The Geography of Language

The Geography of The Geography of LanguageLanguage

La Geografía del Idioma

La Geografía del Idioma

La Géographie de Langue

CHAPTER 6

La Geografia di Lingua

Die Geographie der Sprache

What are Languages, and what What are Languages, and what Role do Languages Play in Role do Languages Play in

Cultures?Cultures?

Key Question:

LanguageLanguageLanguage – Language – a set of sounds, combinations of sounds, a set of sounds, combinations of sounds,

and symbols that are used for communication.and symbols that are used for communication.

Is language powerful?Is language powerful?Why or why not?Why or why not?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImQrUjlyHUg

To 2:46To 2:46

Language and CultureLanguage and Culture“No one was allowed to speak the language – the Dena’ina language. They [the American government] didn’t allow it in the schools, and a lot of the women had married non-native men, and the men said, ‘You’re American now so you can’t speak the language.’ So, we became invisible in the community. Invisible to each other. And, then, because we couldn’t speak the language – what happens when you can’t speak your own language is you have to think with someone else’s words, and that’s a dreadful kind of isolation [emphasis added].”

- Clare Swan, elder, Kenaitze band, Dena’ina Indians

What if you were not allowed to use What if you were not allowed to use your language? your language?

What do you think could happen to a What do you think could happen to a culture who was denied that right?culture who was denied that right?

Do you know people who Do you know people who use language to gain favor?use language to gain favor?

How?How?Why?Why?

Does Does youryour language ever language ever change?change?

Why?Why?

Does language really Does language really identify you?identify you?

Hmmmm…. Let’s see… Game time!Hmmmm…. Let’s see… Game time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9oIvsk7cvwv=l9oIvsk7cvw

What is dialect?What is dialect?

Unique speech patterns… Unique speech patterns… slang… slang… and the unique pieces to a language.and the unique pieces to a language.

……. Does everyone know them?. Does everyone know them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYmrg3owTREv=wYmrg3owTRE

What does your dialect say What does your dialect say about you?about you?

Survey time!!!Survey time!!!

Do you know your British Do you know your British slang?slang?

Let’s be British….Let’s be British….

What are other types of dialect? What are other types of dialect? Slang? In your world?Slang? In your world?

So Language is powerful! So Language is powerful!

Languages and Language Families

Language DivisionsLanguage Divisions

• Language Families

• Language Branches

• Language Groups

• Languages

• Dialects

• Accents

Language and Cultural IdentityLanguage and Cultural Identity

Language Language and and

National National Identity Identity

Standard Language

a language that is published, widely distributed, and purposefully taught.

Government usually plays a big role in standardizing a language.

Language and Political Conflict

Belgium:

Flanders (Flemish language)

Wallonia (French language)

Percent of People 5 Years and Older Percent of People 5 Years and Older Who Speak a Language other than English at HomeWho Speak a Language other than English at Home

Language as Element of Language as Element of Cultural DiversityCultural Diversity

• 6000+ Languages spoken today, not including dialects

• 1500+ Spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa alone

• 400+ in New Guinea alone

• 100+ in Europe

However, this diversity is diminishing:

• 2000+ Threatened or Endangered Languages

DialectDialectvariants of a variants of a

standard standard language language

along regional along regional or ethnic linesor ethnic lines

- vocabulary- vocabulary-syntax-syntax

- - pronunciationpronunciation

- cadence- cadence- pace of - pace of speechspeech

Isogloss

A geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs

Mutual IntelligibilityMutual Intelligibility

Means two people can understand Means two people can understand each other when speaking. each other when speaking. Problems:Problems:

Cannot measure mutual intelligibilityCannot measure mutual intelligibility Many “languages” fail the test of mutual Many “languages” fail the test of mutual

intelligibilityintelligibility Standard languages and governments Standard languages and governments

impact what is a “language” and what is a impact what is a “language” and what is a “dialect”“dialect”

World Language FamiliesWorld Language Families

Linguist Bert Vaux’s study of dialects in Linguist Bert Vaux’s study of dialects in American English points to the American English points to the differences in words for common things differences in words for common things such as soft drinks and sandwiches. such as soft drinks and sandwiches. Describe a time when you said Describe a time when you said something and a speaker of another something and a speaker of another dialect did not understand word you dialect did not understand word you used. Was the word a term for a common used. Was the word a term for a common thing? Why do you think dialects have thing? Why do you think dialects have different words for common things, different words for common things, things found across dialects, such as soft things found across dialects, such as soft drinks and sandwiches.drinks and sandwiches.

