Language APHUG

language family
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Terms in this set (18)
language family
collection of languages related through a common ancestor than existed long before recorded history

most broad

ex: english is in the indo-european family
Language branch
a collection of languages related through a common ancestor that existed thousands of years ago

ex: english is in the germanic branch
Language group
languages with in a branch that share a common origin in the relatively recent past and display relatively few differenes in grammer and vocab

ex: english is in the west germanic group
dialect
a regional variation of a language distinguished by distinctive vocab, spelling and pronunication

ex: AAVE
Kurgan Theory
indo-european languages diffused from a hearth located in russia/ukraine in 1000 BCE. Kurgans were nomadic warriors and conquered their way through europe and south asia and spread language
Anatolian theory
Indo-european languages were facilitated through successful agricultural practices. As these practices became more successful, surplus foods were available and the population increased. As the population increased, people migrated out of the hearth and throughout Europe and Asia.
largest language family
indo-european with 2.9 billion speakers
most spoken language
english
pidgin languages
extremely simplified, limited non-native language used by two people that speak two different languages ex: "What for Miss Willis laugh all time? Before Fraulein cry all time" (why does miss willis often laugh? Fraulein used to always cry.)
creolized languages:
a pidgin language that develops into a new combined language through settings of colonization or slavery ex: Cajun/Louisiana Creole
Lingua francaA language that makes trade or communication easier between people who speak two different native languageslingua franca examplesLatin America: spanish Eastern Europe: Russian East asia: Mandarin Middle east/north africa: arabic Eastern africa: swahili world: englishisoglossA geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs. Lines that divide dialects ex: tennis shoes vs sneakers in northeastrole of internet in diffusion and extinctionthe internet allows diffusion to become more widespread, ease of access (many people have phones/internet, so the technology spreads quickly and to nearly everyone)Examples of famous multilingualism & fragmentation (ex: Belgium, Nigeria, Switzerland, Caucasus)from a website: If you look at the map on Belgium, you will notice the many countries that border the country. Walloons (southern populations in Beligum) speak French due to the location. People in northern Beligum speak a dialect of Dutch and German known as Flemish. One of the conflicts with the language differences is seen on road signs. As one travels from north to south in Beligum, the road signs change to reflect the changing culture. The country does have government representatives for each of the languages to ensure that the country is equally divided in linguistics. Switzerland has a reputation of being the nuetral country. Being centrally located in Europe, there are many languages that are used in Switzerland. There are four major langauges in Switzerland: German, French, Romansh, and Italian. The official languge in Switzerland is Romansh that local government votedon in 1938. guessing nigeria: lots of indigenous languages but english is official bec colonializationExtinct Language/Groups, Revived Language (ex: Hebrew, Celtic, Welsh)hebrew:has been revived- jewish bible written in hebrew- diminished in 4th century celtic/welsh: dying idkReason for various English dialectsDifferent regions/needs for language Outside influences (such as large immigrant populations) in certain areas can produce accents (ex: New York/Jersey accents influenced by Italian/European presence), can adopt words/slang from other languages The dialects are preserved when groups live in isolation from each otherRole of language fragmentation (centripetal vs centrifugal forces); preservation and isolation (Basque, Iceland)Language fragmentation = centrifugal, when a country has multiple dialects and languages used, there is less commonalities between its people