English in contact Flashcards
Lingua Franca?
Globally used language
How did english come into power?
Through a historical and geographical accident
What are the Kachru’s circles of english
Inner, Outer and expanding
What does the inner circle do?
Makes the rules
What does the outer circle have?
A high fluency of english
What does the expanding circle do?
Learn the inner circles english
What is a pidgin?
A simplified language that develops as a means of communication
What is theorised about a creole?
Theorised that some pidgins can become creoles when parents who speak a pidgin teach it to their child as a first language.
What is a creole?
a stable language that originates seemingly as a “new” language.
since when have linguists tried to say that creole languages aren’t inferior
middle of the late 19th century
through what has creole experienced a revival?
Social, Political and academic changes
why are creoles seen as degenerate languages?
The low status in the eyes of european colonies.
What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?
That what we say is shaped by our worldview and that our worldview is shaped by the language we speak.
what is the Konigsberg’s iceberg analogy?
The Konigsberg’s iceberg analogy draws attention to underlying factors that determine our language choices
What is on the layer above the water of the iceberg?
Words and sounds written or spoken that are transmitted to an audience
What is on the layer just below the water?
The subtle signals that need to be decoded to understand the meaning.
What is language loss?
When the competency of that languages speakers decrease
what is deep below the surface of the water?
Values, beliefs and attitudes that make up our identity
What is total language loss?
When no speakers of the language are left
what is moribund?
A language has reduced so much that it is never used.
What is gradual language death?
Slowly over a period of time
What is bottom to top language death?
Younger generations not learning the older generations language
What is top to bottom language death?
A push from higher ups to stop the language
What is radical language death?
A language isn’t spoken for self defence reasons
What is linguicide?
Sudden language death, due to genocide, Death of language speakers or biological death.
Why is Economics a reason for language loss?
To earn more money
Why is migration a reason for language loss?
To change languages to the country moved to
Why is Natural disasters a reason for language loss?
cause devastation for minority languages
Why is sociolinguistic causes a reason for language loss?
if the constructions of society fail to support linguistic diversity
What is language maintenance?
It is the continuing use of a language in the presence from a more powerful language
What does language maintenance involve?
Involves keeping endangered languages alive
What is language reclamation?
Considered as the attempt by a government to recover the spoken use of a language that isn’t spoken or is endangered
