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Diffusion of Religion and Language

Jackson Gonzalez

Jackson Gonzalez

10 min read

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Study Guide Overview

This AP Human Geography study guide covers language (families, diffusion, lingua francas, dialects), religions (types, diffusion, key terms, major religions, boundaries/conflicts), ethnicity (groups, race, enclaves), and gender roles. It emphasizes key terms, diffusion patterns, religious characteristics, and the distinction between race and ethnicity. Practice questions and exam tips are included.

AP Human Geography: Language, Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender Roles - The Night Before 🚀

Hey! Let's get you prepped for the AP Human Geography exam. This guide is designed to be your go-to resource for a quick, high-impact review. We'll cover the key concepts, connect the dots, and get you feeling confident. Let's do this!

🗣️ Language: The Power of Communication

Language is a HUGE deal in AP Human Geography. It's not just about words; it's about culture, identity, and power. This is a high-value topic, so let's make sure we nail it.

Language Families & Diffusion

  • Language Family: A group of languages from a common ancestor (protolanguage).
  • Indo-European Family: The BIG one! Includes most European, some Asian, and American languages. 🌍
    • Largest language family with 2.5-3.5 billion speakers.
    • Two theories of origin:
      • Anatolian Dispersion (Sedentary Farmer): Language spread with agriculture. 🌱
      • Kurgan Hypothesis (Nomadic Warrior): Language spread through conquest. ⚔️

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  • Subfamilies: Divisions within a language family with more recent commonalities.
    • Examples: Germanic, Romance, Baltic-Slavic, Celtic, Indo-Iranian.
  • Language Divergence: When a language splits into two (e.g., Spanish and Portuguese). ➡️
  • Language Convergence: When two languages merge into one (e.g., Maltese). ⬅️
Memory Aid

Think of language families like a family tree. The trunk is the protolanguage, and the branches are the subfamilies. Divergence is like branches splitting, and convergence is like branches growing together.

  • Sino-Tibetan Family: Second largest, mainly in Asia.

Common & Mixed Languages

  • Lingua Franca: A common language used for trade and business. 🤝
    • Examples: English, Spanish, Chinese.
  • Pidgin Language: A simplified language that develops when different languages meet. 🗣️
    • Example: Swahili (Bantu + Arabic).
  • Creole Language: A pidgin that becomes a native language. 🏘️
    • Example: Haitian Creole.

Dialects and Bilingualism

  • Dialects: Variations of a language (vocabulary, accent). 🗣️
  • Isogloss: A geographic boundary between different word usages.
  • Bilingualism: Speaking two or more languages. ✌️
    • Benefits: Cultural diversity, better communication, tourism. 🌎
    • Challenges: Discrimination, education costs, resource availability.
  • Monolingualism: Having one official language.
    • Many countries have one official language (e.g., France - French).
    • The US does NOT have an official language.
Key Concept

English diffused through hierarchical diffusion in India under British colonial rule. Remember that hierarchical diffusion spreads from those in power to the general population.

Practice Question
json
{
"mcq": [
    {
      "question": "Which of the following best explains the diffusion of the English language to India?",
      "options": [
        "A. Relocation diffusion through missionaries",
        "B. Contagious diffusion through trade networks",
        "C. Hierarchical diffusion through colonial administration",
        "D. Expansion diffusion through cultural integration"
      ],
      "answer": "C"
    ...

Question 1 of 13

A group of languages that share a common ancestor is known as a what? 🤔

Language branch

Language family

Dialect

Lingua franca