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Endangered Languages and Cultural Impact

“Many of the 113 languages spoken in the Andes Mountains and Amazon basin are poorly known and are rapidly giving way to Spanish or Portuguese, or in a few cases, to a more dominant indigenous language. In this region, for example, a group known as the Kallawaya use Spanish or Quechua in daily life, but also have their own secret tongue, used mainly for preserving knowledge of medicinal plants, some of which were previously unknown to science. 
John Noble Wilford, New York Times, September 18, 2007

Question 1

Short answer

Identify TWO endangered languages and their distribution.

Question 2

Short answer

Identify ONE cultural trait that the groups with endangered languages have in common.

Question 3

Short answer

Explain TWO reasons why languages such as the Kallawaya’s are dying out.

Question 4

Short answer

Explain what is lost and what is gained as languages such as Kallawaya’s die out.

Question 5

Short answer

Describe how historically the political geography of colonialism affected indigenous languages.

Human Geography

9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade

Advanced Placement

Unit

Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes

Topic

3.5 Historical Causes of Diffusion

Format

Short answer

Short answer rubric

Endangered Languages

· Correct answers must list at least two endangered languages.
· Correct answers must mention that groups with endangered languages often have a strong connection to their traditional lands and natural environment.
· Correct answers must describe cultural practices such as subsistence farming, fishing, or hunting that are intertwined with language and identity.
· Correct answers must explain that language shift occurs when younger generations prefer dominant languages for economic opportunities, leading to a decline in the use of endangered languages.
· Correct answers must explain that cultural marginalization can lead to the devaluation of endangered languages and culture in favor of dominant societal norms.
· Correct answers must identify losses from language extinction, such as the loss of unique cultural knowledge, traditions, and ways of understanding the world.
· Correct answers must identify potential gains from language extinction, such as improved communication and integration into broader societal structures.
· Correct answers must describe how colonial powers suppressed indigenous languages and imposed their own, leading to a decline in indigenous language use and cultural identity.
· Correct answers must describe how indigenous peoples were pressured or forced to abandon their languages in favor of the colonizers' language as part of a strategy for assimilation.

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Edward Hackbarth III

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