Appetizer: A Buffet of Languages
A Collage of Chapter 5 Key Terms and Concepts
A Project by Jack Johnson and Jonas Hallstrom
Lingua Franca
Language usually understood and commonly used in trade or commerce by people who have different native languages. The Lingua Franca currently is English because of how widespread it is. Lingua Francas are the beef of the language buffet, because both are utilized internationally.
Pidgin Language
A form of speech that adopts a simplified grammar and vocabulary of a Lingua Franca used for communication between speakers of different languages, like Spanglish (Spanish and English). Pidgin languages are the peanut butter and jelly of the language buffet, because they are both good separate, but when they are mixed they create a completely different concept.
Dialect
Regional variation of a language distinguished differing vocabulary, spelling, or pronunciation. This can be seen in the variation between the Northern and Southern USA, with the Southern having a more pronounced drawl in their speech. Dialects are the dressings of the language buffet, because they all taste a little different, but they also all have the same purpose, which is adding flavor to your food.
Literary Tradition
A language that is written as well as spoken, like English. Literary traditions are the coconut oil of the language buffet, because although they provide a good base for cooking and literature, they both have other uses, as coconut oil can be used as a skin product and a hair conditioner.
Official Language
The official language used by a language for business and publications. An example of this is English within the United Kingdom. Official languages are the plates of the language buffet, because they provide a base fir anything that is accomplished in an area.
Ideograms
The system of writing used in which each symbol represents an idea or a concept rather than a specific sound. These symbols are seen in Chinese languages or Japanese. Ideograms are the dumplings of the language buffet, because they are popular in China, where ideograms are also popular.
British Received Pronunciation
A dialect recognized as the standard form of English. This is usually associated with upper-class Britons living in London. In our buffet, this is the crumpets due to large amount of speakers from England that use this dialect.
Language Branch
A collection of languages related through a common ancestral language that existed several thousand years ago, like the Romance branch of the Indo-European family. This is related to pork in terms of food, because although this narrows down certain types of food there are still several subcategories this food belongs to.
Language Group
A collection of languages within a branch that share a common origin in the relatively recent past and have similar vocabulary and grammar. West Germanic is a group derived from the Germanic branch. Tied into the pork metaphor, language groups are the bacon of the food buffet, because they are a more specific class of pork, as language groups are a more specific class relating to branches.
Isolated Language
A language that is unrelated to any other languages and is therefore not attached to any language family. An example of this would be Japan, and because of their little contact with the rest of the world due to isolation in the past, it is unlike any other language. The food relating to this is Ndolé, which is native to Cameroon. This dish is isolated and not seen anywhere else in the world.