The Geography of Languages and Religions

1. The Geography of Languages and Religions

2. Language & Religion • Two most important forces that bond and define human cultures • Each originated in a distinct hearth • Two most important of all types of cultural regions

3. Defining Language • Language - Pronunciation and combination of words used to communicate within a group of people • Important cultural index – each language has a unique way of dealing with facts, ideas, and concepts. • Structures individual perception of world

4. Language Regions • Dialects • Minor variations within a language • Standard language • Following formal rule of diction and grammar • Official language • Particular language for any given country • Lingua franca - Current language of international discourse (English)

5. Linguistic Geography • The study of different dialects across space • Speech community – sounds are localized only among a group of people who speak together • Isoglosses – boundary lines around places where speakers use linguistic features in the same way • Parallel physical landscape features • Geographical dialect continuum – chain of dialects or languages spoken across an area

7. World’s Major Languages • 7,299 distinct languages (ethnologue) • 50% of world population speak one of 12 major languages listed • Mandarin Chinese is largest with 885 million • English is the primary language of 350 million and is the official language of about 50 countries

10. Language Development • Protolanguage • Common ancestor to any group of today’s languages • Language family • Languages related by descent from a common protolanguage • Cognate – a word that clearly looks like or sounds like another word which it is related to • Etymology- the study of word origins and history

11. Indo-European Language Family • Identified by Sir William Jones, 1786 • Proto-Indo-European • Common ancestor of many modern languages • Grimm’s Law – rules to describe regular shifts in sounds that occurred when various Indo-European languages diverged • Set forth by Jacob Grimm of the Brothers Grimm

14. Geography of Writing • Orthography - system of writing • Independent inventions of writing • Sumerians – Mesopotamia before (3000 B.C.) • Olmec – Central America (650 B.C.) • Alphabets – system of letters which represent sounds • Roman – modern western European languages Kazakhstan • Cyrillic – Greek alphabet augmented by “Saint Cyril” • Arabic – language of the Koran (uniting force) • Non-alphabetic – each character represents a word or concept • Chinese, Japanese, Korean

17. Toponymy- The study of place names • Consists of: • Natural features (Oak Bay) • Origins/values of inhabitants (British Colombia) • Belief structures, religions (Islamabad – place of Islam) • Current or past heroes (St. Petersburg)

20. Linguistic Differentiation • National languages • Iceland and Japan – exclusive to the country • Nation building • Philological nationalism – mother tongues have given rise to nationalism • Postcolonial societies • Imposed official languages by colonial ruler • Not spoken by locals

21. Multiple Language States • Polyglot states • Having multiple official languages • United States • English always lingua franca • Three major dialects in 13 colonies • Non-English languages – creole, french, spanish

23. Language Vocab. • British Received Pronunciation (BRP) – standard form of British speech used by upper class Britons • Creole – 159 – mix of colonizers language and indigenous language of people being colonized • Ebonics – African American dialect heavily influenced by Western African languages • Extinct language 168 – once in use, even in the recent past • Franglais – combination of French and English • Ideograms – written character that usually represents a concept rather than a pronunciation • Isolated language – a language that is not related to any other

24. Language Vocab. Cont… • Language Branch – a collection of language related to a common ancestral language that existed several thousands of years ago • Language group – a collection of languages within a branch that share a common origin, i.e. West Germanic • Literary Tradition 146 • Pidgin Language – includes grammar rules of lingua franca and some elements of a native language • Spanglish – combination of Spanish and English (Cubonics) bacuncliner • Vulgar Latin – non standard literary Latin spread by Roman Soldiers

25. World’s Major Religions • Systems of beliefs guiding behavior • Orthopraxy • Ethic and pscyhological based belief systems • (Shintoism, Taoism, Confucianism) • Orthodoxy • Philosophical and theological based belief system • Fundamentalism – strict adherence to traditional beliefs • Secularism – lifestyle or policy that purposely ignores or excludes religious considerations

