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Language Families

Use 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