AP Human Geography 2016-1-24 Chapter 5 Language Language a. Language - A system of communication through the use of speech, a collection of sounds understood by a group of people to have the same meaning. b. Literary Tradition - A language that is written as well as spoken. c. Official Language - The language adopted for use by the government for the conduct of business and publication of documents. d. The interplay between interaction and isolation helps to explain regions of individual languages and entire language families. I. KEY ISSUE 1 Where Are English-Language Speakers Distributed? A. Origin and Diffusion of English -A language originates at a particular place and diffuses to other locations through the migration of its speakers. ?