Key Issue 1
Collin Jacques
Vocab
Language: A system of communication through speech.
Literary Tradition: System of written communication
Official Language: The language used by the government for laws, reports, and public objects.
Dialect: A regional variation of a language distinguished by distinctive vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.
Standard Language: A dialect that is well established and widely recognized as the most acceptable for the government, business, education, and mass communication.
Isogloss: Word usage boundaries.
Rubenstein random facts
2. Dialects developed in england because people living in different areas with little interaction began to talk slightly differently--and with no interaction, they could not hear that it was different. Also, different germanic tribes would bring a slightly different dialect.
7. A dialect evolves, sometimes a new language can even form.
8. The english language originally came from Denmark.
10. The written form of a language is called the literary tradition
12. English is part of the west germanic system of languages
18. American english differs from british english in vocabulary (new words for new things [canoe, beaver]), Spelling (color vs colour), and pronunciation (lord vs laud)
19. An isogloss is a word usage boundary (area on map where word is used)
25. English is the most important language in north america because the british colonies spread the most across the country.
27. Dialects are regional variations of a language shown through vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.
28. The three germanic invaders of england were the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
Important Facts
English is spoken fluently by over half a billion people 2nd most to Mandarin, but Mandarin speakers are more in one country whereas English is much more spread out.
English diffusion- English first diffused west from England to North America in the 17th century. Then south Asia in the 18th and the south pacific in the late 18th to early 19th century.