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

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Outside of China, Mandarin and Cantonese are often referred to as Chinese dialects, despite being even more dissimilar than Spanish and Italian. On the other hand, speakers of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, which are three distinct languages, can usually communicate with each other in their native tongues. So, when is speech considered a dialect versus a language? Martin Hilpert investigates.

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All language users show variation in the way they talk. For example, speakers who use the negative form "ain't" (as in "That ain't easy") might also use "isn't" in their speech. Think of your own language use and identify a case of variation. Describe these two ways of saying the same thing, and reflect on the contexts in which you would use one or the other. What are the factors that influence your choices?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Martin Hilpert
  • Director Luísa Holanda, Hype CG
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Luísa Holanda
  • Animator Murilo Jardim
  • Art Director Luísa Holanda
  • Hype Producer Taíla Soliman
  • Composer Gabriel Maia
  • Sound Designer Gabriel Maia
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Cella Wright
  • Production Coordinator Abdallah Ewis
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Jennifer Nam

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