Post on 16-Dec-2015
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 1
Human Geography
By James Rubenstein
Chapter 5Key Issue 1
Where Are English-Language Speakers Distributed?
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 2
Estimates of Distinct Languages
2000 to 4000 languages in the world.
About 100 languages are spoken by at least 5 million people.
Another 70 languages are spoken by 2 to 5 million people.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 3
Language
A system of communication through speech.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 4
Literary Tradition
A system of written communication.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 5
Official Language
A language designated by a
country for business and government.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 6
A country with more than one official
language may require all public documents
to be in all languages.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 7
Study of Geographic Elements
Migration spreads language. Cultural Values, such as religion and ethnicity, or communicated through language.
Global distribution results from - interaction- isolation
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 8
A language originates at a particular place and diffuses to other locations through the
migration of its speakers.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 9
Origin and Diffusion of English
English is spoken fluently by 1/2 billion people, more than
any language except for Mandarin.
Whereas nearly all Mandarin speakers are clustered in one
country – China – English speakers are distributed
around the world.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 10
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 11
English ColoniesThe contemporary
distribution of English speakers around the world exists because the people of England migrated with their language when they
established colonies during the past four centuries.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 12
The Diffusion of English Beginning in the 17th
century, from England to America.
Next to Ireland. To South Asia in the mid 18th century.
To South Pacific in the late 18th century.
To southern Africa in the late 19th century.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 13
Invasion and
Migration
Routes
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 14
Origin of English in England
Inhabited for thousands of years by tribes whose languages are unknown.
In 2000 B.C., the Celts arrived from Europe.
Around A.D. 450, Germanic tribes arrived and pushed the Celts to remote areas of parts of the island.
In 1066, French speaking Normans arrived from France.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 15
German Invasion The Angles, Jutes, and Saxons were among the German tribes that invaded England.
In Old English, Angles is spelled “Engles” and is the source of the name England.
The Angles came from a corner or “angle” of Germany.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 16
Viking Invasion Failed in their attempt to conquer the island.
Many remained in the country.
The language was enriched with many new words of Viking origin.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 17
Norman Invasion England was conquered by the Normans in 1066.
From the French province of Normandy
The invaders made French the language of the ruling court.
The majority of the people still spoke English.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 18
Loss of Normandy England lost control of Normandy in 1204.
In 1362, the Parliament enacted the Statue of Pleading which made English the official language of the court.
During the 300 years of Norman influence, French and German mingled to form new language.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 19
Dialects of English
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 20
Dialect
A regional variation of a language
distinguished by distinctive
vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 21
Standard DialectA dialect that is well
established and widely recognized as the most
acceptable for government, business, education, and mass
communication.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 22
British Received Pronunciation (BRP)
A dialect of England associated with upper-class London, which is
recognized as the “standard form” of
British speech.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 23
Dialects in England The 3 original dialects of Old English were associated with the 3 original invading groups.
By 1362, 5 regional dialects had emerged.
The BRP was encouraged by the introduction of the printing press to England in 1476.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 24
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 25
Language expert
Professor Henry Higgins
in “My Fair Lady”
teaching “Cockney”
speaking Eliza Doolittle proper
English.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 26
Regional Dialects Rules for spelling and grammar were established in the eighteenth century.
Several dozen dialects are grouped into 3 main ones:
- Northern- Midland- Southern
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 27
Differences between British and American
EnglishThe earliest colonists were
most responsible for the dominant language
patterns that exist today in the English-speaking
part of the Western Hemisphere.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 28
English in the UK and US evolved
independently during the 18th and
19th centuries.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 29
Differences in Vocabulary
Settlers in America borrowed names from Native Americans for many new objects and experiences encountered.
New inventions acquired different names on either side of the Atlantic.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 30
Differences Spelling
Spelling diverged because of a strong national feeling of need in U.S. for an
independent identity.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 31
Examples of differences
American EnglishElevator LiftFlashlight TorchAuto Hood BonnetAuto trunk Boot
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 32
Noah Webster Created the first comprehensive American dictionary and grammar books.
Argued that spelling and grammar reforms would help;
- establish a national language - reduce cultural dependence on
England- inspire national pride
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 33
Differences in Pronunciation
Between the U.S. and British speakers are immediately recognizable.
Has changed more in England than in the U.S.
“Proper” English today is not the same as “Proper” English during the colonial period.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 34
Dialects in the United States
Major differences in U.S. dialects originated because of differences in dialects among the
original settlers.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 35
Settlement in the East
Original American settlements
- New England- Middle Atlantic- Southeastern
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 36
Original Settlemen
ts
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 37
New England Colonists
Two-thirds were Puritans from East
Anglia in southeastern England.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 38
Southeastern Colonists
About half came from southeast England and represented a diversity
of social-class backgrounds.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 39
Middle Atlantic Colonists
More diverse – most came from the north of England, or from
other countries.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 40
Isogloss
Words that are not used nationally, but
have regional boundaries.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 41
Current Dialect Differences in the East Major differences occur primarily on the East Coast.
Eastern U.S. is separated into 3 major dialect regions due to two important isoglosses.
- Northern- Midland- Southern
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 42
Regional Isoglosses Some words are commonly used in one of the three major dialect areas, but rarely in two.
These words relate to - rural life
- food- objects from daily life
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 43
Regional Isoglosses Many words that were once regionally distinctive, now are national in distribution.
Mass media (especially radio and television) influence the adoption of the same words throughout the country.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 44
Regional pronunciation differences are more familiar to us than word differences,
although it is harder to draw precise isoglosses
for them.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 45
New England Accent Well-known for dropping the “r” sound maintained especially close ties to the important ports of southern England.
New Englanders received more exposure to the changes in pronunciation that occurred in Britain during the 18th century.
April 18, 2023 S. Mathews 46
The mobility of Americans has been a major reason for the
relatively uniform language that exists
throughout much of the West.