Language – Let’s Wrap up Chapter 5

Toponym What is a toponym? How does this relate to Chapter 5? Can you identify a few examples?

Changing Toponyms What are the major reasons people change toponyms? – After decolonization – After a political revolution – To memorialize people or events – To commodify or brand a place

Martin Luther King, Jr. Streets Geographer Derek Alderman asks: * Where are MLK streets? * Why are they where they are? * What controversies surround memorializing MLK with a street name?

Language and Cultural Identity: How are people in this town protecting their French heritage?

Language Divisions in Belgium Belgium: Flanders (Flemish language) Wallonia (French language) Why are language divisions in Belgium so strong?

Why have the Swiss had an easier time with their 4 language divisions?

Monolingual State a country in which only one language is spoken Multilingual State a country in which more than one language is in use Should a multilingual state adopt an official language? Why so many languages?

Does the US have an Official Language? Are we monolingual or multilingual? States with Official English Laws

Which comes first? Which is last? Why? Creole Language Lingua Franca Pidgin Language

Spatial Interaction helps create: 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 languages 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.

Lost in Translation What are these signs supposed to say?

Chinese Ideograms Why do the Chinese write in ideograms? What are some (more than 1) drawbacks to using ideograms? Fig. 5-13: Chinese language ideograms mostly represent concepts rather than sounds. The two basic characters at the top can be built into more complex words.