Hey, Language Nerds! Have you ever wondered how migration affects language? Well, while it’s not always the case, human movement can have some major effects on language, both the one spoken in the new country and that of the immigrants. We take a closer look at the changes happening in German in some places with large immigrant populations, a phenomenon that is also happening in several other European countries. We also examine how English was formed as a result of immigration (and, well, conquering).
In Language News this week, we discuss a very current story about the changing language studies requirements throughout India. A poorly worded policy that requires everyone in India to study English and Hindi is an echo of colonialism and the power disparity created by those speaking the “elite” languages. We are going to want to keep paying attention to this story to see how it develops.
Stick around to the end to hear a hilarious Lost in Translation story from Taffy! Here is another hysterical example of how incorrectly said tones in Chinese can really get you in a weird situation.
Here are some of the resources we used this week:
- Language News: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/after-backlash-education-policy-panel-drops-hindi-as-must-language/articleshow/69641151.cms
- Read more about multiethnolects in this piece by Columbia Linguistics professor, John McWhorter: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/12/language-immigrants-multiethnolect/420285/
- How German language is being changed by migration: https://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org/en/germany/culture/german-language-migration/
- Early English and how it came from lots of contact of many languages: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20190118-how-migration-formed-the-english-language
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