Geography ยท General Awareness

World Languages and Geography

2,195 Questions

World languages and geography explore the distribution of major language families, official languages, and native speakers across different continents. The questions cover linguistic demographics in Africa, Europe, and the Americas. This topic is frequently asked in UPSC, SSC, and State PSC general studies papers.

Official languagesLanguage familiesWidely spoken languagesRegional languagesLinguistic geography

World Languages and Geography Questions

Multiple choice

William Jones was a linguist because

  1. he had studied Greek and Latin

  2. he knew French and English

  3. he had learnt Persian

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

William Jones was a polyglot who studied Greek, Latin, French, English, Persian, and Sanskrit, which qualified him as a linguist.

Multiple choice

Vernacular means

  1. Local language

  2. English language

  3. Administrative language
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The term 'vernacular' refers to the local language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people of a region, as opposed to a formal or administrative language.

Multiple choice

Which word is not "Maori"?

  1. iti

  2. iwi

  3. hapu

  4. mulato
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Mulato is a Spanish/Portuguese term referring to a person of mixed white and black ancestry, not a Maori word. The other terms (iti, iwi, hapu) are all common Maori words.

Multiple choice

This one does not belong to the group.

  1. Celtic

  2. Portuguese

  3. Spanish

  4. French
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Portuguese, Spanish, and French are all Romance languages derived from Latin. Celtic is a separate branch of the Indo-European language family.

Multiple choice

English is a:

  1. West Germanic language influenced by Chinese

  2. West Germanic language influenced by French

  3. Slavic language

  4. computer language
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

English is classified as a West Germanic language that has been significantly influenced by French, particularly following the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a language that has undergone language revitalization?

  1. Hawaiian

  2. Maori

  3. Irish

  4. Welsh
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Hawaiian is an example of a language that has undergone language revitalization.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language of the ancient Mayan civilization?

  1. Nahuatl

  2. Quechua

  3. Maya

  4. Aymara
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The ancient Mayan civilization spoke the Mayan language, which is still spoken by some communities in Central America.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language of the ancient Roman civilization?

  1. Greek

  2. Latin

  3. Aramaic

  4. Hebrew
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Ancient Romans spoke Latin, which became a widespread language throughout the Roman Empire.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the most widely spoken in the world?

  1. Indo-European

  2. Sino-Tibetan

  3. Niger-Congo

  4. Afro-Asiatic
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Indo-European language family is the most widely spoken in the world, with over 2.5 billion speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the second most widely spoken in the world?

  1. Sino-Tibetan

  2. Niger-Congo

  3. Afro-Asiatic

  4. Austronesian
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Sino-Tibetan language family is the second most widely spoken in the world, with over 1.2 billion speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the third most widely spoken in the world?

  1. Niger-Congo

  2. Afro-Asiatic

  3. Austronesian

  4. Dravidian
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Niger-Congo language family is the third most widely spoken in the world, with over 700 million speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the fourth most widely spoken in the world?

  1. Afro-Asiatic

  2. Austronesian

  3. Dravidian

  4. Altaic
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Afro-Asiatic language family is the fourth most widely spoken in the world, with over 350 million speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the fifth most widely spoken in the world?

  1. Austronesian

  2. Dravidian

  3. Altaic

  4. Japanese
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Austronesian language family is the fifth most widely spoken in the world, with over 300 million speakers.

Multiple choice

What percentage of the world's languages are considered endangered?

  1. 25%

  2. 50%

  3. 75%

  4. 90%
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Approximately half of the world's languages are considered endangered, facing the risk of extinction.