Key Issue #4: Why Do People Preserve Local Languages? Language is a measure of the fate & dominance of a culture or ethnic group (English vs. Icelandic) English globalized as a lingua franca – language of international communication & trade Local languages are endangered by English (& others) dominance Preserving Language Diversity o Thousands of extinct languages & 516 nearly extinct (mostly in Pacific & Americas) o Over 500 languages in Peru when Spanish arrived in 1500s – now only 92 (only 7 spoken by more than 100,000 people – including Quechua); most speak Spanish o Gothic in 200s AD in E & N Europe – extinct; part of extinct East Germanic language group; switched to Latin & other languages due to political dominance & spread of Christianity o EU’s European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages in Dublin, Ireland – goal to preserve 60 minor languages spoken by 50 million o Only about 300 languages expected to survive the 21 st Century Hebrew: Reviving Extinct Languages o Jewish Torah/Tanakh written in Hebrew & some Aramaic; Aramaic became Arabic o Hebrew became used only for special Jewish services & by scribes/priests o Greek also became widely used (Septuagint – Greek translation of OT) o Revived when Israel became a nation in 1948 for cultural identity & unity

Key Issue #4: Why Do People Preserve Local Languages? Celtic o Major languages of British Isles prior to Germanic invasions (Saxons, Angles) o Also spoken in France, Germany, Northern Italy 2,000 years ago o Still spoken rarely in remote parts of Scotland, Wales, Ireland & Brittany (French peninsula) o Celtic Groups: Gaelic: Irish (7% of Ireland) & Scottish Gaelic Britannic: Welsh (1/6 of Wales), Cornish (Cornwall region - extinct in 1777), Breton (Brittany) Celtic languages declined as groups lost power & territory (forbidden to speak – had to speak French or English) o Revival of Celtic Languages Welsh required in school in Wales (since 1988) Welsh used on signs, TV, etc. Irish Gaelic – Irish music groups, Irish TV, signs, strong among Irish youth Cornish – revived in 1920s; taught in schools & night classes; 2 nd language of over 100 people in Cornwall

Longest Place Name in Europe Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Wales – Once called “Llanfair” – Changed to “Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll” or “Llanfair PG” – Lengthened further to the above name in the 1850s to attract more visitors/business – In Welsh language – 58 letters long (ch and ll are single letters in Welsh) Link: english.com/index.php?id=430http:// english.com/index.php?id=430

Key Issue #4: Why Do People Preserve Local Languages? Multilingual States o Belgium – at boundary of Romance & Germanic Walloons in Wallonia (south) near France – speak French Flemings in Flanders (north) near Netherlands – speak Dutch dialect called Flemish Walloons have dominated country – led to tension Independent regions with some autonomy – problems near boundary (difficult to identify); led to brief gov’t collapse Brussels – capital & largest city; in Flanders but near border; speak both languages o Switzerland – at boundary of Romance & Germanic Peaceful existence due to decentralized gov’t Local cantons (states) able to vote on official language(s) 4 official languages: German (65%), French (18%), Italian (10%), Romansh (1%) Isolated Languages o Pre-Indo-European Survivor: Basque Unable to connect with other languages 600,000 speakers in Pyrenees Mts. (Spain & France) Led to conflict in Spain (ETA - separatist/terrorist organization) o Unchanging Language: Icelandic Related to Germanic branch; very little change over past 1,000 years Colonized by Norway in 874 AD; little contact with outsiders since

Key Issue #4: Why Do People Preserve Local Languages? Global Dominance of English o English as a Lingua Franca Language of international trade & communication Pidgin language – simplified form with elements of own languages mixed in Other lingua francas: Swahili (E. Africa), Hindustani (S. Asia), Indonesian, Russian (former USSR), Arabic (Muslim world), French (former French empire) 90% of EU students learn English in Middle or High School 500 mil speak English as a 2 nd language in world Use in German advertising; Japan considered making it 2 nd official language o Expansion Diffusion of English Expansion & conquest in British Empire Recent growth in dominance through new vocab & fusing with other languages o New Words & Usage African Americans: forced migration, distinct culture, slavery led to words like “gumbo”, “jazz” Ebonics: developed in racially segregated cities in NE or MW – distinct dialect, use of double negatives, use of “be” instead of “is” or “are”; controversial because viewed as low education and unsuccessful; others view as unique cultural heritage Appalachia: rural dialect in mountains of WV, TN, GA, NC, VA, KY – “holler” for “hollow”, “crick” for “creek”; use of double-negatives, add “a” in front of –ing verbs (“a-sitting”); viewed as poor education but unique regional identity

Key Issue #4: Why Do People Preserve Local Languages? Global Dominance of English o Diffusion to Other Languages Franglais (French & English) o French official in 26 languages, big source of national pride in France, once a lingua franca o English words: cowboy, hamburger, jeans, T-shirt, , weekend, software, parking – French see as destroying French language purity o Quebec (Quebecois) – more intense protection of French language & culture; unique identity in mostly English Canada; possible separation from Canada as own country Spanglish o Called Cubonics in Miami o Spoken by many Hispanics in U.S. o Adopt “best elements” of Spanish (emotion) and English (new words) o Widespread in TV, songs, & magazines Denglish: German (Deutsch) & English o English viewed as more melodic than German Japanese & English o Baseball – beisboru o Naifu - knife