Exploring Linguistic Diversity Midterm

What caused the lack of linguistic diversity in Virginia in the 1950s?

Immigration policies

What was the effect of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act removal?

Immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America

Who did the economic globalization and education exchange attract?

Chinese, Hindi/Urdu, etc

What were some linguistic generational shifts?

1. Effects of language competition

2. Education effect

3. Adaptation

What are the effects of language competition?

Deciding which language to speak because you cannot speak two languages at a time

What is linguistic adaptation?

Without thinking about it, speaking the common language to fit in

What is linguistic diversity?

Exploring the many forms language and communication assume

• occurs across history, individuals, and groups

• includes inter- and intra- personal variation

What are the manifestations of linguistic diversity?

1. Within one person

2. Within and between communities

3. Between languages

4. Structurally

5. Perceptually

How is linguistic diversity manifested within one person?

variation by context and age

How is linguistic diversity manifested within and between communities?

Families, professions, regions

How is linguistic diversity manifested between languages?

Contact and influence

How is linguistic diversity manifested structurally

Phonology, syntax, semantics

How is linguistic diversity manifested perceptually?

Public perception and hierarchy

Linguistic diversity refers to…

The coexistence and use of multiple languages, dialects, or language varieties within a society, community, or even within a single individual

What does linguistic diversity include?

Differences across speakers (multilingualism) and differences within speakers (regional dialect/standard language)

What is code mixing?

Speaking more than one language in one utterance. Ex. Tengo mucho to tell you

What is code switching?

Changing between two languages in different utterances

What is the significance of the Tower of Babel?

Divine punishment for human pride, where God made it so everyone was speaking different languages, and no one could understand each other

What is considered the original language in medieval Europe?

Hebrew

What is an old term for linguistics?

Philology

At the base, what is the definition of linguistics?

The study or comparison of languages

What is structuralism?

Languages as self-contained (structural) systems (Saussure)

What is sociolinguistics?

Language influenced by social factors

What is anthropological linguistics?

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: the language you speak affects the way you interpret reality

What linguistic phenomena were discovered after the 20th century?

• structuralism

• sociolinguistics

• anthropological linguistics

What is language preservation and revitalization?

Languages die - the act of preserving language

What is the understanding of language from a linguistic standpoint?

All human languages are equal

Languages are a result of…

communities

What is (language) ideology?

The set of beliefs and attitudes about language that people develop, often unconsciously

How are language ideologies shaped?

Power relations, media, education systems, and historical narratives

What is typically at the top of language hierarchies?

Global or national languages with economic, political, or military clout

(education systems, government institutions, international commerce)

How can language shift and language death occur?

Speakers of less prestigious languages may experience linguistic insecurity, leading them to abandon their mother tongues or stop transmitting them to the next generation

What is intra- speaker variation?

Linguistic diversity within individuals (inner monologue)

Explain the situational variation of intra-individual linguistic diversity.

Individuals often adjust their language depending on the social context or interlocutor (register shift or style shifting)

What is multilingualism?

The ability of individuals or societies to use more than one language is both a cause and consequence of linguistic diversity

What is linguistic profiling?

The practice of judging people’s social characteristics — such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or nationality based on their use of speech and language

Linguistic profiling reveals how linguistic diversity intersects with…

power, prejudice, and systemic inequality

What is language genocide?

Any deliberate act committed with intent to destroy the language, religion, or culture of a national, racial, or religious group on grounds of national or racial origin or religious belief

What is the vergonha system?

The French state implemented a policy of shaming and punishing children for speaking regional languages in schools