Why are Languages Why are Languages Distributed the way they Distributed the way they

are?are?

Key Question:

How are Languages How are Languages Formed?Formed?

Can find linkages among languages by Can find linkages among languages by examining examining sound shiftssound shifts – a slight – a slight change in a word across languages over change in a word across languages over time.time.

eg. Milk =eg. Milk = lacte in Latinlacte in Latinlatta in Italianlatta in Italianleche in Spanishleche in Spanishlait in French lait in French

Language divergence – Language divergence –

when a lack of spatial interaction when a lack of spatial interaction among speakers of a language breaks among speakers of a language breaks the language into dialects and then the language into dialects and then new languages.new languages.

Language convergence –Language convergence –

when peoples with different languages when peoples with different languages have consistent spatial interaction have consistent spatial interaction and their languages collapse into one. and their languages collapse into one.

How are Languages How are Languages Formed?Formed?

How do Linguists Study How do Linguists Study Historical Languages?Historical Languages?

Backward reconstruction – tracking Backward reconstruction – tracking sound shifts and the hardening of sound shifts and the hardening of consonants backward to reveal an consonants backward to reveal an “original” language.“original” language. Can deduce the vocabulary of an extinct Can deduce the vocabulary of an extinct

language.language. Can recreate ancient languages (deep Can recreate ancient languages (deep

reconstruction)reconstruction)

Historical Linkages among Historical Linkages among LanguagesLanguages

Indo-European Indo-European language familylanguage family

Proto-Indo-Proto-Indo-European European languagelanguage

Nostratic Nostratic LanguageLanguage

From Anatolia diffused Europe’s languagesFrom the Western Arc of Fertile Crescent diffused North

Africa and Arabia’s languagesFrom the Eastern Arc of Fertile Crescent diffused Southwest

Asia and South Asia’s languages.

Renfrew Hypothesis:Proto-Indo-European began in the Fertile Crescent, and then:

Agriculture TheoryWith increased food supply and increased population, speakers from the hearth of Indo-European languages migrated into Europe.

Dispersal HypothesisIndo-European languages first moved from the hearth eastward into present-day Iran and then around the Caspian and into Europe.

The Languages of EuropeThe Languages of Europe

Romance languages Romance languages

Germanic languagesGermanic languages

Slavic languagesSlavic languages

EuskeraEuskera

The Basque speak the Euskera language, which is in now way related to any other language family in Europe.

How did Euskera survive?

Languages of Languages of Subsaharan Subsaharan AfricaAfrica

- - extreme languageextreme language diversity diversity

- - effects of effects of colonialismcolonialism

NigeriaNigeria

more than more than 400 400 different different languages. languages.

How do Languages How do Languages Diffuse?Diffuse?

Key Question:

How do Languages Diffuse?How do Languages Diffuse?

human interactionhuman interaction print distributionprint distribution migration migration tradetrade rise of nation-statesrise of nation-states colonialismcolonialism

Spatial Interaction helps Spatial Interaction helps create:create:

Lingua franca –Lingua franca –A language used among speakers of different A language used among speakers of different languages for the purposes of trade and languages for the purposes of trade and commerce.commerce.

Pidgin language –Pidgin language –a language created when people combine parts a language created when people combine parts of two or more languages into a simplified of two or more languages into a simplified structure and vocabulary.structure and vocabulary.

Creole language –Creole language –a pidgin language that has developed a more a pidgin language that has developed a more complex structure and vocabulary and has complex structure and vocabulary and has become the native language of a group of people.become the native language of a group of people.

Key TermsKey TermsPIDGIN - a form of speech that adopts simplified grammar and limited vocabulary from a lingua franca, used for communication between speakers of two different languages.

Examples include Hawaiian Pidgin and the creoles of West Africa that resulted from the slave trade.

“No eat da candy, Bruddah, it's pilau. Da thing wen fall on da ground.”

Give us da food we need fo today an every day.Hemmo our shame, an let us goFo all da kine bad stuff we do to you,Jalike us guys let da odda guys go awready,And we no stay huhu wit demFo all da kine bad stuff dey do to us.No let us get chance fo do bad kine stuff,But take us outa dea, so da Bad Guy no can hurt us.Cuz you our King.You get da real power,An you stay awesome foeva.Dass it!”

