The Geography of Language

1. The Geography of Language

2. A. Introduction • Language is at the heart of culture • Without language, culture could not be transmitted • Cultures of all sizes fiercely protect their language • Linguists estimate between 5,000 and 6,000 languages are in use today

3. Table 5.1

4. B. Defining language • A systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, gestures, marks, or especially articulate vocal sounds

5. C. The Language Tree • A group of languages descended from a single, earlier tongue • Example: Romance languages: Spanish, French, etc. • Have a shared, but fairly distant origin (e.g. Indo-European)

6. The Language Tree – “Mother Tongue” (Indo-European branch is highlighted)

7. Major World Languages

8. D. Spread of Languages • Their speakers occupy new territories, or because they acquire new speakers • spatial diffusion • Through massive population relocation in which culture is transported to and made dominant in a new territory • relocation diffusion

9. D. Spread of Languages cont… • When the advantages of a language are evident and it is adopted • expansion diffusion with acculturation • The people who are power seekers learn and adopt the language first, and then everyone else learns • hierarchical diffusion

10. E. Theories on Diffusion of Languages • Conquest Theory: Hearth is Ukraine (5,000 yrs. ago); people used horses, wheel, and trade, spread language westward (ex: vater = vader = father)

11. E. Theories on Diffusion of Languages cont… • Agriculture Theory: Hearth is Anatolia (Turkey - 9,000 yrs. ago) • Farming people moved N & W • Distance decay from source area; some non-farming people held out (Basque in Spain) • Drawbacks: Anatolia not ideal for farming, some evidence states Proto-Indo-European language spread eastward first

12. E. Theories on Diffusion of Languages cont… • Renfrew Model – proposes that 3 hearths gave rise to language families: Anatolia – Indo-Europe; Fertile Crescent (West) – N. Africa & Arabia; Fertile Crescent (East) – Iran through India

13. 3 Maps Illustrating Possible Routes of Language Diffusion as Stated by the 3 Theories

14. F. Language Diversity and Uniformity • Preserving language diversity • Hebrew: reviving extinct languages • Celtic: preserving endangered languages • Multilingual states (ex: Switzerland, Belgium) • Isolated languages • Global dominance of English • English as a lingua franca (common language) • Diffusion to other languages

15. F. Language Diversity and Uniformity Standard Language - a language that is published, widely distributed, and purposefully taught. Government usually plays a big role in standardizing a language.

16. Language and Political Conflict Belgium: Flanders (Flemish language) Wallonia (French language)

17. Dialect -variants of a standard language along regional or ethnic lines - vocabulary - syntax (grammar) - pronunciation - cadence (rhythm) - pace of speech G. Dialects Isogloss - A geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs (ex: Pop vs. Soda)

18. The Great Pop vs. Soda Debate

20. Tomato Vinegar Mustard

22. What do you call "A large sandwich consisting of a long roll split lengthwise and filled with layers of meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and condiments?"

23. It's Not the Sights, It's the Sounds The dialects of New York City and Pittsburgh are miles apart, and the highways that connect them are loaded with detours in pronunciation and vocabulary. SOURCE: New York Times Travel, March 17,2006

24. H. Mutual Intelligibility • Means two people can understand each other when speaking. • Problems: • Cannot be measured • Many “languages” fail the test of mutual intelligibility • Standard languages and governments impact what is a “language” and what is a “dialect”