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
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