ch. 5: language
DESCRIPTION
Ch. 5: LANGUAGE. Objective: Explain the cultural importance of language. Defining Language. Pronunciation and combination of words used to communicate within a group of people Important cultural index Structures individual perception of world. World ’ s Major Languages. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Ch. 5: LANGUAGE
Objective: Explain the
cultural importance of
language.
![Page 2: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Defining Language
Pronunciation and combination of words used to communicate within a group of people
Important cultural index
Structures individual perception of world
![Page 3: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
![Page 4: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
World’s Major Languages
3,000 distinct languages50% of world population speak
one of 12 major languagesMandarin Chinese is largest with
885 millionEnglish is the primary language of
350 million and is the official language of about 50 countries
![Page 5: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
The Geographer’s Perspective of Language
What is the distribution of world languagesdensity concentrationPatterns
How is culture influenced or limited by this language distribution?
How does the language reflect the culture?
![Page 6: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Language Distribution
Indicates
History and conquestIsolation or integration of culturesMigration of peoplesEconomic Domination of certain
culturesInfluence of wealth and
technology Political Divisions (country
boundaries)Physical geography barriers
(mts., deserts)
![Page 7: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Cultural Values A Language May Indicate
class structuregender differences in
vocabularyenvironmentally specific
vocabularyformal and informal
relationships technology of a culture
![Page 8: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Official Languages of Countries
![Page 9: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
![Page 10: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Language can be used as a political tool
Language often used as a cultural weapon (English vs. Spanish)
many states have adopted “Official English” policies as a result
![Page 11: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
What Role does Language Play in Making Places?
![Page 12: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
PlacePlace – the uniqueness of a location, what people do in a location, what they create, how they impart a certain character, a certain imprint on the location by making it unique.
![Page 13: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Toponym Toponym – a place name
A toponym: Imparts a certain character
on a placeReflects the social
processes in a placeCan give us a glimpse of the
history of a placeHas its roots in migration
![Page 14: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
9 Categories of ToponymsCategory Examples
Descriptive toponyms Rocky Mountains, Chicago (Stinking Onions in the language of the first inhabitants)
Associative Toponyms Mill River (a mill was on the river), Springfield
Incident Names Battle Creek, Bloody Ridge, Cut and Shoot
Possessive Names Castro Valley, Pittsburgh
Commemorative (commemorating someone well-known or in honor of a famous person)
St Louis, San Jacinto, Houston, Seattle (named after Chief Seattle), Austin, Pennsylvania (Penn's Woods), Illinois (after the Illini Indians)
Commendatory (praising) Pleasant Valley, Greenland
Manufactured (made up names)Tesnus (Sunset spelled backwards), Reklaw (Walker spelled backwards) Iraan (Ira and Ann name the town after each other)
Mistaken (historic errors in identification or translation)
West Indies (not west of the Indies and not the Indies)
Shift Names (relocated names or names from settler's homeland)
Athens (Greece and Texas), Palestine (Middle East and Texas), New Mexico (settlers from Mexico named their new home after their previous home), New England,
![Page 15: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Changing Toponyms When people change the toponym of a place, they have
the power to “wipe out the past and call forth the new.” - Yi-Fu Tuan, geographer
![Page 16: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Changing Toponyms
Major reasons people change toponyms: After decolonization After a political revolution To memorialize people or events
(Martin Luther King Jr. ) To commodify or brand a place
(amusement parks, stadiums) Also changes the cultural landscape
![Page 17: Ch. 5: LANGUAGE](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081503/56816564550346895dd7eb87/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Streets
Geographer Derek Alderman asks:* Where are MLK streets?* Why are they where they are?* What controversies surround memorializing MLK with a street name?