What do you call a sweet bubbly beverage….

Geography of Languages

Language

What language is spoken by the most people in the world?

10 most spoken languages 1. Mandarin Chinese - 882

million2. Spanish - 325 million3. English - 312-380 million4. Arabic - 206-422 million5. Hindi - 181 million6. Portuguese - 178 million7. Bengali - 173 million8. Russian - 146 million9. Japanese - 128 million10. German - 96 million

Language

How many languages do you think are spoken in the world today?

Write your estimate on your notes

Language

Between 6,000 and 7,000 living languages in the world today

Many of these are endangered…

Why is Language Important?

Language is important to culture because it is the main means of communication

One generation passes customs and skills to the next generation through language

Dialect – regional variety of a language

United States Dialects

Eastern New England Pahk the cah

New York City fugedaboudit

United States Dialects

Chicago Urban They call any sweet roll doughnuts.

North Midland They call doughnuts belly sinkers,

doorknobs, dunkers, and fatcakes.

If someone speaks the same language as you… How do you communicate?

If someone speaks the same language as you, but a different dialect… How do you communicate?

If someone speaks a different language than you… How do you communicate?

Language

Lingua franca = language of trade and communication

What do you think is the lingua franca of the world?

English

English is the most widespread language in the world.

English spread rapidly when Britain began to colonize large areas of the world.

Today, English is the main language of the internet.

Did you know…

English is the universal language of airline pilots and air-traffic control.

Many students in European countries are multi-lingual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRLijCGe0vs&safety_mode=true&safe=active&persist_safety_mode=1

http://www.youtube.com/enduringvoices

Geography of Religion

Why are geographers interested in religion?

Religious differences are a key component of many conflicts around the world

Religion is an important part of many people’s identity and connection to a certain place

Types of religions

Ethnic religions – focus on one ethnic group and generally have not spread into other cultures. They do not seek to convert people to their beliefs.

Ethnic group – human populations that share a common culture or ancestry

Types of religions

Universalizing religions – seek followers all over the world. They hope to appeal to people of many different cultures.

Types of religions

Animist religions - People believe in the presence of the spirits and the forces of nature

Common in many traditional societies

likely were practiced long before more modern types of religions became common

Dates: What do BC and AD mean?

BC – “before Christ”AD – Latin “anno domini”, “in the year of

our Lord”

BCE – before common eraCE – common era

Time-line of major religions(approximate)

2000 BC: Hinduism1500 BC: Judaism600 BC: Buddhism, Confucianism0 AD: Christianity600 AD: Islam

Polytheism – belief in many gods Hinduism, animist religions

Monotheism – belief in one god Christianity Islam Judaism

No religion?While religion remains important

around the world, in some places it has declined.

A growing number of people in these places are secular, or non-religious. Example: Europe