1. Language
AP Human Geography

2. What is Language?
A system of communication through speech, gestures, signs, etc.
Allows the transmission of culture from one generation to the next.
Languages may or may not have a literary tradition, which is a system of written communication.

3. Language Facts Close to 7,000 languages worldwide.
Only 10 have 100 million+ speakers
Chinese (14%)
Spanish (4.9%)
English (4.7%)
Hindi (2.7%)
Arabic (3.1%)
Portuguese (2.7%)
Bengali (2.6%)
Russian (2.2%)
Japanese (1.9%)
Standard German (1.4%)

4. Breakdown of Languages
Mother Tongue/ Common Language
Language Family (Indo-European)
Language Branch (Germanic, Romance)
Language (English, Spanish)
Dialect (British English v. American English, Spanish Spanish v. Mexican Spanish)

5. Language Families
A collection of languages related through a common ancestral language that existed long before recorded history.
Examples: Indo-European (German, Spanish, English)

6. Language Branches
Each language family is broken down into various branches.
Each branch is broken down into specific languages.
For example, the Germanic branch includes English, German, Dutch and Flemish languages.

9. The Indo-European Language Family
8 branches total (4 major)
449 individual languages
3 billion speakers worldwide
Germanic branch
English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans
Romance branch
Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian
Balto-Slavic branch
Russian, Polish, Ukrainian
Indo-Iranian branch
Hindi, Bengali, Farsi

10. Other families Sino-Tibetan Niger-Congo Afro-Asiatic Mandarin Chinese
Yoruba (Hi Margaret!), Xhosa
Afro-Asiatic
Arabic

11. Examples GERMANIC BRANCH Hello. My name is Mister P. (English)
Hallo. Mein Name ist Herr P. (German)
Hallo. Mijn naam is Mister P. (Dutch)
ROMANCE BRANCH
Hola. Mi nombre es Míster P. (Spanish)
Ciao. Il mio nome è Mister P. (Italian)
Bonjour. Mon nom est Monsieur P. (French)

12. Global Dominance of English
English has become the dominant language of the world, used globally for business and communication
Why?
England’s dominance 1600’s- early/mid 1900’s.
America’s dominance post-WWII.
Lingua Franca
A common language between different groups, usually on the international level.
Ex. English is a common lingua franca in the world of business and government.

13. English as an Official Language

14. % of English Speakers

15. Dialects Dialect- a regional variation of a language.
Vocabulary (Pop vs. Coke vs. Soda, Eraser vs. Rubber, Bubbler vs. ???)
Spelling (center vs. centre, shop vs. shoppe)
Pronunciation (you all vs. ya’ll, creek vs. crick)
Isogloss- The geographic boundary of a word or other linguistic factor.
Standard Language- dialect that is recognized as most acceptable for govt., business, education, mass comm.

16. U.S. Dialects

17. Isogloss

18. Official Languages
Official language- a language designated by a govt. for use in laws, reports, public objects (road signs)
U.S.= No official language
Canada= French and English
Switzerland= German, French, Italian, Romansh
Kenya= Swahili, English