28. Judaism • 14 million adherents • Monotheistic • Pentateuch • First five books of the Old Testament • Sects • Orthodox - fundamentalist • Conservative, Reform • Israel • Homeland for Jewish people • Created 1948 • Conflict between Israel and Palestine

29. Christianity • Emerged from Judaism • Coptic Church • Founded in Alexandria in A.D. 41 • Official religion of Roman Empire • Facilitated geographical spread • Dark Ages – church was the focal point for medieval people • Protestant Reformation – Martin Luther • Significant growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America

30. Islam • Muhammad (570 -632) • Allah –one god • Cognate of “eloh” • Five Pillars of Islam • Belief in one God • Five daily prayers • Charity – generous alums • Fasting during Ramadan • Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) • Sects • Sunni – leader is chosen (85%) • Shiite – leader is descendant of Muhammad (15%)

31. Hinduism & Sikhism • Hinduism - Most ancient religious tradition in Asia • Vedas – Hindu sacred texts • Reincarnation, Karma • Castes • Brahman, priestly • Kshatriya, warrior • Vaisya, tradesman and farmer • Sudra, servant and laborer • Untouchables • Sikhism • Offshoot of Hinduism • Guru Nanak – combined teaching of Hinduism and Islam

32. Buddhism • Buddha – Enlightened One (Siddhartha- Hindu prince) • Four Noble Truths • Life involves suffering • Cause of suffering is desire • Elimination of desire ends suffering • Right thinking and behavior eliminate desire • 8 Fold Path can = Nirvana • Diffused from India – East/SE Asia, Tibet, & Nepal

33. Other Religions • Eastern Religions • Confucianism – based on The Analects (governed China’s political and moral culture for 2,000 years) • Taoism – 3rd Century, Tao-te Ching (Live in harmony w/ nature) • Shinto – native to Japan, recognized emperor as divine • Animism and Shamanism • Animism • Belief in ubiquity of spirits or spiritual forces, hierachies of divinities • Shamanism • Shaman – is a medium who goes into hupnotic trances – communes with the sprit world

34. Religion & Politics • Freedom of religion – most countries guarantee this and observe a form of secularism (political boundaries stabalize religious affiliations) (see map pg 305) • Theocracy • Church rules directly (Iran) • Separation of church and state • Islamic is inherently political • United States – several states established as theocracies • Treaty between US and Tripoli 1797 “U.S. gov is not based on Christian religion” • Terrorism – Fundamentalism (failure of education (pg 303), bombing Abortion clinics

35. Social Impact of Religion • Gender roles • Women’s rights • Diet • Vegetarians • Pork, beef cultural taboos, cows, pigs wars and witches • Alcohol • Ethics and morals • Schools and institutions

36. Economic Impact • Burial practices • Protestantism and capitalism • Catholic Church and capitalism • Confucianism verses individualism

37. Religion and Environment • Burial practices • Origin of the world • Relationship with nature • Exploitive approach • Adaptive approach

38. Religion Vocab. Cont… Animism – Believe that inanimate objects have spirits Autonomous Religion – self sufficient and interaction among communities is confined to little more than loose cooperation Branch – a large and fundamental division within a religion Caste – The class or distinct hereditary order into which a Hindu is assigned according to religious law Cosmogony – Set of beliefs concerning the origin of the universe Denomination – is a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body Ethnic Religion – Relatively concentrated spatial distribution whose characteristics of the physical characteristics of the particular location

39. Religion Vocab. Cont… Fundamentalism - strict adherence to basic principles of a religion Ghetto – city neighborhood where Jews were forced to live Hierarchical Religion – well defined geographic structure that organizes territory into local administrative units Missionary – individuals who help to transmit a universalizing religion Pagan – follower of a polytheistic religion “countryside” Sect – small group that has broken away from a denomination Universalizing Religion – attempt to be global and appeal to all people wherever they live Liberation Theology – the idea that the Catholic church should work to liberate oppressed people through political activistm