2. People tend to feel passionately about their
language, especially when they sense that it
is threatened.
How important is language to a culture?
Provide an example of importance.
The French are amongst the most
protective of their language. Explain
actions taken by the French govt. to
“protect” their language. Are these
actions likely to work? Why or why not?
3. What is a preliterate society? How are these societies like other endangered
species?
How many different languages do linguists estimate are in use today? Are there
concrete answers as to their origins and diffusion patterns?
4. The North American Navajo people were a preliterate society, yet their language made
them heroes in contemporary times. What was the Navajo contribution to the Pacific
war effort? Why is this ironic? Which battle was highlighted? Did the U.S. govt.
attempt to destroy/eliminate the Navajo language?
5. At first glance on a map, Iowa Jima is a tiny, 8 sq. mile island of volcanic rock. But its
location made it a strategic, must-have objective. Language would be a decisive factor.
6. How valuable were the Navajo code talkers? And did the Japanese ever figure it
out?
7. DEFINING LANGUAGE
Concerning the definition of language, what is the crucial part of the definition? Do
other animals communicate with a “language?” How is human language fundamentally
different from other animal and/or primate languages?
Do languages remain static, or do they change continuously? Provide some examples.
8. STANDARD LANGUAGE
In technologically advanced societies, there is likely
to be a standard language – explain the criteria.
Who decides what the standard language will be?
Today, which language serves as the predominant
standard language in the world?
9. LANGUAGE DIALECTS
The distinction between a language and a dialect is not always clear. Describe a dialect.
For an example, there are international dialects of English ….
10. …. and regional national dialects of English, such as found in the U.S. (provide examples).
11. Using a different scale map, geographers
focus on three dialect “regions” in the
eastern U.S., where one can hear distinct
dialects.
12. More often, dialects are marked by actual differences in vocabulary. A single word or
group of words can reveal the source area of the dialect used. Linguistic geographers
map the areal extent of particular words, marking their limits as isoglosses. Identify
the characteristics of isoglosses and provide an example.
13. LANGUAGE FAMILIES
In the context of cultural geography, we are interested in how languages are distributed
throughout the world, what processes created this distribution, and how the present
pattern is changing. Why is language classification a difficult task?
14. Languages that are grouped in language families are thought to have a shared, but fairly
distant, origin; in a language subfamily, their commonality is more definite. Subfamilies
are divided into language groups, which consist of sets of individual languages.
15. THE MAJOR WORLD LANGUAGES
Identify the language family spoken the
most. To which language family does
English belong?
What is the single most important
language? The 2nd single most
important? Why should these numbers,
especially for English, be viewed as
approximations?
Table 8-1 does not list any languages
spoken south of the Sahara as major
world languages. Why?
16. Since English is the “unofficial,” “official” world language, many countries, including Japan,
go to great lengths to teach students how to speak English. How many years, on
average, does a Japanese person study English? How is it taught? Are the
Japanese mastering the English spoken by Americans?
17. LANGUAGES of EUROPE
Identify the prevailing language
family.
How are the language groups
represented? Is there a
correlation between languages
spoken and the political
organization of space (examples)?
Identify the exceptions.
Thus, historical events shaped the
language map of Europe and other
regions.
18. LANGUAGES of INDIA
How many language families
are represented? Which two
dominate?
How many other languages are
represented?
To overcome this myriad of
languages, what language
serves as the standard
language? How would this
language have been
introduced?
19. LANGUAGES of AFRICA
How many languages are spoken? Are
most written? What problem(s) can
this create?
20. CHINESE: ONE LANGUAGE or MANY
Which language is spoken by the great majority of Chinese? Is there one primary
dialect, or many? Describe the impact. Explain the language dilemma in Hong Kong
for the Chinese govt. Explain the Chinese govt. effort to create a national language.
