Signature Assignment: Using Language Databases to Draw Conclusions Based on Data
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Signature Assignment: Using Language Databases to Draw Conclusions Based on Data
Students will choose three languages to work on: two out of the languages discussed in class (American Sign Language (ASL), Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Korean, Russian, Spanish) and one other language outside of this group. They will examine several language databases to answer specific questions about the languages of their choice: their origin, number of speakers, countries where they are spoken, etc., and then they will use US census data to look at the distribution of these languages in the US. In a short narrative, students will interpret the data first by making comparisons between the three languages and then by drawing connections between the status of each language in the world and in the US. There will be an in-class workshop to help students use the databases.
Part A. Information about the languages of the world. Use the databases listed below and others linked to them to fill out the comparative table below. Information in italics is given as examples, make sure to replace it and give full answers. Provide reference to the database used for each of your answers (as shown in the examples below). [Empirical and Quantitative Skills]
Multitree http://www.multitree.org/codes/rus.htmlLinks to an external site.
Glottolog https://glottolog.org/glottolog/languageLinks to an external site.
For total number of speakers use Ethnologue if possible https://www.ethnologue.com/guides/ethnologue200Links to an external site. or another source
Name
e.g. English
Language 2
Language 3
Type
Language (Multitree)
Origin: full family tree from the top-level family to the language.
e.g. Indo-European > Germanic > Northwest Germanic > West Germanic > North Sea Germanic > Anglo-Frisian > Anglic > Later Anglic > Middle Modern English > Macro English > English (Glottologue)
Countries where the language is spoken
e.g. Fiji, Grenada, USA, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Malaysia, etc. (Multitree)
Total number of speakers (if possible, indicate number of native and non-native speakers).
Native and non-native speakers total: 1,132,000,000. Native speakers total all countries: 379,000,000 (EthnologueLinks to an external site.)
Dialects
e.g. North Lancashire (eng-nol) Geordie (eng-geo) Liberian Standard English (eng-lib) Bermudan English (eng-ber), etc. (Multitree)
3 phrases:
e.g.: How are you? Thank you! Good-bye! My name is ….
Part B. Language distribution in the US. Use MLA Language Map (https://arcws.mla.org/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=82332f6834494461963248b59837be12Links to an external site. ) and data center (https://apps.mla.org/map_dataLinks to an external site.) to answer the questions below [Empirical and Quantitative Skills, Critical Thinking Skills]:
Determine if the languages of interest are spoken in the US. If so, in which states are they spoken the most? Provide specific numerical data.
Are these languages spoken in Texas? If so, narrow the search down and provide specific information about your county, your city, and your zip-code area. If another language is more dominant around the place where you live (other than English and Spanish, if Spanish is not one of your languages of interest), indicate which language.
Compare the results of census of 2000 vs. 2010 and indicate the percentages of increase or decrease in the number of speakers of these languages in the US and in Texas (if any). Compare with total population in the US in these years.
Expand the fields in your search to identify the ages of the speakers and their knowledge of English. Provide a comparison of this data between 2000 vs. 2010. Again, use percentages for your comparisons.
Part C. Write a 1000-word essay to summarize the results of your research and to focus on the most interesting findings. First, compare the three world languages based on your findings in part A, then compare how these languages are distributed in the US (part B). Draw connections between the status of the language in the world vs. in the US. What patterns do you observe for the three languages? What could be the reasons for these numerical patterns? Use facts instead of your personal opinions. [Critical Thinking Skills; Communication Skills; Empirical and Quantitative Skills]
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