ch 4 notes language Flashcards
Language
A set of sounds, combinations of sounds, and symbols that are used for communication
types of language
Natural language Emerged and evolved within living or historic human communities Artificial language intentionally constructed by people for communication or fictional purposes Elvish languages in Lord of the Rings Dothraki language in Game of Thrones Esperanto sign language – (no universal sign)
natural language
Emerged and evolved within living or historic human communities
artificial language
intentionally constructed by people for communication or fictional purposes Dothraki language in Game of Thrones
language concepts
Linguistic dominance a situation where one language becomes relatively more powerful than another language Not strictly about number of speakers English vs. Chinese languages Loanword A word that originates in one language and is incorporated into the vocabulary of another language E.g. Ukulele and luau from Hawaiian, carvan and candy from Persian, fjord and ski from norwegian
linguistic dominance
a situation where one language becomes relatively more powerful than another language Not strictly about number of speakers English vs. Chinese languages
loanword
A word that originates in one language and is incorporated into the vocabulary of another language E.g. Ukulele and luau from Hawaiian, carvan and candy from Persian, fjord and ski from norwegian
language and national identity
Standard/Official Language A language that a country formally designates for use in its political, legal and administrative affairs
mono vs multilingual
Monolingual State a Country in which only one language is spoken Multilingual State a country in which more than one language is in use
official language
should a multilingual state adopt an official language?
dialect
: variants of a standard language along regional or ethnic lines
dialects: social dialects prestige dialects vernacular language linguistic geography
Social Dialects: dialects that reflect differences in social standing and educational level i.e. prestige dialect vs. vernacular Prestige dialect: a way of speaking associated with a high socioeconomic or educational status Vernacular Language: a localized or non official language, often used by those lower in social standing or in some isolated areas Linguistic geography – the study of spatial characteristics of language and dialects
isogloss
A geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs Dialect boundary (isogloss) between variants on American terms for a course sack Dialect boundary (isogloss) between terms for soft drinks (“soda” or “pop”)
language families
A group of languages descended from a common but distant ancestor (approx 90 families, but only 6 are major families)
protolanguage
a common language reconstructed by linguist
genetic classification
classification of languages by origin and historical relationships
languages by size
½ the world’s people speak languages belonging to the Indo-European language family all but 3 of the languages below are into European (Chinese arabic and japaneese are not)
historical linkakges amoung languages
Old English emerged out of proto Germanic language brought to England during the 5th and 6th centuries Middle English After 13th century “Modern Day” english 15th century (from London) Expands globally in 18th century
History of English main points:
1- anglosaxon… influenced by Vikings and chritians 2 – Shakespear – introduced new words to English King james bible – sCience (1600) Englih took word from other countries/languages Dictionaries American englih (industrial terms) Internet Global english
Renfrew (Anatolian) Hypothesis:
Proto-Indo-European began in the Fertile Crescent, and then: From Anatolia diffused Europe’s languages From the Western Arc of Fertile Crescent diffused North Africa and Arabia’s languages From the Eastern Arc of Fertile Crescent diffused Southwest Asia and South Asia’s languages. spread with Anatolian farmer/agriculture
Kurgan Hypothesis
Hearth of the Indo-European languages lies north of the Caspian Sea (near the current Russia/Kazakhstan border) kurgen nomadic hoarders domesticated horses and carried the language to the ease and west as they conquered new lands
How are Languages Formed?
can find linkages amoung languages by examining sound shifts – a slight change in a word across languages over time eg. Milk = lacte in Latin latta in Italian leche in Spanish lait in French Language divergence when a lack of spatial interaction among speakers of a language breaks the language into dialects and then new languages Language convergence when people with different language have consistent special interaction and their languages collapse into one
how do languages diffuse
human interaction print distribution migration trade rise of nation-states colonialism religion
language spread
Different Forms of Linguistic Diffusion Relocation: massive movement into new areas of speakers of a particular language (e.g. English or French in North America) Hierarchical: spread of language to a new are through colonial processes, assosiated with prestige and desire to function within the society
English diffusion to other languages
English words have been increasingly integrated into other languages Many French speakers regard the invasion of English words with alarm, but Spanish speakers may find the mixing of two languages interesting Franglais widespread use of English in French language cowboy, hamburger, jeans, t shirt, diffused into French and affected the purity of the language French Academy promotes the use of French terms in France (i.e. fin du semaine rather than le weekend)
spatial interaction helps create
lingua franca pidgin language creole language
lingua franca pidgin language creole language
Lingua franca A language used among speakers of different languages for the purposes of trade and commerce Pidgin language a language created when people combine parts of two or more language into a simplified structure and vocabulary Creole language a pidgin language that has developed a more complex structure and vocabulary and has become the native language of a group of people
pidgin language
a simplified amalgam (mixture/fusion) of languages which is not the main language of the speakers it is used to communicate in limited circumstance, such as business or government E.g. Democratic republic of Congo “Lingala”: mix of French and local Congolese dialects
spanglish
Pidgin language that has grown out of contact between English and Spanish speakers in US, Mexico and Puerto Rico Magazine article: “When he says me voy – what does he really mean?” Code switching: where a speaker alternates between languages during a sentence/conversation
creoles
may become more complex over time as grammatical rules, larger vocabulary, and introduced Can act as a unifying cultural force for formerly distinct groups (e.g. Haitian Creole which evolved from pidginized French and African dialects during the era of the slave trade)
toponym
a place name imparts a certain character on a place Reflects the social processes in a place can give us a glimpse of the history of a place
changing toponyms
When people change the toponym of a place, they have the power to “wipe out the past and call forth the new.” - Yi-Fu Tuan
Major reasons people change toponyms
After decolonization New governments renamed several countries and newly independent countries also changed the names of cities and towns to reflect their independence. Gold Coast to Ghana and Northern Rhodesia to Zambia east Pakistan to bangladesh Netherlands east indies to indonesia After a political revolution Changes in power through coups and revolutions prompt name changes
inuktitute video
majority of young people in Nunavut are illiterate in mother tongue inuktitut 40% in Nunavut losing ability to speak it Gap between generations… ie grandmother speak iniktitut, children use English Teaching up to grade 4 in iniktitut and the rest in English. Results in being illiterate in both Iniktitut needs a unified writing system 80% of people in Greenland are inuit. greenlandic thriving in Greenland –made Greenlandic standardized alphabet (same alphabet as English and dansih)
Major reasons people change toponyms
To memorialize people or events People change a toponym to memorialize an important person or event Vimy Ridge park Lagimodiere Boulevard Clayton H. Riddell Faculty To commodify or brand a place MTS Center Investors Group Field
endagered an extinct language
Endangered language A language that is no longer taught to children and is not used for everyday conversation Extinct/lost language A language that has no living speakers
linguistic diversity index
Linguistic diversity index (LDI) A measure that expresses the likelihood that 2 randomly selected individuals in a country speak different first languages Values range from 0.00 (no linguistic diversity) to 0.99 (a lot of linguistic diversity – 2 randomly selected people will probably speak different first languages) LDI does not simply reflect the number of languages Mexico has ~300 languages but a low LDI because most people speak Spanish
language hotspots
Occur when the following converge: Language endangerment High linguistic diversity Language is poorly documented
where shit comes from video
51% costs paid in Canada – can put product of Canada on the label -modified milk ingredients, mostly from new Zealand. Not considered milk product avoid tariffs, considered sugar -information not available for where ingredients Garlic – china or mexico — in Canada it is more expensive to extract from earth 87 – only 20% of food imported, now (2007) 40% Fish a product of Canada is the final step (ie seasoning, turn to fish sticks)
