Commack Schools



AP Human GeographyChapter 5- LanguageKey Issue #4: Why do people preserve local languages?250507524320500Multilingualism Case StudiesA. Nigeria - Unimaginable linguistic diversity – legacy of colonialism (some source suggest 500+ languages)- 4 major regional languages (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and Fulani) - 12 major local languages spoken by 1 to 5 million people- Adopted English as its "official language”- Has precluded major cultural conflict based on language- Caused problems for children first entering school knowing only traditional languages- Only spoken by small, urban minorityB. Canada- Large French-speaking territory w/ even larger English-speaking area- French law and language sustained in Quebec- French language was protected in parliament and in the courts- Language divides the country2828290-13335000C. Belgium- Dutch-speaking region in the north & French-speaking region in the south- Brussels (capital) officially bilingual, French-speaking majority- Language regions separate Romance and Germanic branches of Indo-European - Conflict has been largely nonviolent- Languages/ethnic issues dominate politics E. Switzerland:- Decentralized government where local authorities hold most power, therefore they peacefully co-exist with 4official languages6352794635German speaking (63.7%), French speaking (20.4%), Italian speaking (6.5%), Romansch (0.5%) German speaking (63.7%), French speaking (20.4%), Italian speaking (6.5%), Romansch (0.5%) Language displays 2 competing geographic trends of globalization and local diversityPreservation of LanguageExtinct language – no longer spoken or read in daily activities (ex : Gothic in E. and N Europe – switched to Latin languages after their conversion to Christianity) Hundreds of languages will become extinct in the 21st centuryHebrew - extinct language that was revivedAt the time of Jesus, most in Israel spoke Aramaic, then Arabic.Hebrew was used to unify the diverse population in the newly created Israel 1948Led by Ben-Yehuda, new words were created and a dictionary made - invention of 4000 new Hebrew wordsCelticTwo thousand years ago, it was spoken in Northern Italy, Germany, the British IslesIrish and Scottish Gaelic 7% in Ireland and 1% in ScotlandEnglish imperialism discouraged the use of the Irish native tongueIrish Gaelic & English - official languages of Republic of Ireland (350,000 Irish speak it)Scottish Gaelic - 1% of Scottish speak itBrythonic (Britannic)1/6th of the people in Wales still use Welsh as their primary language, even though almost all know EnglisIn Brittany they speak Breton which is a Celtic Language infused with French wordsWales -conquered by England in 128322% Wales speak WelshCornish - extinct 1777 - last known speaker Dolly Pentreath diedEU (European Union)Established European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages based in Dublin, Irelandprovides financial support for preservation of several dozen indigenous, regional, and minority languages spoken by 46 million EuropeansWelsh people are now speaking more and more Welsh due to preservation attempts (The BBC requires Welsh television)Road signs in Western Ireland counties have to be in Gaelic34417002857500Welsh history and music added to curriculumIrish language TV station began 1996Irish singers reviving GaelicCornish revived 1920sIsolated LanguagesIsolated language – a language unrelated to any other and not belonging to a language family – arise through a lack of interaction8509024638000A. Pre-Indo-European Survivor: Basque –The best example of an isolated language in Europe. Basque is spoken by 600,000 people in the Pyrenees Mountains.B. Icelandic- North Germanic Group that has not changed significantly due to isolation- Norwegian settlers conquered the area in A.D. 874 and had little contact with the Scandinavian countries that adaptedToponymsA toponym is a place name that people call into being and import a character to itA name of a place can give us a quick glimpse into the history of a placeShifts take place where the past is wiping out and call forth the newEx. Kenai peninsula in AlaskaNanwalek in the early 1800’sRussians took over and named it AlexandrofAmericans purchased and changed it to English BayRecently, the townspeople changed the name back to Nanwalek, where native languages are being revivedPost-colonial ToponymsGold Coast – GhanaNorthern Rhodesia – ZambiaEast Pakistan – BangladeshLeopoldville – Kinshasa – Capital of CongoCongo even changed their name to Zaire after Mobutu , the dictator, changed the name. It is now the D.R. of Congo after the 1997 overthrowMemorial ToponymsVoting to change the name of a school, a library, or a buildingCivil rights movement in America left many lasting impressions of people and eventsThe distribution of MLK streets are located in poorer areas of the South ................
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