need an answers
2006-09-01 23:46:43 · 6 answers · asked by kicko 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
in the bible, there is a story about a king who wanted to reach heaven to prove that he is mightier than anyone even God. so he built a tower called the tower of babel.
In order to stop this nonsense, God made the laborers to speak in different languages to confuse each one of them. as a result, everyone misunderstood one another and the tower was left unfinished. no instructions were ever understood so the tower crashed.
2006-09-01 23:55:42 · answer #1 · answered by arthurmljr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dialects are NOT different languages - that was what happened in babel. True dialects can be seen in China. It is a variety of language that are different from other varieties of the SAME languages. Usually different dialects have the same grammar and the same vocabulary - the difference lies in how the words are pronounced. In China, there are more than 300 dialects. But someone from Beijing can still communicate with someone from Nanchang because we have a common language called Mandarin. Even if we didn't have Mandarin, we could still talk to each other in our writings because that doesn't change, it's only the pronunciation.
Now that we've established what it is: Dialects are formed when different people from the same society start forming their own communities (either because the group is getting bigger or they don't like each other). And, without the mass media like we have today, the language will change to their needs and since they don't need to talk with anyone else, they continue to talk in their own dialect.
2006-09-02 00:27:54 · answer #2 · answered by bladegurl03 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because each generation speaks the language a little bit differently than the generation before it. If that is happening in two different communities, then the changes are not always in the same direction. With separation over time, the changes accumulate so that the speakers in two communities cannot understand one another any more. Over the course of the last 100,000 since language first evolved in Africa, the changes in the communities of the world have led to the modern situation with about 6000 different languages spoken in the world.
A couple of notes on other answers. There is no such "language" as "Chinese". Chinese is a group of mutually unintelligible LANGUAGES, not dialects of a single language. Mandarin, is a different LANGUAGE than Cantonese or Min or Wu or Hakka or Kejia. Yes, they can use the same writing system, but the writing system does not mean that they are the same language. ONLY mutual comprehensibility when SPEAKING defines a common language.
2006-09-02 03:45:21 · answer #3 · answered by Taivo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Where - - - what country? People have an inherent need to stamp their personality on / into words - - - language reflects the personality of the people in various regions hence the amazing variety of dialects in pre-television & internet times - - - now that movies & television set a standard for millions to follow many dialects are fading out - - - but people persist, giving words a twist insisting on tweaking speaking. Peace.
2006-09-01 23:56:51 · answer #4 · answered by JVHawai'i 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I am guessing here that you mean Why are there so many dialects? forgive me if I'm wrong,. It's because there are lots of people coming together that are from so many places of the earth. It's called America.
2006-09-01 23:54:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it happened at the tower of babel
2006-09-02 00:03:23 · answer #6 · answered by mibaby 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