Chapter 5: Language Flashcards
Linguistic geography
Study of speech areas and local variations
Language
System of communication uses signs gestures, marks, or vocal sounds to communicate thoughts, feelings, and ideas
Language family
With a shared, but fairly distant origin
Dialect
Regional variation of a language distinguished by distinctive vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation
Indo- European
Language family spoken by 46% if the world’s population
Official language
Language used by the government when making laws, reports, public objects, money, and stamps
Isolated language
Language that is not related to any other language around it
Isogloss
Geographic boundary line delimiting the area in which a given linguistic feature occurs
Lingua Franca
Language systematically used to make communication possible between not sharing an original language
Pidgin language
Simplified version of a language
Creole language
Major language of a people
Toponym
Study of place names: show historical concepts long after the event has happened or person has died
Literary tradition
System of written communication
Standard language
A dialect that is well established an widely recognized as the most acceptable for government
British Received Pronunciation (BRP)
Dialect of English associated with upper class Britons living in London and now considered standard living in the UK
