Introduction to Geography
Chapter 7: The Geography of
Languages and Religions
Language & Religion
►2
most important forces that
bond & define human cultures
Defining Language
►
Pronunciation & combination of words used to
communicate within a group of people
 Unique way of dealing with facts, ideas, concepts
 Variations in language  differences in thinking about
► Space & time
► Things & processes
► Develop
among people who
interact regularly
► Reflect relative isolation in
past
► Spread by
 Relocation diffusion
 Contagious diffusion
Language Regions
►
Language
 Major patterns of difference in
communication
►
Dialects
 Minor variations within language
►
Standard language
 Follow formal rules of diction &
grammar
►
Official language
 Country’s records are kept &
business is conducted in this
language
►
Lingua franca
 2nd language for international
discourse
Linguistic Geography
►
Study of different dialects across space
 Differ in: pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary
 Vary more in speech than writing
►
Speech community
 Local group of people who
speak together
►
Isoglosses
 Lines marking places of same
language features
► Often
►
follow physical features
Geographical dialect
continuum
 Chain of languages across area
with divergence increasing with
distance
World’s Major Languages
►
6,000-7,000 distinct languages
 77 have 10 million speakers as
1st language
50% of world population speak
1 of 12 major languages
► Most spoken:
►
 Chinese (1.2 billion)
►
English
 328 million speakers
 Official language of 50
countries
Official Languages
Language Development
►
Language among isolated
people
 Complete expression of
experience
 Drift: divergence if group
spreads out
 Retain genetic relationship
►
Relations among languages
 Protolanguage (root language): ancestor to all related languages
 Language family: languages
related by descent from common protolanguage
Cognates: words that are similar because share common
root
► Etymology: study of word origins & history
►
Indo-European Language Family
►
Proto-Indo-European
 Identified by Sir William Jones (1786)
► Common
►
ancestor of many modern languages
Grimm’s Law
 Set forth by Jacob Grimm (1785-1863)
 Rules to describe sound shifts as languages diverged
►
Origin
 Vocab describing
environmental
conditions
 Modern Turkey ~
8,000 years ago
World’s Language Families
Geography of Writing
► Orthography
 System of writing
► Sumerians
► Olmec
► Alphabets




Roman
Cyrillic
Arabic
Korean
► Non-alphabetic
 Chinese
 Japanese
Examples of Orthography
Distribution of Alphabetic Scripts in Eurasia
Toponymy
► Study
of place names
► Origin of toponyms:





Natural features
Origins/values of inhabitants
Beliefs, religions
Occupations
Current or past heroes
Minnesota Place
Names
National Languages
► Complicated
relationship
between languages &
nationalism
 Single-country language
 Languages spoken in multiple
countries
 Major definer of nationality
► Nation
building
 Mother tongues or Philological
nationalism
 Role of education
 Political pressure
Language in Post-Colonial Societies
►
Language of colonial
ruler as language of




►
Government
Law
Economic development
Education
Former colonial
language
 Useful for business
 Avoids arguments about
which language to use
 Former colony as more
powerful determinant of
language
Polyglot states
► Having
multiple official languages
 Each language official in its own region
 One language selected for government,
communication among regions
 Linguistic division by social class
U.S. Languages
► English
always lingua franca
► Distinct “American English”
► 3 major dialects in 13
colonies
► Official language?
World’s Major Religions
► Systems
of beliefs regarding conduct in
accordance with sacred writings or authoritative
teacher
 Orthopraxy: Behavior-oriented
 Orthodoxy: Theological/philosophical
World’s Major Religions
► Fundamentalism
 Strict adherence to traditional beliefs
► Secularism
 Excludes religions considerations as scientifically
unproveable
► Ethnic
vs. Universalizing
World’s Major Religions
Judaism
► 1st
monotheistic religion
► 15 million adherents
► Beliefs:
 Covenant between Abraham & God
 Pentateuch
► 1st
►
5 books of Old Testament
Sects
 Orthodox, Conservative, Reform
►
Israel
 Zionism: desire to return to ancient
homeland of Israel
 Homeland for Jewish people
 Created 1948
 Conflict between Israel & Palestine
Christianity
► Origins
 Emerged from Judaism
 Belief God lived on Earth as Jesus Christ
► Coptic
Church
 Founded in
Alexandria in A.D. 41
► Official
religion of
Roman Empire
 Facilitated
geographical spread
► Dark
Ages
► Protestant Reformation
► Significant growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America
Islam
► Muhammad
(570-632)
► 5 Pillars of Islam





Belief in one God (Allah)
5 daily prayers
Generous alms
Fasting during Ramadan
Pilgrimage to Mecca
(hajj)
► Sects
 Sunni
 Shiite
Diffusion of Islam
Hinduism & Sikhism
► Hinduism
 Most ancient religious
tradition in Asia
 Vedas – sacred texts
 Reincarnation
 Castes
► Brahman,
priest
► Kshatriya, warrior
► Vaisya, tradesman & farmer
► Sudra, servant & laborer
 Untouchables
► Sikhism
 Offshoot of Hinduism
 Guru Nanak
Buddhism
►
Siddhartha Gautama – born Hindu
 Buddha – Enlightened One
►
4 Noble Truths
 Life involves suffering
 Cause of suffering is desire
 Elimination of desire ends
suffering
 Right thinking & behavior
eliminate desire
Nirvana
► Diffused from India
►
Other Religions
► Eastern
Religions
 Confucianism
 Taoism
 Shinto
► Animism
& Shamanism
 Animism
► Belief
in ubiquity of spirits
or spiritual forces
 Shamanism
► Shaman
Religion & Politics
►
Government attitude toward
religion
 Most countries
► Freedom
of religion
► Some degree of secularism
►
Theocracy
 Church rules directly
►
Separation of church & state
 Islam
Fundamentalists
► Sharia law
► Governments only purpose is to
aid in leading good Muslim life
►
► Terrorism
Geography of Religion in the U.S.
► Colonial religion
 Colonies founded as
theocracies
 Established churches until
after Independence
► Bill of Rights prohibition of
established church
► Freedom to
 Worship
 Proselytize
► Results
 World’s most religious
country?
 Affiliation
► 78% Christian
► 4.7% other religions
► 16% unaffiliated
Indirect Impacts of Religion on Government
► National
ethics & morals from
dominant religion
► Education
► Religious leaders as popular
leaders
► Religious-based political parties
► Financial power
► States split into 2 or more
religions
► Religion & women’s
rights




Ordination
Plural marriage
Divorce
Political involvement?
Religion & Diet
► Hinduism
 Cattle as sacred
 Used only as draft animals and for milk
► Muslims
 Pork
 Alcohol
► Jews
 Prohibit pork
► Impact
on
 Agriculture
 World trade
World Distribution of Hogs
Economic Impact
► Withdrawal
of resources
 Burial practices
 Life in religious service
► Protestantism,
Catholicism &
capitalism
► Confucianism vs. individualism
Religion, Science & the Environment
► Origin
of world
► Sacred places
► Calendars
► Festivals at certain times of
year
► Relationship with nature
 Exploitive approach
 Adaptive approach
► Science:
Question of
beginning of life &
embryonic research
Religious Landscapes
► Houses
of worship
► Pilgrimage
► Religious administrative
structure as identity
► Burial practices
 Cremation
 Burial
End of Chapter 7