Language

AIM: where are English-Language speakers distributed? Do Now: What is language? Be very specific with your definition SWBAT – List the regions of the world where English is the official or predominant language – Explain why English is the most common official language – Define and identify dialects in the US

Key Terms Language: system of communication through speech; a collection of sounds that group of people understands to have the same meaning Literary tradition: system of written communication

English Facts 1 st language of 328 million Spoken fluently by ½-1 billion more people Official language in 57 countries 1/3 of the world lives in a country with English as the Official Language Q: Is English America’s official language? Q: Why do so many countries have English as an official language if not everyone in that country speaks it?

Places England has NOT Invaded

England’s Empire

AIM: How did English Originate? Do Now (12/3/15) Read the article and answer the following question How do dialects originate? SWBAT – Understand how English formed as a language – Describe how English has evolved over time – Identify key differences between British and American English – Explain how dialects originate

How did English originate in England? England is a Germanic Language Invading tribes from Denmark and Germany invaded the British Isles and pushed the Celtic speaking tribes into northern/western parts of Britain – Angles, Saxons, the Jutes

Why is English different from German? Subsequent invasions from different groups enriched/changed the language – Norse Invasion (Vikings) – Norman Invasion in 1066 (Normandy, France): French becomes the official language of England for 300 years

AIM: Why is English related to Other Languages? Do Now: Guess the meaning of the following British phrases – Lost the plot – I haven’t seen that in donkey’s years – He’s such a chav – You’ve thrown a spanner in the works – That’s manky – This is an absolute doodle to do

Differences between American and British English Vocabulary – New animals, inventions, etc Spelling – Need for an independent identity – Webster Pronunciation – Isolation of America

Key Terms Dialect: regional variation of a language distinguished by distinctive vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation Isogloss: a boundary that separates regions in which different language usages predominate Standard language: dialect of language used for official government business, education, and mass communications

American Dialects Activity Take the American Dialect Quiz Online: /20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz- map.html?_r=1&

U.S. Dialects 2 important isoglosses separate the East Coast into the Northern, Midlands, and Southern regions The Northern and Southern dialects sound unusual to the majority of Americans – Most Westward Expansion settlers came from the Mid-Atlantic States

Key Terms Language Family: collection of languages related through a common ancestral language that existed before recorded time Language Branch: collection of languages related through a common ancestral language that existed several thousand years ago

What family is English part of? English is part of the Indo-European family Broken down into 8 branches – Indo-Iranian, Romance, Germanic, and Balto-Slavic are spoken the most – Albanian, Armenian, Greek, and Celtic are the less spoken branches

Activity: Mapping the Germanic Branch Read the Germanic-Branch of Indo-European section Map out the Germanic Branch You may want to write in pencil!

AIM: What are the main branches of the Indo-European language? Do Now: What is the difference between a language family, language branch, and language group. Give an example of each SWBAT – Identify the main branches of the Indo-European family – Review their vocabulary term for tomorrow – Understand the linguistic diversity of India

Indo-Iranian Branch Divided into 2 sections: Indic (Eastern) and Iranian (Western)

Indic (Eastern Group) of Indo-Iranian Language Branch Widely-used languages in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh India=language diversity – Over 400 languages spoken! – Official language: Hindi and English – 22 “scheduled” languages

India (continued) Hindi – One official way to write, hundreds of ways to speak Urdu – Spoken like Hindi, but with an Arabic alphabet

Iranian Group of Indo-Iranian Iran/neighboring countries in SW Asia (Middle East) Major languages: – Persian/Farsi: Iran – Pashto: eastern Afghanistan /Western Pakistan – Kurdish: spoken by the Kurds ethnic group in western Iran, northern Iraq, and Eastern Turkey

Balto-Slavic Branch 4 divisions: East Slavic, West Slavic, South Slavic, and a Baltic group Major Languages: Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech and Slovak

Romance Branch See other powerpoint

Origin: Proto-Indo-European Thought to be the original language Controversy over where it started 2 theories: nomadic warrior thesis and sedentary farmer thesis

Nomadic Warrior Thesis Marija Gimbutas First speakers: Kurgan people Origin: between Russia and Kazakhstan Nomadic herders Domesticated horses and used them to take over much of Europe/Asia

Sedentary Farmer Thesis Colin Renfrew Eastern Anatolia (Turkey) Diffused with agriculture practices Number of people who spoke the language grew as the country moved to stage 2 of the DTM