What makes a language... a language? - Martin Hilpert

Translator: Raquel Villar Pérez Reviewer: Xosé María Moreno

The distinct forms of speech heard

As distintas formas de fala ouvidas

around Bremen, Germany and Interlaken, Switzerland

en Bremen, Alemania, e Interlaken, Suíza,

are considered regional dialects of the German language.

son considerados dialectos rexionais da lingua alemá.

And yet, when someone from Bremen is visiting the Swiss Alps,

Ainda así, cando alguén de Bremen visita os Alpes Suizos,

the conversations they hear between locals will likely be incomprehensible to them.

a conversa que ouve entre os lugareños resúltalle incomprensible.

Similarly, outside of China,

Do mesmo xeito, fóra de China,

Mandarin and Cantonese are often referred to as Chinese dialects.

o mandarín e o cantonés son chamados con frecuencia dialectos chineses.

But they’re even more dissimilar than Spanish and Italian.

Pero son aínda máis diferentes ca o español e o italiano.

On the other hand, speakers of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish,

Por outra banda, os falantes daneses, noruegos e suecos,

which are recognized as three distinct languages,

que son recoñecidas coma tres linguas distintas,

can usually communicate in their native tongues with little difficulty.

poden comunicarse nas súas linguas nativas sen apenas dificultade.

And Turkish language soap operas, broadcast without dubbing or subtitles,

E as novelas turcas, emitidas sen dobraxe nin subtítulos,

are some of the most popular shows in Azeri-speaking Azerbaijan.

son un dos programas máis populares no Azerbaiján azerí.

So, when is a form of speech considered a dialect versus a language?

Así pois, cando se considera unha forma de fala dialecto ou idioma?

It seems reasonable that the degree of mutual intelligibility would determine

Parece razoable que o grao de incomprensión mutua poida determinar

whether two ways of speaking are classified as separate languages

se dúas formas de fala se clasifican coma linguas independentes

or as dialects of the same language.

ou coma dialectos dunha mesma lingua.

But as we've seen, there are many occasions where this is not the case.

Pero como vimos, hai moitas ocasións nas que isto non é o caso.

Perhaps surprisingly, the distinction between a language and a dialect

Tal vez sorprendentemente, a distinción entre idioma e dialecto

usually has nothing to do with pronunciation, vocabulary,

xeralmente non ten nada que ver coa pronunciación, o vocabulario

or any other linguistic features.

ou outras características lingüísticas.

However, it’s not coincidental, either.

Non entanto, tampouco é unha coincidencia.

It’s a matter of politics.

É unha cuestión de política.

The basis for what’s officially deemed a language

As bases polas que se considera oficialmente un idioma

was shaped by the emergence of a European nation states beginning around the 1500s.

creáronse baixo o xurdimento ao redor do S.XVI das nacións-estado europeas.

In order to establish and maintain centralized governments,

Para crear e manter gobernos centralizados,

clear territorial boundaries, and state-sponsored education systems,

delineacións territoriais claras e un sistema educativo patrocinado polo Estado,

many nation states promoted a standardized language.

moitas nacións promoveron un idioma estándar.

Which form of speech was chosen to be the standard language

A forma de fala escollida para ser o idioma estándar

was usually based on what people spoke in the capital.

basouse con frecuencia no que a xente falaba na capital.

And while other forms of speech persisted, they were often treated as inferior.

E mentres outras falas persistiron, foron tratadas coma inferiores.

This tradition extended across the globe with European colonization

Esta tradición estendeuse a través do globo coa colonización europea

and into modern times.

ata os nosos días.

Italy, for example, has at least 15 of what might be called regional dialects.

Italia, por exemplo, ten polo menos 15 do que se pode chamar dialectos rexionais.

One of them, the Florentine dialect,

Un deles, o dialecto florentino,

became known as Standard Italian when the country politically unified in 1861.

converteuse no italiano estándar cando o país se unificou en 1861.

