Languages Flashcards
multilingualism
using multiple languages
how many languages spoken in the US
350
how many US residents speak a language other than English at home
> 25 million
lingua franca
a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different
creole
a mother tongue formed from the contact of two languages through an earlier pidgin (grammatically simplified form of a language, used for communication between people not sharing a common language) stage
why is Spanish a commonly spoken language in the US
history, geography, immigration
code-switching
change from one language to another & use words/phrases from distinct languages, even in the same sentence
bilingualism
fluent in 2 languages
Spanglish
combination of an English word & a Spanish word to make a new word
does the US have an official language
NO
English-only laws apply primarily to
government programs
English-only laws pros
creates a sense of national identity & promotes unity, abolish the use of translation services, curve immigration slightly, younger people are better able to assimilate, immigrants are encouraged to learn English, protect English language
English-only laws cons
restrict free speech, discrimination among minorities, promotes division of unity, culture is lot, you are not really a part of the uS
dialect
a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group
toponym
place name