of solving specific problems of communication or reflection.’ Sapir 1949: Today, a controversial topic in some ways.

Language - definitions Language? - A set of sounds, combinations of sounds, and symbols used for communication Standard language? - A language that is published, widely distributed, and purposefully taught

Spread of English 1. How did English become so widespread? 2. What effect does English have on your culture? 3. What effects has this had on the world? - Positive - Negative 4. How does “English Mania” affect cultural landscape?

Language and culture - Language contains much of cultural identity: “Visibility” Place of origin Names of people, places, and things Arts (e.g. music, literature) PERCEPTION (to a degree, at least)

Language and politics Examples: - Use of Spanish in the U.S. - Quebecois French in Canada - “Foreign word invasion” in French and Chinese

Language and politics Examples: - Use of Spanish in the U.S. As a country, U.S has no official Language.

Language and politics Examples: - Use of Spanish in the U.S.

Language and politics Examples: - Quebecois French in Canada 5 out of 7 people speak French as their native language

Language and politics Examples: Quebecois French in Canada

Language and politics Examples: - “Foreign word invasion” in French and Chinese - Both the French and Chinese governments have actively sought to replace “English” (Fringlish, Chinglish) words with French/Chinese words.

Language and politics Examples: - “Foreign word invasion” in French and Chinese e.g. “ ” in French: - Colloquially: un , l’ - Officially: courriel

What constitutes a language? - Mutual intelligibility - Standardized languages - Dialects

Mutual Intelligibility Criterion for a language: Speakers can understand each other Problems - Measuring “mutual intelligibility” - Standard languages and government impact on what is a “language” and what is a “dialect”

Mutual Intelligibility Criterion for a language: Speakers can understand each other Problems - Measuring “mutual intelligibility” e.g. Mandarin Chinese vs. Cantonese Chinese vs. Standard written Chinese - more than 8 dialects of Chinese

Mutual Intelligibility Criterion for a language: Speakers can understand each other Problems - Standard languages and government impact on what is a “language” and what is a “dialect”

Dialect Variant of standard language by ethnicity or region: - Vocabulary - Syntax - Cadence, pace - Pronunciation Scottish dialect: BRP: 15F F 15F F

Dialect Creates the question of what the “true” language is.

Dialect Isogloss: A geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs