UNIT 3 REVIEW CULTURAL PROCESSES Part II: Language Language is a culture trait, learned from one generation to another. The Language Tree •Language Families •Language Branches •Language Groups •Languages •Dialects Definition Classification of English Language Family Collection of languages related through a Indo-European common ancestral language, before written language (shared, but distant origin) Language Branch a group of languages that share a common origin Germanic but have evolved into different languages Language Group Several individual languages within a language West Germanic branch, share a common origin in recent past Language Family Approximate # of % of World’s Speakers Approximate # of speakers languages in this family Indo-European 430 48% 5.9 billion Sino-Tibetan 399 22% 1.2 billion Niger-Congo 1,495 6% 358 million Afro-Asiatic 353 6% 339 million Austronesian 1,246 5% 311 million Dravidian 73 4% 221 million Top 10 Native Languages *instead of focusing on facts or 1. Mandarin Chinese 6. Portuguese numbers, think about spatial 2. Spanish 7. Russian organization of these languages. Where 3. English 8. Japanese different languages exist, how they 4. Bengali 9. German have diffused, and how language is a 5. Hindi 10. Wu Chinese factor in power, conflict, human- environment interaction MAJOR LANGUAGE FAMILIES INDO-EUROPEAN 4 MAJOR LANGUAGE BRANCHES Branch Group Language Major Location Indo-Iranian Eastern Indic Hindi (India) South Asia *most speakers Urdu (Pakistan) Western Iranian Persian/Farsi (E. Afghanistan) Pashto (E. Afghanistan, W. Pakistan) Kurdish (W. Iran, N. Iraq, E. Turkey) Romance Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian Southwest Europe, *evolved from Latin America Vulgar Latin spoken by Romans Germanic West Germanic English, Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans Northwest Europe, North America North Germanic Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic Balto-Slavic East Slavic Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Eastern Europe West Slavic Polish, Czech, Slovak South Slavic Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, Serbian SINO-TIBETAN MAJOR LANGUAGES Branch Major Languages Location Sinitic Mandarin China, Taiwan Austro-Thai Thai Laos, Thailand, Vietnam Tibetan-Burman Burmese Myanmar (Burma) Other Language Families Family Important Notes Japanese Korean Austro-Asiatic SE Asia, Vietnam Afro-Asiatic N. Africa, SW Asia (Hebrew, Arabic Uralic Estonia, Hungary, Finland *only European countries not Indo-European Niger-Congo Sub-Sahara Africa Nilo-Saharan North-central Africa Austronesian Indonesia (Javanese, Indonesian) many dialects ORIGIN AND DIFFUSION OF LANGUAGE Origin and Diffusion of Indo-European ! Nomadic Warrior/Conquest Theory: the first Indo-European speakers were the Kurgan people, according to archaeologist Marija Gimbutas. Kurgan warriors with their horse-drawn chariots established military superiority and conquered much of Europe and South Asia, spreading their language ! Agriculture/Sedentary Farmer Theory: Colin Renfrew argues that the first Indo- European speakers lived in present-day Turkey long before the Kurgans. This hypothesis argues Indo-European diffused into Europe and South Asia along with agricultural practices (not military conquest). The language triumphed because its speakers became prosperous growing their own food. Origin and Diffusion of English History of English in England History of English around the World Invading Tribes: Where did English diffuse to and why? Angles, Jutes, Saxons (Germanic-speakers) Colonialism, English migrants to colonies • North America French-speaking Normans (made England • Ireland French) • South Asia • South Pacific • South Africa • Philippines Standard Language: dialect that is well established and widely recognizes as the most acceptable for government, business, education and mass communication BRP = British Received Pronunciation = standard British speech Dialect: a regional variation of a language distinguished by distinctive vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation Three ways English differs depending on place: o Vocabulary o Spelling o Pronunciation Dialect Vocabulary Spelling Pronunciation Differences Explain Encountered new Webster’s agenda, lack of spoken Reasoning words/terms, new create a unique communication between developments apart American identity for England and its from England national pride colonies, not much interaction Give an Words for parts of a car Favourite – favorite Example Exercize – exercise US Dialects New England Middle Atlantic Southern Puritans from SE Quakers, Scots, SE England, England Irish, German, diverse social Dutch, Swedish classes ISOGLOSS: a boundary that separates regions in which different language usages predominate GLOBAL DOMINANCE OF ENGLISH Lingua Franca: a language of international communication Examples of the Dominance of English o More than 90% of students in the EU learn English in middle of high school o Many countries teaching English as a way to participate in global affairs o Dominance of English on the Internet Ebonics Franglais Spanglish African American dialect, Widespread use of English in the Combination of Spanish combination of ebony and French Language and English phonics Language Terms Definition Example Official language Declared by leaders of a country to - Debate over English in be the language used in legal and US governmental proceedings - Nigeria – chose neutral Standard Acceptable form of a given language - British Received Language as declared by political and societal Pronunciation leaders - High German Lingua Franca Language used to facilitate trade - East Africa – Swahili among groups speaking different languages (often rooted in colonialism) Pidgin Language A simplified version of a language. - Caribbean – simplified Often occurs when dominated culture French picks up the new language of the dominators Creolization When a pidginized language becomes part of culture and main language group of people ! Language divergence: a lack of spatial interaction among speakers of a language break the language into dialects and then continued isolation divides the language in discrete languages ! Language convergence: peoples with different languages have consistent spatial interaction, two languages collapse into one. Troubles in the face of English dominance Notes Extinct Gothic Part of extinct East Germanic group Revived Hebrew Used as national unity in Israel Preserving Endangered Celtic Media and government broadcast language more Isolated Basque Pyrenees mountains Icelandic Isolated, no contact Factors that Preserve Languages Government Policies can establish language throughout a Celtic in Ireland, French in country Canada Nationalism, declare official language to increase Hebrew in Israel nationalism in a country Promoting Unity, make multiple official languages to Canada, India preserve ones spoken by few Electronic Communications – broadcasting language more Irish-language TV, rock groups Community groups, elders teaching young people Native Americans Resistance to globalization, to resist widespread use of Native Americans English groups are reviving their cultural language Internet and Media communications reconnect fellow speakers and record endangered language Tourism, minority languages have become part of the Welsh, Irish tourist landscape because tourists want to see something authentic MULTILINGUAL PLACES Multilingual states: more than one language is spoken, can lead to conflict over language and its ties to national identity and power Monolingual states: one language, no purely monolingual state. - Japan: stringent immigration laws - France: laws to keep French pure and prohibit infusion of English words Some recent conflicts related to language (language may not be only reason for conflict) Place Languages Conflict Canada English and French speakers in Quebec French Fought for increased power and recognition against English speaking majority Called for secession Belgium Dutch and Dutch north French French south Brussels, bilingual Cyprus Greek and Greek majority, Turkish minority Turkish Divided by a Green-Line partition separating cultures Nigeria Over 400 Divided region amongst many languages languages English created official language as an attempt for a common (Hausa, communication Yoruba, Ibo) India 18 official Tried to make Hindi official language after independence in languages 1947, strong objection from other languages Switzerland German, Peacefully coexist- key is decentralized government French, Italian, Romansh .