GEOG 130 Lecture Notes - Sub-Saharan Africa, Haitian Creole, Isogloss
Geog 130 – Oct 4
Culture (week 3 & 4 pt. 3/ pages 37-47)
Standard and Variant Languages – standard language: variant on a language that becomes the
official language of a country
Variant Language – dialect: a variant on a standard language that differs on a vocabulary or
expression (pronunciation, rhythm, speed)
- Social dialects: reflect differences in social standing and educational level.
- Vernacular language: a localized or non-official language, often used by those lower in
social standing or in some isolated areas
Linguistic geography: the study of spatial characteristics of dialects and languages
Placenames as regions/ isogloss: the outer limit (boundary) of a dialect feature or characteristic
- E.g., stream, brook, beck, burn, crick, creek, rill, syke, run, or kill in US
(a) Dialect boundary(isogloss) between variants on American terms for a coarse sack
(b) Dialect boundary (isogloss) between terms for soft drinks
oe.g., “soda” or “pop”
Communication between groups/
- lingua franca: a language developed to facilitate trade between groups – e.g., Swahili
in Kenya
oof Africa/ [Frankish Tongue]: a second language used for communication by
groups whose main languages are mutually unintelligible
e.g., Ojibway, English, Swahili)
- pidgin language: developed as simplified ways of communicating between languages
groups, typically w/ a limited vocabulary
opidgin languages as a language hybrid is a simplified amalgam (mixture/fusion)
of languages whish isn’t the main language of the speakers – it is used to
communicate in limited circumstances, suck as business or government
o e.g., democratic republic of Congo “Lingala”: mix of French and local
Congolese dialects
- creole: when a pidgin language becomes the first language of a generation
olanguage hybrid
opidgin languages that become the dominant language in a population that
loses its mother tongue
omay become more complex over time as grammatical rules are introduced
ocan act as unifying cultural force for formerly distinct groups
e.g., Haitian Creole which evolved from pidginized French and African
dialects during the era of the slave trade
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