How Do Languages Diffuse Ben Ducharme Rob Welling

How Do Languages Diffuse Ben Ducharme, Rob Welling

§ 2000 years ago the most popular languages were Chinese and Latin due to the large empires they were able to obtain, this in turn allowed a large diffusion of their language. History § Local languages and illiteracy continued among the poor in the empires and some blending of local with regional languages occurred. § When the roman empire collapsed languages continued to diffuse with each other, promoting a round of linguistic divergence.

Middle ages The rise of nation states was equally important, for these political entities had a strong interest in promoting a common culture, often through a common language. Mercantilism allowed the expansion of England's influence and helped diffuse certain languages over vast portions of earths surface. During the middle ages the Gutenberg printing press and the rise of nation states worked to spread literacy and stabilize certain languages through widely distributed written forms. The printing press allowed for an unprecedented production of written texts, in languages besides Latin.

§ Over the last 500 years people have had huge The last 500 years opportunities to communicate and interact, this encouraged the formation of new languages to bridge linguistic gaps in trade in commerce. It has also spurred language replacement, and has encouraged language extinction.

§ A lingua Franca is a language used among speakers of Lingua Franca different languages for the purpose of trade and commerce. A lingua franca can be a single language, or it can be a mixture of two or more languages.

§ When people speaking two or more languages are in Pidgin Language contact with each other and they combine parts of their languages in a simplified structure and vocabulary we call it pidgin language. There are currently 18 pidgin languages around the world and example being Liberian English. § The first widely known language was a pidgin language. Before the establishment of the global economy, during the 1200's seaborne commerce in the Mediterranean sea expanded, and traders from the ports of southern France revitalized the ports of the eastern Mediterranean.

§ A Creole language is a pidgin language that has developed a more complex structure and vocabulary and has become the native language of a group of people. § When a pidgin language gains native speakers and its becomes a child's first language it is known a Creole Language § The word Creole stems from a pidgin language formed in the Caribbean from English, French, and Portuguese languages mixed with the languages of African slaves. § The language became more complex, replacing the African Languages

§ Widespread diffusion and mixing of languages over the last 500 years, combined with the division of the world into more than 200 countries has left the idea of a single language being spoken in a country unrealizable. § Countries where more than one language is in use are Multilingualism/ Multilingual States called multilingual states. In some of these countries linguistic fragmentation reflects strong cultural pluralism as well as divisive forces. Only a few monolingual states, countries in which only one language is spoken, exist. They include Japan in Asia; Uruguay and Venezuela in Southern America; Iceland, Denmark, Portugal, and Poland in Europe; and Lesotho in Africa

§ Countries with linguistic fragmentation often adopt an official language (or languages) to tie the people together. § Many former African colonies have adopted English, French, or Portuguese as there official language, even though they have gained independence Official Languages § A countries official language is a reflection of the country's history. § The European Union is not a country, but it recognizes 20 official language, and the UN has 6 official languages.

§ More and more people are using English in a variety of contexts. English is now the standard language of international business and travel(the lingua franca), much of contemporary popular culture bears imprint of English. § If global language means the principle language people use in their day to day life than the geographical process we have examined does not point to English as being the global language. Global Languages § Yet if global language means a common language of trade and commerce used around the world, the picture looks rather different. Although not always welcomed English is a trend thought the world. § 200 years ago people would have predicted French as the language of cross-culture communication in the future.

§ Lingua Franca's have existed since before the Middle Ages § Latin and Koine Greek were the lingua francas of Lingua Franca Throughout History the Roman Empire § Akkadian and then Aramaic remained the common languages of a large part of Western Asia from several earlier empires. § As the English empire grew during the Imperial Age, the English Language began its domination over the world.

§ Some Countries have groups that speak numerous Lingua Franca in Individual Countries languages so some countries have a lingua franca within their own nation. § In Indonesia, many people who live in rural areas still speak native tribal languages but Indonesian is the sole official language and is most people's second language. § Similarly in Iran, many people speak arabic, yet the official language and lingua franca is Persian

§ The Native Americans devised the only lingua franca communicated with sign language. Unspoken Lingua Franca § Plains Indian Sign Language was used as a second language to the majority of the indigenous peoples. § Plateau and Inuit Sign Languages are both derived from Plains Indian Sign Language

§ In china, the government is at odds with Tibetan culture Modern language diffusion conflict and language, and does not teach the culture in their schools § Tashi Wangchuk, an education advocate for teaching of Tibetan culture and language, which is in conflict with Chinese political ideals

§ Tashi was jailed for 2 years Consequences of conflict § He is now awaiting his trial which will begin shortly § If convicted, china's actions will lead to international dissent towards china's treatment of universal rights. § Significant because 2 cultures are at odds and trying to decrease influence of each other's culture and language

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§ https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Lingua_franca § https: //culture-per 7. wikispaces. com/How+do+languages+diffuse%3 F Bibliography § http: //aboutworldlanguages. com/creole-languages § http: //www. un. org/en/sections/about-un/official-languages/