Chapter 7 Key Terms

Question 1

language tree

Answer 1

it suggests how several languages are related to each other, as well as how one language grows out of another

Question 2

Indo-European language family

Answer 2

a large group of languages that might all have descended from a language spoken around 6,000 years ago

Question 3

romance languages

Answer 3

the unifying language of Latin diverged into distinct regional languages, known as romance languages

Question 4

isoglosses

Answer 4

the boundaries between variations in pronunciations or a word usage

Question 5

dialects

Answer 5

variations in accent, grammar, usage, and spelling

Question 6

adages

Answer 6

says that attempt to express a truth about life

Question 7

lingua franca

Answer 7

a common language used by people who do not share the same native language

Question 8

pidgin language

Answer 8

a simplified mixture of two languages that has fewer grammar rules and a smaller vocabulary

Question 9

creole language

Answer 9

two or more separate languages can mix and develop a more formal structure and vocabulary so that they are no longer a pidgin language

Question 10

official language

Answer 10

a language designated by law to be the language of government

Question 11

slang

Answer 11

informal usage by a segment of the population

Question 12

swahili

Answer 12

Arab-speaking merchants Bantu-speaking residents resulted in the development of Swahili. it is an official language for four African Nations