Hakka language

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/hakka-language

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the language family classification?Sinitic languages, a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family
2. What is the estimated global speakers?Approximately 48 million individuals
3. Why do Hakka people call themselves "guest families"?The name "Hakka" means "guest families" because the ancestors of Hakka people moved from northern China to the south many times. They settled in new places and kept their own language and traditions.
4. How many people speak Hakka?About 48 million people speak Hakka. That is many families, schools, and communities that keep the language alive.

Sinitic Languages: A subgroup of the Sino-Tibetan language family, encompassing languages spoken in China and its historical sphere of influence.
Phonology: The study of sound systems in a language, including tones, vowels, and consonants.
Linguistic Divergence: The process by which related languages or dialects gradually become different from each other over time.
Language Shift: The process where a community abandons its native language in favor of another, often dominant, language.