Language Families 

Indo-European = largest language family

• 46% of the world’s population

• Spread across globe through colonialism/migration

  • most widely diffused language family

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Remember this family includes language branches associated with Europe (Germanic, Slavis, Romance, etc.) but also branches in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran!

Distribution of Langauge Families

• Classification of languages

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  • Sino-Tibetan = 2nd largest language family

  • 21% of the world’s population

    • Madarin= most speakers single native language in the world

• Africa

  • extensive diversity
  • 1,000 distinct languages
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    • thousands of dialects
  • Niger - Congo family
  • 95% of sub-Saharan
  • Originated in west/central Africa (Cameroon/ Nigeria)
  • Spread through “Bantu expansion” beginning c. 1000 BCE
    • EX) Zulus
  • extensive diversity
  • Niger-Congo family
  • Khoisan
  • Hunter/gatherers (San)
  • “Bushmen” = derogatory
  • Pastoralists (Khoi)
    • “Hottentots” = derogatory
  • “Clicking” languages
    • Oldest form of human communication?

• Afro-Asiatic (Semitic)

  • Arabic= most widely spoken Semitc language
  • ironic since

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