Language FamiliesUse this powerpoint to supplement the information on the graphic organizer and to color code the global distribution of language families map.

Distribution of Language Families

• Indo-European = largest language family• 46% of the world’s population • Spread across globe through colonialism/migration

– most widely diffused language family

– See following maps!!!!

• Remember this family includes language branches associated with Europe (Germanic, Slavic, Romance etc.) but also branches in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Iran!

Indo-European

Indo-European (Indo-Iranian Branch)

Indo-European Distribution

Indo-European Distribution

Indo-European Distribution

Indo-European Distribution

Indo-European Distribution

Indo-European Distribution

Distribution of Language Families

• Classification of languages– Sino-Tibetan = 2nd largest language family

• 21% of the world’s population – Mandarin

» most speakers of a single native language in the world• written “Chinese” can be understood by speakers of many

“Chinese” languages/dialects, why?– Ideograms

» written characters which represent ideas or concepts not specific pronunciations.

» huge amount of characters, hard to learn hence high illiteracy rate in China

Sino-Tibetan Family

Distribution of Other Language Families • Africa

– extensive diversity• 1,000 distinct languages • + thousands of dialects

– Niger-Congo family• 95% of sub-Saharan • Originated in west/central

Africa (Cameroon/Nigeria)• Spread thru “Bantu

migration” beginning c. 1000 BCE

– Example = “Zulus”

Distribution of Other Language Families • Africa

– extensive diversity– Niger-Congo family– Khoisan

• Hunter/gatherers (San)– “Bushmen” = derogatory

• Pastoralists (Khoi)– “Hottentots” = derogatory

• “Clicking” languages– Oldest form of human

communication?

Languages of North Africa and Middle

East

• Afro-Asiatic (“Semitic”)– Arabic = most widely spoken

Semitic language• ironic since Arabs are often

accused of “anti-semitism”• spread thru diffusion of Islam• Other Arabic influence mainly

through Quran and trade– Swahili “people of the coast” =

Bantu + Arabic influence– Urdu = Hindi + Arabic/Persian

– Hebrew, Berber• Hebrew = once extinct, sacred

language revived with est. of the state of Israel

• Berber = language of indigenous N. Africans before “Arabization”.

Languages of Central Asia and the Middle East • Altaic or (Turkic) language family

• Turkish = most widely spoken language in family– Ottoman migration brings Turkic from Central Asia to “Turkey”

• Central Asia (Kazaks = “Kazakhstan”, Uzbekistan etc., Mongolian)

– Formerly suppressed under Russian Empire/USSR (Russification)

Distribution of Other Language Families – Uralic

• Significant Non-Indo-European family in Europe– Estonian, Hungarian (Magyar), and Finnish languages

– Basques? Unknown or nonexistent relation to other languages

• “Language isolate” = language cutoff from related languages by in-migration or unrelated to other languages.

– Basque speakers were cutoff and isolated by the waves of Indo-European speakers (Celts, Germanic tribes, etc.) migrating into Europe

Other Language Families• Austronesian (Malay-Polynesian)

– SE Asia, Philippines, Indonesia, Madagascar– Diffuses to Madagascar, involved the crossing of the Indian Ocean in outrigger

canoes (AWESOME!) • Dravidian: South Indian languages

– dated from before Aryan invasion (Indus Valley Civ.)– Dravidian Tamils vs. Indo-Euro Singhalese = Sri Lanka civil war

• Japanese and Korean– Both influenced by China– Korean possibly linked to Altaic (controversial)

• Austro-Asiatic (Mon-Khmer)– Vietnam and Cambodia and other non-contiguous areas in South and

Southeast Asia– Uses Latin alphabet (brought by missionaries in the 17th century)

• Nilo-Saharan = very small numbers• Caucasian

– Caucasus mountainous region = most lang. family diversity, why?– 4 language families, many religions

• Tai-Kadai = SE Asia (Thai and Lao)

• Other = 7,000 languages total, 50- 90% extinct by 2100

Other Language Families

Caucasus = region with most language family diversity

“Other” = mostly isolated

Voila! The Complete Map