Chapter 5Key Issue 4

Lucas, Chadai, Gisa, VanessaElizabeth, Deja, Natalie, Sydney

Intro- preserving language diversity

Preserving

Distribution of language is measured of the fate of an ethnic group

Migration Although Some languages are preserved due

to isolation, it is a "little used language” due to the isolation

-Example: Icelandic Language displays the two competing

geographic trends globalization and local diversity

Preserving language diversity • Thousands of languages are extinct

languages• Languages go extinct because only few

older speakers are still living, and they are not teaching the language to their children

• When Spanish missionaries went to Peru they discovered more than 500 languages • only 92 are still spoken

Extinction • Gothic was once widely spoken in E & N Europe• Language & E Germanic branch of the Germanic

branch of Indo-European now extinct• The language died because the descendants of

the Goths were converted to other languages through process of integration

• Example political dominance and cultural preference

• Example many Goth switched to Latin language after the switch to Christianity

Saving language

• The European Union established the European bureau for lesser used languages

• Provides finical aid to preserve endangered languages

• They expect only 300 languages will survives due to the fact that it has sufficient speakers and official government support

It was an ancient language used during biblical times

Old Testament written in Hebrew Became extinct in 4th century BC It was made the official language of Israel

along with Arabic It was chosen for its religious and cultural

significance to Jewish migrants

Revival of Hebrew

Hebrew was adapted by Ben-Yehuda who created the first Hebrew dictionary

This adaptation was necessary because the ancient Language had no words for modern technology.

Adaptation

Celtic was once spoken across Europe by Celtic tribes,

Invasion of Germanic tribes & French lead to its near extinction

Approximately 7% of people in the British Iles speak Gaelic (Celtic) even though it is the official language

Preservation of Endangered Languages

Celtic Languages disappeared for two reasons

The dominance of English and the

The cultural belief that English is better.

Why Celtic Disappeared

Revival of Celtic LanguagesSpeakers of Brythonic fled westward to Wales where Welsh

became dominated language.

French and English started to emerge and become popular, so in order to preserve Welsh:

- Britain’s 1988 Education Act made it so Welsh was taught in all schools - Welsh History, Music, and Culture have all been added to curriculum- Local gov’ts & utility companies forced to provide services in Welsh.- BBC produces Welsh language television and radio

Welsh speakers increased from 19 percent in 1991 to 21 percent in 2001

Irish Gaelic ◦ One of Ireland’s official languages

Grown in recent years especially among younger people◦ Singers and Musicians started recording things more in Gaelic◦ Irish language TV stations started broadcasting in 1996◦ English road sign banned in parts of Western Ireland in 2005

Multi-Lingual States & Belgium & Switzerland

-The boundary between the Romance and Germanic branches of the Indo-European runs through the middle of Belgium and Switzerland

- This can cause difficulties in reconciling the interests of the different language speakers

Multi-Lingual States

- Southern Belgians ( aka Walloons), speak French- Northern Belgians (aka Flemings), speak Flemish

(a dialect of Germanic language Dutch)

Belgium

- Both groups have difficulties sharing national power

This resulted in the division of Belgium into two regions, Flanders and Wallonia

In the capital of Belgium signs are written in both languages

Belgium (continued)

- Switzerland is the exact opposite of Belgium, being able to stay peaceful with multiple languages due to a decentralized government.

- Local authorities hold most power and decisions are made by voter referenda

- Switzerland has 4 official languages:- German (65% of population)- French (18% of population)- Italian (10% of population)- Romansh (1% of population)

Switzerland

Isolated Languages through an Unchanging

Language: Icelandic (6)

A language unrelated to any other and therefore not attached to any to any language family.

Similarities and differences between languages are a measure of the degree of interaction among groups of people.

Isolated Language

The best example of an isolated language in Europe

No attempt to link Basque to the common origin of the other European languages has been successful

Spoken by 600,000 people in the Pyrenees Mountains of northern Spain and southwestern France

Basques lack a connection to other languages represents the isolation of the Basque people in their mountainous homeland

Pre Indo European Survivor: Basque

It is related to other languages in the North Germanic group of the Germanic Branch of the Indo European family.

It has changed less than any other language on this branch (in the past thousand years)

An Unchanging Language: Icelandic

Global Dominance of English

English: An Example of a Lingua Franca

English has become the language used to communicate internationally.

