Language Families - Stepek AP Human...
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Transcript of Language Families - Stepek AP Human...
Language Families
Use this powerpoint to supplement the
information on the graphic organizer and to
color code the global distribution of
language families map.
Distribution of Language Families
• Indo-European = largest language family • 46% of the world’s population
• Spread across globe through colonialism/migration
– most widely diffused language family
– See following maps!!!!
• Remember this family includes language branches
associated with Europe (Germanic, Slavic, Romance
etc.) but also branches in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
and Iran!
Indo-European
Indo-European
(Indo-Iranian Branch)
Indo-European Distribution
Indo-European Distribution
Indo-European Distribution
Indo-European Distribution
Indo-European Distribution
Indo-European Distribution
Distribution of Language Families
• Classification of languages
– Sino-Tibetan = 2nd largest language family
• 21% of the world’s population
– Mandarin
» most speakers of a single native language in the world
• written “Chinese” can be understood by speakers of many
“Chinese” languages/dialects, why?
– Ideograms
» written characters which represent ideas or
concepts not specific pronunciations.
» huge amount of characters, hard to learn hence
high illiteracy rate in China
Sino-Tibetan Family
Distribution of Other Language Families
• Africa
– extensive diversity
• 1,000 distinct languages
• + thousands of dialects
– Niger-Congo family
• 95% of sub-Saharan
• Originated in west/central
Africa (Cameroon/Nigeria)
• Spread thru “Bantu
migration” beginning c.
1000 BCE
– Example = “Zulus”
Distribution of Other Language Families
• Africa
– extensive diversity
– Niger-Congo family
– Khoisan
• Hunter/gatherers (San)
– “Bushmen” = derogatory
• Pastoralists (Khoi)
– “Hottentots” = derogatory
• “Clicking” languages
– Oldest form of human
communication?
Languages of North
Africa and Middle
East
• Afro-Asiatic (“Semitic”) – Arabic = most widely spoken
Semitic language
• ironic since Arabs are often
accused of “anti-semitism”
• spread thru diffusion of Islam
• Other Arabic influence mainly
through Quran and trade – Swahili “people of the coast” =
Bantu + Arabic influence
– Urdu = Hindi + Arabic/Persian
– Hebrew, Berber
• Hebrew = once extinct, sacred
language revived with est. of
the state of Israel
• Berber = language of
indigenous N. Africans before
“Arabization”.
Languages of Central Asia and the Middle East
• Altaic or (Turkic) language family • Turkish = most widely spoken language in family
– Ottoman migration brings Turkic from Central Asia to “Turkey”
• Central Asia (Kazaks = “Kazakhstan”, Uzbekistan etc.,
Mongolian)
– Formerly suppressed under Russian Empire/USSR (Russification)
Distribution of Other Language
Families – Uralic
• Significant Non-Indo-European family in Europe
– Estonian, Hungarian (Magyar), and Finnish languages
– Basques? Unknown or nonexistent relation to other languages
• “Language isolate” = language cutoff from related
languages by in-migration or unrelated to other languages. – Basque speakers were cutoff and isolated by the waves of Indo-European
speakers (Celts, Germanic tribes, etc.) migrating into Europe
Other Language Families • Austronesian (Malay-Polynesian)
– SE Asia, Philippines, Indonesia, Madagascar
– Diffuses to Madagascar, involved the crossing of the Indian Ocean in outrigger
canoes (AWESOME!)
• Dravidian: South Indian languages – dated from before Aryan invasion (Indus Valley Civ.)
– Dravidian Tamils vs. Indo-Euro Singhalese = Sri Lanka civil war
• Japanese and Korean – Both influenced by China
– Korean possibly linked to Altaic (controversial)
• Austro-Asiatic (Mon-Khmer) – Vietnam and Cambodia and other non-contiguous areas in South and
Southeast Asia
– Uses Latin alphabet (brought by missionaries in the 17th century)
• Nilo-Saharan = very small numbers
• Caucasian – Caucasus mountainous region = most lang. family diversity, why?
– 4 language families, many religions
• Tai-Kadai = SE Asia (Thai and Lao)
• Other = 7,000 languages total, 50- 90% extinct by 2100
Other Language Families
Caucasus = region with most
language family diversity
“Other” = mostly isolated
Voila! The Complete Map