Matthew 6:9-13 “The Lord’s Prayer”

- Taken from Da Jesus Book, a twelve year effort by 6 linguists to translate the New Testament into Hawaiian Pidgin, published 2001

Key TermsKey Terms CREOLE - a language that results from the mixing of a colonizer’s language with an indigenous language. Often they are pidgins.

a. mo pe aste sa bananb. de bin alde luk dat big tric. a waka go a wosud. olmaan i kas-im cheke. li pote sa bay mof. ja fruher wir bleibeng. dis smol swain i bin go fo maket

I am buying the bananathey always looked for a big treehe walked homethe old man is cashing a checkhe brought that for meYes at first we remainedthis little pig went to market

Can you guess which colonizing language is the base for each of the following creole examples? New Orleans’

French Quarter

Key TermsKey Terms CREOLE - a language that results from the mixing of a colonizer’s language with an indigenous language. Often they are pidgins

a. mo pe aste sa bananb. de bin alde luk dat big tric. a waka go a wosud. olmaan i kas-im cheke. li pote sa bay mof. ja fruher wir bleibeng. dis smol swain i bin go fo maket

French based Seychelles Creole English based Roper River Creole English based SaranEnglish based Cape York Creole French based GuyanaisGerman based Papua New Guinea Pidgin German English based Cameroon Pidgin

Can you guess which colonizing language is the base for each of the following creole examples? New Orleans’

French Quarter

Key TermsKey TermsISOLATED LANGUAGE - a language that is not related to any other languages and thus not connected to any language families. Examples include Basque and Korean.

Basque Spain

Monolingual Monolingual State State a country in a country in which only one which only one language is language is spokenspoken

Multilingual Multilingual State State a country in which a country in which more than one more than one language is in uselanguage is in use

Official Official LanguageLanguageshould a should a multilingual state multilingual state adopt an official adopt an official language?language?

Global LanguageGlobal Language

Is a global language the principle language Is a global language the principle language people use around the world in their day-people use around the world in their day-

to-day activities?to-day activities?

OROR

Is a global language a common language Is a global language a common language for trade and commerce used around the for trade and commerce used around the

world?world?

Choose a country in the world. Imagine Choose a country in the world. Imagine you become a strong leader of a you become a strong leader of a centralized government in the country. centralized government in the country. Pick a language other than a current Pick a language other than a current language spoken in the country. language spoken in the country. Determine what policies you could put in Determine what policies you could put in place to replace the country’s language place to replace the country’s language with the new language. How many years, with the new language. How many years, or how many generations, would need to or how many generations, would need to pass before your program achieves your pass before your program achieves your desired outcome?desired outcome?

What Role does Language What Role does Language Play in Making Places?Play in Making Places?

Key Question:

PlacePlace

Place – the uniqueness of a location, Place – the uniqueness of a location, what people do in a location, what what people do in a location, what they create, how they impart a they create, how they impart a certain character, a certain imprint certain character, a certain imprint on the location by making it unique.on the location by making it unique.

ToponymToponym

Toponym – a place nameToponym – a place name

A toponym:A toponym: Imparts a certain character on a placeImparts a certain character on a place Reflects the social processes in a placeReflects the social processes in a place Can give us a glimpse of the history of a Can give us a glimpse of the history of a

placeplace

Changing ToponymsChanging Toponyms When people change the toponym of a place, they When people change the toponym of a place, they

have the power to “wipe out the past and call forth have the power to “wipe out the past and call forth the new.” the new.”

- Yi-Fu Tuan- Yi-Fu Tuan

Changing ToponymsChanging Toponyms

Major reasons people change Major reasons people change toponyms:toponyms: After decolonizationAfter decolonization After a political revolutionAfter a political revolution To memorialize people or eventsTo memorialize people or events To commodify or brand a placeTo commodify or brand a place

Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. StreetsStreets

Geographer Derek Alderman asks:

* Where are MLK streets?* Why are they where they are?* What controversies surround memorializing MLK with a street name?

Where are MLK Streets in the Where are MLK Streets in the US?US?

This place was first named by Gabrielino This place was first named by Gabrielino Indians. In 1769, Spanish Franciscan Indians. In 1769, Spanish Franciscan priests renamed the place. In 1850, priests renamed the place. In 1850, English speakers renamed the place. Do English speakers renamed the place. Do not use the Internet to help you. Use only not use the Internet to help you. Use only maps in this book or in atlases to help maps in this book or in atlases to help you deduce what this place is. Maps of you deduce what this place is. Maps of European exploration and colonialism will European exploration and colonialism will help you the most. Look at the end of the help you the most. Look at the end of the chapter summary for the answer.chapter summary for the answer.