Name: ________________________________________ Date: _________________
SS6G11 The student will describe the cultural characteristics of Europe
a. Explain the diversity of European languages as seen in a comparison of German,
English, Russian, French, and Italian
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Europe is slightly _____________________ than the US in land area
Europe’s population is more than double the US
In the US, ____________________ is the dominant language
Europe is different. It is home to more than ______________ languages
Most European languages are in 3 main categories:
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Germanic Languages
Romance Languages
Slavic Languages
Germanic Language Group
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Has most native speakers
Native speakers live mostly in northwest and __________________ Europe
About ______________ of Europeans speak English or German as their native
language
Most Europeans learn _________________ as a second language in their
____________________
Romance Language Group
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This group includes French, Italian, and ______________________
These are found in the south and west of Europe
These languages come from _____________________, the language of the
Roman Empire
The Roman alphabet is used to write _________________________ and
________________________ languages
Slavic Language Group
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This includes _______________________
They are found in central and _______________________ Europe
They are written with the Cyrillic alphabet
Problems with Multiple Languages
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It is difficult to live, work, and _____________________ with people who cannot
communicate with each other
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Most schoolchildren learn ______________ or _____________ other languages
besides their own
The European Union have ___________ “official” languages to make sure laws
and decisions are understood
Special laws exist to ______________________ languages spoken by only a
_________ people
Essential Skills (Gallopade, p. 112)
Read each clue below. First, fill in the answer at the end of the clue. (Look up things
you don’t know on a map of Europe.) Then, write G for Germanic, R for Romance, or S
for Slavic in the box
1. This language is spoken in the United States. ________________________
2. This language is spoken in the country that is shaped like a boot.
___________________________________
3. This language uses an alphabet based on Greek letters. ________________
4. People who speak this language live directly south of the United Kingdom.
___________________________
5. This language is in the same family as English ______________________