How Languages Spread and Evolve Around the World

CrashCourse

This educational video from Crash Course Geography explores the fascinating spatial patterns of language, treating it as a dynamic cultural trait that moves and evolves alongside human migration. Host Alizé Carrère begins with a relatable example—the global etymology of the words "tea" and "chai"—to illustrate how trade routes determine the vocabulary we use today. The video breaks down complex geographic concepts such as relocation diffusion and contagion diffusion, using them to explain how languages spread from cultural hearths and modify over time through interaction.