Download 5-2 Key Issue

Language: Chapter 5, Key Issue 2
Why Is English Related to Other Languages?
Rubenstein, pp. 143-151.
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1. What is the difference between a language family, a language branch and a language group?
● INDO-EUROPEAN BRANCHES
2. Germanic branch: Complete this chart from the reading.
3. Indo-Iranian Branch: Make two bullet charts from the reading.
4A. Balto-Slavic Branch: How did Russian become the most important East Slavic language?
4B. What is the most important West Slavic language?
4C. Describe the controversy between Czech and Slovak languages under Czechoslovakia's government?
What happened?
4D. Why are South Slavic languages, which were once very similar to each other, becoming increasingly
different today?
Language: Chapter 5, Key Issue 2
Why Is English Related to Other Languages?
Rubenstein, pp. 143-151.
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5. List the 5 major Romantic languages. Why are there so many romantic languages?
6. As the Roman Army conquered Europe, other languages were extinguished or suppressed. What
language did the Romance languages evolve from?
7. What is Vulgar Latin? How did it develop?
8. Why are there so many romance language dialects? How have these dialects spread to other parts of the
world?
9. How is there now a common written Portuguese language? What was the final product of this process?
● ORIGIN AND DIFFUSION OF INDO-EUROPEAN
5a. What is the name of the (theoretical) common ancestral language of all languages discussed in this key
issue of the chapter?
5b. Why is its existence difficult (impossible?) to prove?
6. Contrast the two views of the origin of this language in the table below.