Mid Term 2 section 2 Flashcards
Language Shift
languages with fewer speakers and those with less power are being abandoned in favor of more powerful languages or economic opportunities.
Extinct Languages
when no one speaks the language (no natives, no records)
Dead Languages
language has no more native speakers, language is still prevalent but needed to be sought out to acquire.
Critically Endangered Languages
spoken by few members of the oldest generation
Definitely Endangered
language not spoken by children
Vulnerable Languages
not spoken by children outside of the home
Safe Languages
intergenerational transfer of the language
Intergenerational Transfer
parents teaching their children the language
Causes of Language Death
natural disasters, famine, disease; war and genocide; political repression; economic, political and cultural marginalization
Economic Marginalization
when poverty leads people to migrate towards cities and other countries, thus dispersing speakers
Political Marginalization
education and political activity is carried out exclusively in a majority language
Cultural Marginalization
when one language is considered superior to others and attains a dominant position in a country
Language Revitalization
promoting education and literacy in minority languages; legislation aimed at protecting and stabilizing minority language
Language Preservation
the recording of languages before they become extinct
English Vernaculars
native dialects of specific populations (ex: California english)
English Language Complex
Indigenized variety spoken mainly as second language in ex-colonies with multilingual populations (ex: Indian English, Nigerian English)
Language Loss
when a speaker loses their first native language
Seven Levels of Language
Level 1: English (world’s primary language)
Level 2: Chinese, Spanish, Hindu-Urdu
Level 3: Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Malay
Level 4: significant nationally or regionally
Level 5: locally and socially strong
Level 6: small and (perhaps) managing
Level 7: extremely small and endangered
