AP Human Geography Chapter 5

Language

A system of communication through speech, consisting of a collection of sounds that a group of people understands to have the same meaning.

Institutional Language

A language used in government, business, education, and mass media.

Language Family

A collection of languages related through a common ancestral language that existed long before recorded history.

Language Branch

A collection of languages within a family related through a common ancestral language with differences not as significant as those between language families.

Dialects

Regional variations of a language characterized by distinctive vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.

Lingua Franca

A common language used by people with different language backgrounds to communicate.

Pidgin Language

A simplified language that develops as a means of communication between speakers of different languages, retaining the basic structure and grammar of the lingua franca.

Endangered Languages

Languages that are at risk of falling out of use, often measured by the number of speakers and cultural significance.

Isolated Language

A language that is unrelated to any other and therefore not attached to any language family.

Extinct Language

A language that was once in use but is no longer spoken or used in any capacity.

Vigorous Language

A language that is in full use by the community and being taught to youth.

Literary Tradition

The written form of a language along with its spoken form.

Nomadic Warrior Theory

A hypothesis suggesting that the Proto-Indo-European language diffused through the migrations and conquests of nomadic warriors.

Sedentary Farmer Theory

A hypothesis suggesting that the Proto-Indo-European language diffused through the spread of agriculture and settled farming communities.

Creole Languages

Languages that arise from mixing a colonizer's language with indigenous languages.