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Language

Language. AP Human Geography. What is Language?. A system of communication through speech, gestures, signs, etc. Allows the transmission of culture from one generation to the next. Languages may or may not have a literary tradition, which is a system of written communication. Language Facts.

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Language

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  1. Language AP Human Geography

  2. What is Language? • A system of communication through speech, gestures, signs, etc. • Allows the transmission of culture from one generation to the next. • Languages may or may not have a literary tradition, which is a system of written communication.

  3. Language Facts • Close to 7,000 languages worldwide. • Only 10 have 100 million+ speakers • Chinese (14%) • Spanish (4.9%) • English (4.7%) • Hindi (2.7%) • Arabic (3.1%) • Portuguese (2.7%) • Bengali (2.6%) • Russian (2.2%) • Japanese (1.9%) • Standard German (1.4%)

  4. Breakdown of Languages • Mother Tongue/ Common Language • Language Family (Indo-European) • Language Branch (Germanic, Romance) • Language (English, Spanish) • Dialect (British English v. American English, Spanish Spanish v. Mexican Spanish)

  5. Language Families • A collection of languages related through a common ancestral language that existed long before recorded history. • Examples: Indo-European (German, Spanish, English)

  6. Language Branches • Each language family is broken down into various branches. • Each branch is broken down into specific languages. • For example, the Germanic branch includes English, German, Dutch and Flemish languages.

  7. The Indo-European Language Family • 8 branches total (4 major) • 449 individual languages • 3 billion speakers worldwide • Germanic branch • English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans • Romance branch • Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian • Balto-Slavic branch • Russian, Polish, Ukrainian • Indo-Iranian branch • Hindi, Bengali, Farsi

  8. Other families • Sino-Tibetan • Mandarin Chinese • Niger-Congo • Yoruba (Hi Margaret!), Xhosa • Afro-Asiatic • Arabic

  9. Examples • GERMANIC BRANCH • Hello. My name is Mister P. (English) • Hallo. Mein Name ist Herr P. (German) • Hallo. Mijn naam is Mister P. (Dutch) • ROMANCE BRANCH • Hola. Mi nombre es Míster P. (Spanish) • Ciao. Il mio nome è Mister P. (Italian) • Bonjour. Mon nom est Monsieur P. (French)

  10. Global Dominance of English • English has become the dominant language of the world, used globally for business and communication • Why? • England’s dominance 1600’s- early/mid 1900’s. • America’s dominance post-WWII. • Lingua Franca • A common language between different groups, usually on the international level. • Ex. English is a common lingua franca in the world of business and government.

  11. English as an Official Language

  12. % of English Speakers

  13. Dialects • Dialect- a regional variation of a language. • Vocabulary (Pop vs. Coke vs. Soda, Eraser vs. Rubber, Bubbler vs. ???) • Spelling (center vs. centre, shop vs. shoppe) • Pronunciation (you all vs. ya’ll, creek vs. crick) • Isogloss- The geographic boundary of a word or other linguistic factor. • Standard Language- dialect that is recognized as most acceptable for govt., business, education, mass comm.

  14. U.S. Dialects

  15. Isogloss

  16. Official Languages • Official language- a language designated by a govt. for use in laws, reports, public objects (road signs) • U.S.= No official language • Canada= French and English • Switzerland= German, French, Italian, Romansh • Kenya= Swahili, English

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