Thanks to visit codestin.com
Credit goes to www.scribd.com

Scribd
Upload
6 views3 pages

Language

The document outlines the basics of language, including definitions of institutional, official, literary, developing, vigorous, and dying languages. It discusses language distribution, major families like Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan, and theories on the origin and diffusion of Indo-European languages. Additionally, it highlights the global significance of English, dialect variations, multilingual states, efforts to preserve endangered languages, and the concepts of pidgin and creole languages.

Uploaded by

achilleslassalle
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
6 views3 pages

Language

The document outlines the basics of language, including definitions of institutional, official, literary, developing, vigorous, and dying languages. It discusses language distribution, major families like Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan, and theories on the origin and diffusion of Indo-European languages. Additionally, it highlights the global significance of English, dialect variations, multilingual states, efforts to preserve endangered languages, and the concepts of pidgin and creole languages.

Uploaded by

achilleslassalle
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

-​ Achilles lassalle

-​ 7/24/25

Language Basics

Language: A system of communication through speech.

Institutional language: Used in education, work, media, government (e.g., English


in the U.S.).

Official language: Legally designated for government use.

Literary tradition: A written as well as spoken language.

Developing language: In daily use with literary tradition.

Vigorous language: Spoken daily but lacking literary tradition.

Dying language: Used by older generations only.

Language Distribution

-​ 7,000+ languages spoken today.


-​ Only a few languages dominate global communication.
Language family: A collection of languages with a common ancestral language.

Language branch: A collection of related languages (e.g., Germanic, Romance).

Language group: Very closely related languages (e.g., West Germanic includes
English, German).

Major Language Families

Indo-European: Largest, spoken widely in Europe, Americas, South Asia.

Sino-Tibetan: Includes Mandarin (most spoken language globally).

-​ Other significant families: Austronesian, Afro-Asiatic, Niger-Congo, Dravidian,


Altaic, Japanese, Korean.

Origin and Diffusion of Indo-European Languages


Two main theories:
○​ Nomadic Warrior Theory (Kurgan Hypothesis):
○​ Language spread through military conquest.

★​ Originated in Russian steppes ~4300 BCE.


★​ Sedentary Farmer Theory (Anatolian Hypothesis):
★​ Spread through agriculture from Turkey ~6700 BCE.

Branches of Indo-European
■​ Germanic: Includes English, German, Dutch, etc.
■​ Romance: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian —
evolved from Latin.
■​ Balto-Slavic: Russian, Polish, Czech, etc.
■​ Indo-Iranian: Hindi, Urdu, Persian, etc.\

English: A Global Language

-​ West Germanic branch of Indo-European.

Influences: Celts → Angles, Saxons, Jutes → Norman invasion (French).

Dialect: Regional variation of a language.

Isogloss: Boundary between dialects.

English is a lingua franca: used for international communication.

Dialects and Variations

Standard language: A dialect used by government/media/education.

U.S. Dialects: Influenced by original settlers:

●​ Northern (New England)

●​ Midland (Pennsylvania area)

●​ Southern (Virginia and the South)

-​ Dialect differences stem from colonial roots, settlement patterns, and isolation.

Multilingual States and Language Diversity

●​ Switzerland: Peaceful coexistence of four official languages.

●​ Canada: English and French - bilingual federal policies.

●​ Nigeria: Over 500 languages; political tension along language/ethnic lines.

●​ Belgium: Conflict between Flemish-speaking north and French-speaking south.

Preserving Endangered Languages

Endangered language: Few speakers remain (e.g., Irish Gaelic).

Revived languages: Hebrew (revived in Israel post-1948).

Efforts to preserve: Education programs, official recognition, cultural pride.


Creole and Pidgin Languages

●​ Pidgin: A simplified blend of languages used for communication between groups.

●​ Creole: A pidgin language that becomes a native language (e.g., Haitian Creole).

●​ Spanglish: Spanish-English hybrid.

●​ Franglais: French-English mix.

●​ Denglish: German-English blend.

You might also like