Introduction To Language

MAUREEN COWAN
CHAPTER SIX
 In this WikiSpace Page:

You will discover the answers to the following

questions:
What are languages, and what role do languages play
in cultures?
Why are languages distributed the way they are?
How do languages diffuse?
What role does language play in making places?
 Definition

Language is defined as a set of sounds, combination

of sounds, and symbols that are used for
communication,

BUT….

Language is a lot more than that. It represents our

traditions, values, modes of expression, religions,
and all other aspects that comprise our cultures.
 Chinese

Chinese is the language with the most

number of speakers, at over 1.2 billion
(the world population is about 6.8
billion)
Although Chinese (Mandarin,
Cantonese, and other dialects) have the
most speakers, the geographic
distribution of these speakers is
concentrated in China and its territories.
Consequently, Chinese is not necessarily
a global language.
 Arabic

Arabic, the next most spoken

language, has about 422 million
speakers.
Arabic is a lot more widespread,
with native speakers across
North Africa, the Middle East,
and parts of South Asia
Prayers and teachers of the
Islamic faith are traditionally
written in Arabic
 Hindi

Hindi is the third most

spoken language in the world
It has over 366 million people
Like Chinese, but unlike
Arabic, Hindi is concentrated
almost entirely in the Indian
subcontinent
Consequently, the linguistic
distribution applies mainly to
the region of South Asia, and
Hindi is not a global language
 English

English, the language that you are currently reading

in, is the fourth most populous language
English has over 341 million speakers and is widely
distributed across the planet
Peoples in all of the continents speak English to
some extent, either by native tongue, the effects of
colonialism, or globalization
 Abstract Concept: Think.

Draw a picture of “language.”

It’s difficult isn’t it? This is because language is such
an abstract concept that encompasses an infinite
amount of aspects that make us who we are.
But seriously, draw a quick picture of language,
highlighting the abstract concepts that are most
important to YOU.

What does your picture look like?

 What does it look like?

You can’t “draw” words, so the picture that you drew

can look like anything relevant to language.
 Language Tree

All of the
languages that
we know of and
are spoken today
actually make up
an extremely
small section of a
“branch” in the
grand scope of
the tree of
linguistics
 Language Popularity by Internet Users

English – 33%
Chinese – 13%
Japanese – 8%
Spanish – 6%
German – 6%
French – 4%
Korean – 4%
Italian – 3%
Other – 23%
 Language By Internet - Analysis

English’s position as a global language is evident in

the realm of technology
A group of 341 million out of the 6.8 billion people in
the world, a group of less than 20%, makes up the
highest group of internet users
Because the internet is a tool that has been
connecting languages and cultures, English users
dominating the realm indicate its position in the
world
 Internet Content, by Language

English – 68%
Chinese – 4%
Japanese – 6%
Spanish – 2%
German – 6%
French – 3%
Russian – 2%
Other – 9%
 Internet Content Analysis

As demonstrated by the information regarding

internet users, English dominates the internet; in
this case, in the form of actual internet content
This is significant because individuals who speak all
languages will come across information in the world
in English, thus aiding the process of globalization
and the theoretical expansion of English as a
“super-” global language
 Importance of Language to YOU

What is the importance of language to you?

How would our lives be different without the use of
language?
Keep in mind, there are different types of languages
– not just those with words. For example, there are
indigenous African languages that speak with
“clicks,” as well as Inuit languages that communicate
to an extent with the eyes. Sign language is a
language too! Could we live without language?
What would life be like without language?
 Language and Politics

Language can be
politically charged
In multilingual nations, or
countries in which people
speak more than one
language, it is often very
controversial to choose
one language over another
as an “official” or
“standard” language.
 Language and Politics (cont’d)

Language can politically unite a nation, or it can

cause ethnic tensions between different linguistic
groups
Many African nations chose to adopt the languages
of their colonizers for the sake of unity, because the
borders drawn by European colonizers were
extremely arbitrary and did not regard the immense
diversity and number of ethnolinguistic groups
 Language and Politics (cont’d)

The West African nation of Nigeria, for example, has

over 370 cultural groups, and over 500 different
languages, agglomerated into arbitrary borders.
Consequently, the government of Nigeria uses
English as its official language, the language
selected, often by the educated and politically
powerful elite, to promote internal cohesion; usually
the language of the courts and government.
 History of Languages

Languages have long and complex histories that

chronicle the movement of man from Africa
throughout the world
Because Africa hypothetically contains the hearth of
all languages, the ethnolinguistic diversity is much
more abundant than in other areas, because different
groups have lived and established cultures more
ancient than other civilizations.
In Africa alone, there are estimated to be over 1000
languages.
 Endangered and Extinct Languages

Languages, like animal species, can be lost if we let

them be replaced by other languages. When this
happens, entire cultures, along with their traditions,
values, religions, etc, are lost.
It is estimated by the Living Tongues Institute for
Endangered Languages that a language is lost every
fourteen days. This means that we are losing
languages faster than ever before in the history of
man.
 How can we preserve languages?

Languages will continue to become extinct, but the

only thing we can do is to learn about them,
appreciate them, and raise awareness about them to
prolong their existences and enjoy their
ethnolinguistic and cultural uniqueness while they
are still here.
By reading the information in this PowerPoint and
contained in our Wiki, you are becoming aware of
the beauty of language, and how important they are
in our lives and our cultural identities.