It was selected because legendary authors like Dante and Machiavelli

Escolleuse porque autores lendarios coma Dante ou Maquiavelo

used it in their original works,

utilizábanno nos seus traballos orixinais,

And it came to represent an image of Italian national identity

e chegou a representar a imaxe da identidade nacional italiana

that some found particularly desirable.

que algúns atoparon, en particular, desexable.

Later on, in his attempt to establish a unified, fascist state,

Máis tarde, nos seus intentos por crear un Estado fascista unificado,

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini saw language standardization

o dictador italiano Benito Mussolini viu a estandarización da lingua

as an important objective.

coma un obxectivo importante.

His government promoted standard Italian while prohibiting other forms of speech

O seu goberno promoveu o italiano estándar mentres prohibía outras formas de fala

from the public sphere,

nas esferas públicas,

framing them as backward and unsophisticated.

sinalándoas coma antigas e vulgares.

In everything from job applications to court testimonies,

Dende solicitudes de traballo a testimonios xudiciais,

standard languages act as gatekeepers around the world.

as linguas estándar actúan coma gardiáns arredor do mundo.

For instance, one 1999 study showed that landlords responded to apartment inquiries

Por exemplo, un estudo de 1999 revelou que os propietarios

respondían a peticións de pisos

based on what form of speech their prospective tenants used.

baseándose na forma de falar que os posibles arrendatarios empregaban.

When callers spoke African-American Vernacular English, or AAVE,

Cando os que chamaban falaban inglés vernáculo afroamericano, ou AAVE,

landlords were more likely to reject their inquiries.

os propietarios eran máis propensos a rexeitar as súas solicitudes.

When they spoke so-called Standard American English,

Cando falaban o chamado inglés americano estándar,

which is often associated with whiteness,

asociado con frecuencia a brancos,

landlords responded more positively.

os propietarios respondían con maior positividade.

Both of these forms of speech are considered English dialects.

Ambas formas considéranse dialectos do inglés.

In the United States, some people have cast AAVE

Nos Estados Unidos, algunhas persoas sinalan o AAVE

as an incorrect or simplified version of mainstream US English.

coma unha forma incorrecta ou simplificada do inglés americano común.

But AAVE follows consistent grammatical rules

Pero o AAVE segue regras gramaticais consistentes

every bit as sophisticated as other forms of English.

tan sofisticadas coma outras formas de inglés.

Linguists tend to avoid the term dialect altogether.

Os lingüistas tenden a evitar o termo dialecto en conxunto.

Instead, many opt to call different forms of speech “varieties.”

No seu lugar, moitos optan por chamar a diferentes formas de fala “variedades”.

This way, languages are seen as groups of varieties.

Desta forma, as linguas vense coma grupos de variedades.

So the English language is made up of varieties

Así que o inglés está feito de variedades

including Standard British and American English, AAVE,

incluindo o británico estándar, o inglés americano, AAVE,

Nigerian English, Malaysian English, and many others.

inglés nixeriano, inglés malaio e moitos outros.

Each has its own unique history and characteristic pronunciation,

Cada un ten a súa propia historia e pronunciación característica,

vocabulary, and grammatical structures.

vocabulario e estructuras gramaticais.

But the dividing line between varieties is murky.

Pero a líña divisoria entre variedades é borrosa.

Human language, in all its cross-pollinating, ever-evolving glory,

A linguaxe humana, en toda a súa gloria intercultural e constante evolución

naturally resists the impulse to sort it into neat buckets.

resístese de forma natural ao impulso de manterse nuns límites.

Oftentimes, forms of speech exist on a kind of linguistic continuum

Con frecuencia, as formas de fala existen nun espazo de continuum lingüístico

where they overlap with others,

onde se superpoñen

and the differences between them are gradual—

e as diferenzas entre elas son graduais—

not clear cut.

non son claras.

And that’s the confounding beauty of the dynamic, diverse,

E esa é a beleza do dinámico, diverso

and dazzling universe of human communication.

e brillante universo da comunicación humana.