Ex: Pilots and Aircrafts

English: The International Language

English is an example of a Lingua Franca Definition: “Language of the Franks”

coined by Arab traders who used the language to communicate with European traders

Pidgin Language: A language that is mixed with a Lingua Franca and one’s own language

Hawaiin PidginLingua Franca

Other Examples: Swahili- East Africa Hindustani- South Asia Indonesian- Southeast Asia Russian- Former Soviet Union

Many countries have students learning English as a second language. Countries, like Japan for example, have determined that English is imperative to being a part of a global society, and have even considered adding English as a second official language.

Expansion Diffusion Of English

The British Empire Spread English throughout the world through Expansion diffusion.

This was not accomplished by military conquests or migration by English speaking people.

Expansion Diffusion: the spread of a trait through the snowballing effect of an idea rather than through the relocation of people.

Origin

English is changing through diffusion of new vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.

English is also fusing with other languages. Recent changes are caused by common usage and ethnic

dialects. For Example, African Americans slaves used to have a

certain dialect not understandable by their white masters.

Expansion Diffusion

In the 20th century, more African Americans moved South into large cities within the Northeast and Midwest.

Living in racially segregated communities, African Americans preserved their distinct dialects (Ebonics)

It is considered “Ghetto” English and interchanges certain words in the English language.

Ebonics

People in rural West Virginia also have their own distinct dialect.

Many African Americans consider Ebonics a measure of poor education, while some consider it an element of African American culture.

Much like Ebonics, an Appalachian dialect is part of a regional identity and also considered a measure of poor education.

English Today

Diffusion of other languages

Increasing integrated into other languages◦ French speakers find the invasion of English to

be alarming.◦ Spanish speakers find it stimulating.

Integration of English

Franglais: the widespread use of English in the French language

The French are upset with the increasing worldwide domination of English

Language = national pride & identity in France

Protection of the French language in Quebec is even more important because of it’s American surroundings.

Franglais

Spanglish: the combination of Spanish & English

Spoken by 28 million people Some changes modify the spelling of English

words to conform to Spanish preferences Had become especially widespread in

popular culture (i.e. lyrics, TV, magazines) Critics believes that it substitutes for

rigorously learning the rules of standard English & Spanish

Spanglish

Denglish: The diffusion of English words into German.

The “D” is for Deutsch. The German word for German.

The institute for German language sometimes protests the use of English company titles.

Denglish

English on the Internet

English was the dominant language of the internet during the 1990s: ¾ used English Higher percentage of e-commerce A reason why was that the United States

(most populous English speaking country) started first on making the internet available to its citizens.

The U.S. responsible for using the English-language nomenclature for the internet (WWW)

Dominance of the English Language declined from 71% in 1998 too 27 % in 2005

Mandarin language online users increased to 22% in 2005

The U.S. has remained the leading language of e-commerce

in 2004 47% of the purchases originated in the U.S. and the other 10 % in other English Speaking countries.

The English-based e-business will decline even more ….

Unless the WEB sites of these businesses are optimized to be found by increasingly important search engines.

French and Spanish in the United States and Canada

In Canada, there are many families whose native language is French; just as there are many families in the United States whose native language is Spanish. Families of both countries use English because it’s the dominant language of the countries and they think its necessary for career advancement and economic success.

Canada’s Official Languages are French and English

Most of the French speaking people live in Quebec

Canada was colonized by the French in the 17th century, then later captured by the British

Canada

The Unites States has no official language but our government and the majority of our country uses English

There is a large amount of Spanish speakers in the US due to large scale immigration for Latin American countries

United States

Case Study Revisited

French Canada • Quebec poorest and least developed Canadian

province• Has mandatory use of French in daily activities.• Replacing many English worded signs (ex. Octagonal

road signs have exchanged Stop for Arret) • Increased cooperation between French and English

speakers • Less segregation between communities

• Still difficulties faced by immigrants from non-French dominant countries• Preferred language English

French speakers in Canada and Spanish speakers in the United States currently live in continents dominated by the English language.

Language unity feature of the United States (Immigrants learn English)

United States a large amount of language diversity◦ There have been moves to make English the official

language of the USA◦ Linguistic laws Constitutional right of Free Speech ◦ Promotion of bilingual teachings in USA schools

Prevented by lack of resources and economic troubles ◦ English is increasing in importance around the world

Hispanic America