Aphg

Language

a collection of sounds and symbols that creates a system of communication (spoken and/or written) between members of a cultural group

Toponyms

Placenames, e.g., carolstream, armytrailroad

Language Divergence

The process of a single language splitting into other languages due to the processes of diffusion and migration.

Family

a collection of many languages that have all descended from a common ancestor several thousands of years ago through the process of language divergence.

Branch

a collection of languages that also stem from a common language a few thousand years ago and during a second process of language divergence.

Group

a collection of languages that also developed from a common language a few hundred years ago through a third process of language divergence.

Standard Language

the dominant language within a smaller region that is regularly used in education, business, and media publications.

Dialect

Subsets of a standard language that after further diffusion have resulted in different accents, expressions, and pace.

Isogloss

a region where a specific language branch is dominant.

Indo-European Language Family

a major language family that includes several branches and languages spoken across Europe and parts of Asia.

Cognates

words in different languages that have a common etymological origin.

Mutual Intelligibility

the ability of speakers of different but related languages to understand each other without prior study or exposure.

Language Convergence

When two or more languages combine to form a new language.

Anatolian Hearth Theory

a theory that suggests the origin of the Indo-European languages began in the Anatolian region.

Historical Diffusion

the spread of languages and cultural elements over time and space.

Global Distribution

the geographical spread of languages and language families across the world.

Language as a source of unity and conflict

the role of language in fostering social cohesion or causing divisions among groups.

Language Families

groups of languages that share a common ancestor.

Sino-Tibetan Language Family

a major language family that includes languages spoken in East and Southeast Asia.

Afro-Asiatic Language Family

a major language family that includes languages spoken in North Africa and parts of the Middle East.

Niger-Congo Language Family

a major language family that includes languages spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Swahili

a syncretic language spoken by over 800,000 people, serving as a lingua franca in East Africa.

Germanic Languages

a branch of the Indo-European language family that includes languages such as English and German.

Latin

the language of the Roman Empire, which has influenced many modern languages.

Pidgin Language

Developed from a Pidgin language.

Creole Language

Mixing of language to communicate.

Chavacano

Blending of Tagalog and Spanish; an official language in several southern regions of the Philippines.

Spanglish

Blending of Spanish and English into a new language used by first generation Latino migrants.

Yiddish

Blending of Hebrew, German, and Slavic languages, primarily spoken among European Jews.

Afrikaan

A variation of the Dutch language that evolved in South Africa during the 1600s.

Lingua Franca

A language adopted as a common language for communication between groups of people with different native languages.

Language Fragmentation

A community in which several languages are commonly spoken.

Multi-Lingual States

A country where many different languages are spoken, with several having large numbers of native speakers.

Mono-Lingual States

A country where a single language is spoken by a significant majority of people.

Official Language

A language designated by the government for use in all legal and public documents.

Standard Language

The language spoken every day by the people, used in education, literature, and media.

Toponym

The name given to a place with historical characteristics.

Commemorative Toponym

A toponym named after a person.

Historical Toponym

A toponym used by an army in the past.

Descriptive Toponym

A toponym that describes a physical characteristic.

Indigenous Toponym

A toponym that originates from a Native American word.

Post-Revolution Toponym Change

A name change after political revolutions, e.g., St. Petersburg to Leningrad.

Memorial Toponym Change

Renamed to honor individuals, e.g., Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy.

Colonial Toponym Change

Renaming by colonized nations after gaining independence, e.g., Bombay to Mumbai.

Disputed Toponym Change

Groups claiming the same territory and giving it different names, e.g., Sea of Japan.

Commodification Toponym Change

A name change for monetary exchange.