Directions
Read/view the materials listed.
Develop thoughtful, thorough answers to the questions below. Refer to and incorporate information and concepts from the videos and other course materials.
Always
cite sources as directed
.
Proofread and edit your work carefully. Grammar and spelling count!
Format and How to Submit
The required questions are highlighted in yellow for easy reference.
You must include the numbered questions
with your responses.
Step 1
Go to
National Geographic’s
MapMaker Interactive
Click
the
Legend tab
on the right. The colored categories represent percentages expressed as decimals. For example, “Less than 0.2” represents less than 20% of the population. “More than 0.8” would be greater than 80%
Click the
Layers tab, and make sure “Language Diversity” is displayed.
Move around the continents and observe the colors displayed.
1. a)
Which areas of the world have the most language diversity? Explain how you interpreted the determined thatb) How does language diversity in the United States compare to other parts of the world? Provide specific comparisons, and explain them.
Step 2
Go to:
Enduring Voices – Documenting the Planet’s Endangered Languages.
Source:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/archive/projects/enduring-voices/about/
(Disregard a message indicating the webpage is not updated. The site should work.)
and
Language Hotspots
https://livingtongues.org/language-hotspots/
2. a)
What are language hotspots?
b) According to the “language hotspots” approach, what factors determine those hotspots?
c) What areas on the maps show language hotspots?
d) Based on the reading and your view of the map, describe geographic patterns of the hotspots. Cite evidence or examples to support your response.
Step 3
Why Is this Important?
Read:
Language defines a culture, through the people who speak it and what it allows speakers to say. Words that describe a cultural practice or idea may not translate precisely into another language. Many endangered languages have rich oral cultures with stories, songs, and histories passed on to younger generations, but no written forms. With the extinction of a language, an entire culture is lost.
Much of what humans know about nature is encoded only in oral languages. Indigenous groups that have interacted closely with the natural world for thousands of years often have profound insights into local lands, plants, animals, and ecosystems—many still undocumented by science. Studying indigenous languages therefore benefits environmental understanding and conservation efforts.
Studying various languages also increases our understanding of how humans communicate and store knowledge. Every time a language dies, we lose part of the picture of what our brains can do.
Why Do Languages Die Out?
Throughout human history, the languages of powerful groups have spread while the languages of smaller cultures have become extinct. This occurs through official language policies or through the allure that the high prestige of speaking an imperial language can bring. These trends explain, for instance, why more language diversity exists in Bolivia than on the entire European continent, which has a long history of large states and imperial powers.
As big languages spread, children whose parents speak a small language often grow up learning the dominant language. Depending on attitudes toward the ancestral language, those children or their children may never learn the smaller language, or they may forget it as it falls out of use. This has occurred throughout human history, but the rate of language disappearance has accelerated dramatically in recent years.
3. a) According to the reading, explain how quickly languages are disappearing from Earth now, compared to earlier times in history.
b) What reasons are given for this?
c) Describe examples from the text, other readings or your own experience. What other reasons might affect the rate languages change or disappear? (Hint: Consider geographic concepts of globalization, technological advances, cultural shifts, development)
Step 4
Go to
Arunachal Pradesh, India Expedition 2011
and read the goals of the project.
Read
the
full report.
(PDF) from the Enduring Voices team's 2011 expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India, where they visited five endangered language communities.
The Enduring Voices team, including Dr. Greg Anderson, Dr. David Harrison, Jeremy Fishfinger, Opino Gomango, and Dr. Ganesh Murmu, visited five endangered language communities in Arunachal Pradesh, India, in December 2011.
One goal of the trip was to expand and continue our documentation of the Hruso Aka and Koro Aka languages, which we began in 2008. Koro Aka has been a priority for us in part because, prior to our research, it was not acknowledged or listed in the scientific record as a distinct language, nor were any recordings available. Koro remains a mystery in terms of its position within the Tibeto-Burman language family. Our comparative work will help scientists understand where it fits and how it has evolved within the Eastern India Language Hotspot.
4) a. Explain why the research team found it important to study the Hruso Aka and Koro Aka languages, in particular.
b. Describe, in your own words, the methods and experiences of the research team.
c. How is the team documenting its work, and why is this important?
Step 5
Watch the TED Talk video:
Don’t Insist on English!
(10:35)
http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_ryan_ideas_in_all_languages_not_just_english.html.
In this talk, longtime English teacher Patricia Ryan asks a provocative question:
Is the world's focus on English preventing the spread of great ideas in other languages?
(For instance: what if Einstein had to pass an English language proficiency exam?)
5) Write a three-paragraph summary
of the talk. What are the main points? What supporting details or evidence does the presenter offer? What conclusions and/or unanswered questions does she leave us to ponder?
(Approximate length: 150-250 words)
Tips: Do not insert your own opinion or commentary when you summarize the work of others. Use quotes sparingly. If you quote, always introduce or follow the quote with an explanation or interpretation of it and use quotation marks as needed.
6) Respond to Ms. Ryan’s question: "Is the world's focus on English preventing the spread of great ideas in other languages?" To what extent do you agree or disagree? Provide specific evidence and examples to support your answer.
(Approximate length: 100-200 words)
Always
cite sources
.
Tips: This question asks you to say if you agree or disagree, so it is acceptable to offer an
informed
opinion, but it must be supported by facts, evidence and examples.
--
Step 6
Watch the
video, "21 Accents"
7) Compare and contrast the different accents. What geographic factors can account for variations in accents? Which accents did you find easier to understand than others? Why do you think that is?