AP Human Geography 5.2

Key Issue 2: Where Did English and Related Languages Originate and Diffuse?

Distribution of Indo-European Branches

• Learning Outcome 5.2.1: Identify the origin, diffusion, and current distribution of Indo-European branches.

  • Indo-European Language Family: A vast family encompassing many languages.

  • Classification Hierarchy:

    • Language Family: Indo-European

    • Language Branch: Germanic

    • Language Group: West Germanic

    • Language Subgroup: Low Germanic

    • Specific Language: English

  • Global Statistics:

  • Nearly ___% of the world’s people speak a language belonging to the Indo-European language family.

  • Indo-European Branches:

  • Germanic Branch: Divided into West Germanic group and North Germanic group.

    • Five examples of languages from these groups:

    • Swedish

    • German

    • Danish

    • Dutch

    • Icelandic

  • Romance Branch: Derived from Latin; five languages include:

    • French

    • Spanish

    • Italian

    • Portuguese

    • Romanian

  • Indo-Iranian Branch: Contains the most speakers; three languages in the Iranian (Western) group include:

    • Persian

    • Pashto

    • Urdu

  • Indic (Eastern) Group: Found in South Asia; notable for India having 461 languages (per Ethnologue);

    • Official Languages of India:

    • Hindi

    • English

  • Eastern Europe Dominance:

  • Which language branch is dominant in Eastern Europe? Baltoslavic.

  • Soviet Language Policy:

  • Soviet officials enforced Russian language use among native speakers in the USSR to promote cultural unity.

  • Russian Language:

  • Widely spoken East Slavic language.

  • Notable West Slavic languages:

    • Polish

    • Czech

    • Slovak

Origins and Diffusion of Indo-European

• Learning Outcome 5.2.2: Identify and process the origin and diffusion of a language branch and family.

  • Romance Languages:

  • Originated from Latin (the language of Romans and the Roman Empire).

  • Vulgar Latin:

  • Spoked form of Latin learned in the provinces.

  • Post-Roman Empire Language Variation:

  • The collapse of the Roman Empire (5th century) led to decreased communication among provinces, resulting in significant variations as communities began to evolve independently.

  • Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America:

  • Became dominant primarily due to Spanish colonizers migrating to Latin America.

    • The population of native Spanish speakers in Latin America eventually outweighed that of indigenous languages.

  • Proto-Indo-European Language:

  • Linguistic connections to Proto-Indo-European are derived from comparative studies of shared vocabulary, rather than direct records.

  • Nomadic Warrior Theory (Marija Gimbutas):

    • Suggests diffusion occurred through Kurgan warriors establishing military dominance (3500 - 2500 B.C.) with horses and chariots.

  • Sedentary Farmer Theory (Colin Renfrew):

    • Proposes that the first speakers of Proto-Indo-European diffused during the spread of agricultural practices, increasing speaker populations due to food availability.

Origins and Diffusion of English

• Learning Outcome 5.2.3: Understand processes underlying the current distribution of English.

  • Invading Tribes:

  • Three groups that modified the Celtic language around 1500 years ago:

    • Angles

    • Saxons

    • Jutes

  • Influences on English Language:

  • Historicals words influenced by German and French include:

    • The word "England" (from Angler’s land)

  • Historical Context of English as an Official Language:

  • During the early 11th century, Normans conquered England, where French was the primary language until control waned and English rose to become dominant.

  • Concerns About Franglais:

  • Franglais poses a threat to cultural unity in France, as language serves as a national symbol.

  • Emergence of Hybrid Languages:

  • Examples of new languages created by mixing English with other languages:

    • Spanglish

    • Denglish

Global Importance of English

• Learning Outcome 5.2.4: Understand the concept of lingua franca.

  • Most Important Language for International Communication: English.

  • Lingua Franca Definition:

  • A language used for international communication, facilitating interaction among speakers of different native languages.

  • Reasons for Learning English Globally:

  • Non-English speakers learn English to participate in the global economy and culture.

  • Pidgin Language Definition:

  • A simplified form of lingua franca that foreigners learn to communicate.

  • Examples of Modern Lingua Francas (other than English):

  • Swahili

  • Russian

  • Hindi