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Delve into the world of languages, from classification and distribution to development and extinction. Learn about major language families, dialect distribution, language origins, and the impact of cultural contact and economic development on languages.
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Language Intro – 7,000 globally A. Define Why geographers care Classification Families – Indo-European, Sino-Tibean search for “superfamily” Isolates
Language Family Trees Fig. 5-12: Family trees and estimated numbers of speakers for the main world language families.
Branches – subfamily • (Romance, Germanic) • common words • C. "Leaves" - groups • Most important - Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish • English • D. Dialect
Distribution of Families • A. Indo-European - 48% world speakers • 1. Main branches • 2. Origin - 2 theories • a. conquest - Kurgan • b. Agriculture- Anatolian • 3. Distribution
B. Sino-Tibetan- 26% 1. Distribution 2. Origins C. Afro-Asiatic - 6% 1. Origin 2. Distribution D. African (Niger-Congo) - 3% Xhosa
E. Borders - isogloss - Fig 5-4 (US)
IV. Language development A. Environment 1. Vocabulary /method Silbo 2. Diffusion 3. Preservation/extinction - refuge, shatter belts
B. Culture contact 1. Pidgin 2. Creole Ex. - Tok Pisin 3. Lingua franca 4. Loan words - Franglais, Spanglish
Language extinction • Technology • Econonic Development Model • C. Colonialism - assimilation
VI. Language as centripetal/centrifugal force • Define - centripetal, centrifugal • Centrifugal • Canada (FIG 5-18) • Former Yugoslavia • C. Toponymes • C. Centripetal • US - US languages • EU - 23 official languages
English - • Origin • British/Celtic • Old English • Middle English - • B. Diffusion
US dialects – • Northern Midland Southern • Ebonics http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/map/map.html