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AP Human Geography: Language Flashcards

Language

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16449408809DialectA regional variation of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation, particular to a specific region or social group.0
16449408810Extinct LanguageA language that no longer has any speakers, or that is no longer in current use.1
16449408812IsoglossA geographic boundary line delimiting the area in which a given linguistic feature occurs.2
16449408813Isolated LanguageA natural language with no demonstrable genealogical (or "genetic") relationship with other languages or language families; that is, one that has not been demonstrated to descend from an ancestor common with any other language. i.e A language family with only one language. (Basque)3
16449408814Language BranchA Subsection of a Language Family. Differences are not as extensive or old as with language families. i.e The Romance "-------" of the Indo-European language family.4
16449408815LanguageThe method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.5
16449408816Language GroupA Collection of languages within a branch that share a common origin in the relatively recent past and display relatively few differences in grammar and vocabulary. An individual language, including all dialects (I.e. Italian, German, English)6
16449408817Language FamilyA collection of languages related to each other through a common ancestor long before recorded history. The trunk of the language tree, from which language branches come from.7
16449408820Lingua FrancaA Language mutually understood and commonly used in trade by people who have different native languages (currently English worldwide).8
16449408825Official LanguageThe language adopted for use by the government for the conduct of business and publication of documents, a language that is given special legal status.9
16449408828Standard LanguageThe specific form of a language used for official government business, education, and mass communications.10
16449408829ToponymThe name of a place, often reflecting that place's history and culture.11
16449408830VernacularUsing a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language. It is usually the language of the common people.12
16449408831CreoleA language that results from the mixing of a colonizer's language with the indigenous language of the people being dominated. Developed out of an earlier pidgin stage.13
16449408832DenglishThe term is used in all German-speaking countries to refer to the increasingly strong influx of English or pseudo-English vocabulary into German.14
16449408833FranglaisA form of French using many words and idioms borrowed from English.15
16449408834EbonicsA dialect of English spoken by some African Americans.16
16449408835SpanglishA hybrid language combining words and idioms from both Spanish and English, especially Spanish speech that uses many English words and expressions.17
16449408851British Received Pronunciation (BRP)The dialect of English associated with upper class Britons living in the London area now considered the standard form of British speech.18
16449408864Irish GaelicThis is one of the two official languages of Ireland, along with English. This language was forbidden under English rule. When Ireland got their independence form England in 1922, this language became an important part of their cultural identity and sense of nationalism and became a compulsory course in all public schools and required for public service jobs.19
16449408865BasqueAlso known as Euskera, this isolated language predates the Indo-European language and is not related to any other language family in Europe. Spoken in the Pyrenees Mountains (between Spain and France), the mountainous homeland created isolation, making the preservation of the language possible.20
16449408866WelshThis is one of the two official languages of Wales, along with English. This language was forbidden under English rule, but has been revived in recent years. This language is a compulsory subject in all schools in Wales and knowledge of the language is now required for many jobs in Wales. Bilingual signs and television and radio programs have also been added to help preserve this language.21

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