AP Human Geography
Name:
Period:
Unit 3: Culture (Language)
Lab: Languages and Dialects of the World and the United States
I.
Creole in the World and the United States. Use the website below to
complete the following questions regarding Creole.
https://www.alsintl.com/resources/languages/Creole/
1. What is a pidgin language? Why do pidgin languages eventually become creole languages?
2. Where are creole languages found?
3. What does the term non-mutually intelligible linguistic groups refer to?
4. From where did the term creole originate?
5. Where is the term most used in the United States today?
6. What are some examples of creole languages found throughout the world? Where are they found?
7. Define the term decreolization
II.
Lingua Franca.
Read the article below to answer the following questions.
http://time.com/3585847/mandarin-lingua-franca/
1. Why is English the lingua franca of the world?
2. Why won’t Mandarin Chinese overtake English as the lingua franca of the world?
III. Languages Spoken in the United States.
Use the website below to complete the
following questions regarding various languages spoken in the United States.
http://arcgis.mla.org/mla/default.aspx
1. Where are most of the Hebrew speakers located in the United States? (Be specific)
2. Where are most of the Russian speakers in the United States?
3. Where are most of the Thai speakers located in the United States?
4. After answering the three questions above, what do your responses indicate about chain migration of
these groups?
5. If you were to indicate the top ten cities of Spanish speakers according to % of speakers, what would
they be?
6. What areas have the greatest percentage of Arabic speakers in the United States?
7. What cities in America would be most likely to have a Chinatown, according to the map of Chinese
speakers?
8. Where are the largest areas of German speakers?
9. Where do most Italian speakers live in the United States?
10. Why do most Japanese speakers in the United States live along the Pacific coast?
IV. Languages Spoken in the United States.
Complete the questions below using
the following website
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2014/05/language_map_what_s_the_most_popular
_language_in_your_state.html
1. Why is French the most common spoken language in the states indicated on the first map?
2. Are you surprised to know that Korean is the third most spoken language in Georgia? Explain why this
is the case.
3. Where is the Navajo Nation? What is the Navajo Nation?
V. Linguistic Dialectical Differences in the United States. Complete the
questions below using the following website
http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-20136?op=1
1. After viewing all of the linguistic dialectical maps, which one mostly applies to you and your
pronunciation of a certain word? Explain
2. Why are there such dialectical differences for certain English words in the United States?
VI. Unique Speak.
People of Tangier Island, VA and Williamsburg, NY have a unique way of
speaking. See the websites below to complete the following questions.
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/news/unique-speak/
1. How many residents live on the island of Tangier?
2. What language do they speak?
3. Provide an example of a word that the people of Tangier pronounce differently.
4. What is “talking backwards?” Provide an example
5. In your opinion, what has preserved the language of Tangier? Is this in jeopardy? Explain.
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/yiddish-is-alive-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas/
6. Where do most Hasidic Jews live and speak English?
7. How many Yiddish speakers were there prior to the Holocaust?
8. How are people being encouraged to speak Yiddish? Provide examples
9. Upon the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, as Jews returned to their homeland, what language
was encouraged instead of Yiddish?
VII. English as the Official Language of the United States.
Read the article
below and then answer the questions that follow.
http://www.articlemyriad.com/english-official-language-united-states/
1. Does our language shape the way we think? Does it inhibit our understanding or thinking?
2. Who typically speaks English outside the United States? Explain
3. Should English be the official language of the United States? Provide Reasoning.
4. Why is language the defining aspect of ethnicity?
5. Would having an official language strengthen diversity? Explain