3.4 Language and Language Diffusion

What is a language?

  • A system of communication that uses signs, gestures, marks, or vocal sounds to communicate thoughts, feelings, and ideas.

  • No other cultural trait is more commonly binding people together than language.

  • Linguistic geography is the study of speech areas and their local variations.

How do Languages Differ?

  • Layout

    • Western societies write from left to right

    • Northern Africa and Western Asia (Middle East) write from right to left

    • Eastern Asia write from top to bottom

  • Letters = Languages use different alphabets

  • Sounds = Languages allow different sounds

  • Grammar = Order of sentences = SVO, SOV, VOS, VSO

Languages in the World

  • There are an estimated 7,100 languages spoken in the world.

  • Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish are the mother tongue or second language of about half of the world's population.

  • Approximately 80% of languages are spoken by less than 100,000 people.

  • Approximately 50 languages are only spoken by one person.

Language Families - Languages with a shared, but fairly distant origin.

Language is culturally defined. Standard languages are those recognized by people for use in schools, government, media, and general use.

Dialect - Reigonal variants of a standard language.

Indo-European Language Tree

Indo-European is the language family spoken by 46% of the World's population.

  • Family = A collection of individual languages with a common ancestor (very distant). This one is Indo-European.

  • Branch = A group of languages that share a common origin but have evolved into different languages.

  • Group = Several languages within a branch which share a common past. Few differences in grammar and vocabulary.

  • Leaf = The actual language.

  • Dialect = Regional variants of a standard language.

MEMORY TOOL:

Fierce Bears Growl Loudly Daily

Family Branch Group Leaf Dialect

Most common language family? Indo-European

Most common NATIVE language? Chinese Mandarin

Most common SPOKEN language (native plus other speakers)? English

Indo-European Origination

Sedentary Farmer Hypothesis:

  • Also called the “Renfrew hypothesis”

  • Indo-European started in the Fertile Crescent (present day Turkey)

  • Language diffused peacefully through agricultural trade

Nomadic Warrior Thesis:

  • Also called the “Conquest theory”

  • Indo-European began in the vicinity of S. Russia

  • Kurgan Warriors brought the language with them as they conquered other areas

Linguistic Fragmentation:

  • Occurs when people in a country speak many different languages.

  • This is often caused by physical or cultural barriers.

  • Papua, New Guinea has over 850 languages making it the most linguistically diverse place on Earth.

Pidgin - An extremely simplified, limited non-native language used by two people who have extended interactions, but speak different languages. Creates a hybrid between the two.

Creole - A pidgin language that develops into a new combined language with native speakers.

Lingua Franca: A common language used by speakers of two different languages for communication, usually formal - within business, trade, commerce, or in pop culture. Makes communication possible between people not sharing an original language.

Official Languages:

  • The language used by the government - when making laws, reports, signs, public objects, money, and stamps

    • Can be centripetal or centrifugal

      • Positives: Creates unity in diverse states, efficient, aids in communication, cheaper costs (only print in 1 language)

      • Negatives: Language of powerful majority and/or former colonial power. Marginalizes/Isolates or endangers other languages and culture

    • Many countries that experience linguistic fragmentation also have an official language

      • India's in English and Hindi

    • An official language is NOT always the majority language of an area

      • New Zealand's official language is only spoken by 5% of the population

    • Some countries have more than one official language

      • Example: Switzerland has four: German, French, Italian, and Romansh

Language Isolate:

  • A language that is not related to any other language around it.

  • They are like a language family… But of only one language.

Dialect:

  • A regional variation of a language distinguished by distinctive accent, grammar, usage, and spelling.

Isogloss:

  • A boundary which a certain language or dialect is spoken

  • It is not a clear line of demarcation, however, with the use of particular words fading as the boundary is approached