Thursday, May 8, 2014
Viral Knowledge
As you gear up for the end of the year, be on the lookout for
interesting ways of knowing. For Saturday night, please describe an instance
to which you then apply and answer the question "does knowledge, including culture,
depend on language?" For Monday night, build on the observation and analysis
of a classmate; extract a knowledge question from another's Saturday post
and connect it to a separate moment of knowledge of your own. You may
even wish to view the moment through an Andersonian lens.
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Knowledge does depend on culture and then again it does not. Most many people think that knowledge is only passed down by language, which is pretty valid since it is a form of communication. It is probably the easiest way to tell historical events to the next generation or even the current generation. Language allows for humans to know almost exactly what another is trying to teach. I find that without language it is hard to have knowledge because how do you know the intangible thoughts or emotions. Knowledge is too complex to become obscured by the lack of language. Then again there's the idea of the arts. Which opens up the question ‘does language need to be present to make art?’ Not needing language as a way of knowing could also include history. In biology we are learning about early hominids and most of the species had no language, but were able to learn from one another and make their own culture and tools for them to use. In this sense knowledge does not have to depend on language. I guess this is more cultural and visual knowledge that can be learnt visually.
ReplyDeleteKQ: Too what extent can art reflect the ideas and knowledge of others as a form of language?
DeleteI completely agree with Maah's point. On one hand so much knowledge depends on language and the ability to communicate, while on the other hand some forms of knowledge can be passed trough or down in others forms of communication. One situation that I can relate Maah’s point to is my studies in IB Art Year 1. For each new unit we do research on various artists, which relate to our particular unit. While some artists we find are alive, others are dead and where never alive to explain their work. In this situation it is up to me as an artist to interpret their work without any back up information to aid in my understanding. In these situations I completely agree that communications as a means of acquiring knowledge does not have to be language. At times I think that my interpretations are more legitimate and real when I have to figure out the artists message without anything but their work.
One moment of knowledge where I considered this question was a recent English class. We were studying works in translation and specifically the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus. We were engaging in a class discussion about how the translation of the novel from French to English might have changed the story. One of our classmates QianQian who studies French made an interesting comment. She said that French girls are sometimes considered rude by English speakers. This is because if they translate a respectful salutation in French directly to English, it can come off as rude. This shows that the exact translation from one language can have a different connotation to another language or society. I found this very interesting. Based on this moment of knowledge, it is safe to say that knowledge, including culture is dependent on language. Language is very important for knowledge in many instances. Let’s consider knowledge from oral history as one example. As a specific story is passed on from generation to generation it would be very difficult to keep it the same. This is because over time words shift in meaning and the invention of new things change the meaning of some words. An example of this is the word chick a few generations ago would mean a young chicken while today it is mainly used to refer to a female. Even in the same language the entire meaning of a story can be changed. Thus in different languages this is even more severe. No two languages are exactly the same and there will it is very rare for there to be and exact translation of something without losing a word or meaning. Thus knowledge, including culture is very dependent on language.
ReplyDeleteA knowledge question related to Sherica’s point is “To what extent does the flexibility of language have an effect on knowledge?” In her second example, she notes that in past, the word “chick” brought forth a different piece of knowledge than it brings forth today. Language is so flexible that even in what is considered the same “language” there is some ambiguity and confusion in interpretation and understanding. This shows that language is always developing in the same path as culture is. Her analysis of the question “Does knowledge, including culture, depend on language?" reminds me of reading Shakespeare in seventh grade. We all bought ‘No Fear Shakespeare’ books so that we could see how the old English was translated to modern English. We tried to read the old English, then decipher what things meant, however it was very hard for us to understand what was going on in the book because of the language it used. For most of the book, the same words present in modern English were used, but they had different meanings. This shows also shows how language develops with culture, and at a fast rate too.
DeleteI definitley think that knowledge, including culture depends on language. If the two are to be combined, the knowledge or opinion that one may derive from a culture to enable it to be identified is mainly based on language. Language is the specified way of knowing which depicts uniqueness in a culture.
ReplyDeleteThe universal language of Jamaica is patois. Although almost all inhabitants of the island share this language, we all have different cultures which is evident through the way we speak or address the language. I attended school in a very rural part of Jamaica, I spoke patois fluently but on the otherhand after attending five years of school in the “country”, I spoke differnetly from my parents in the city. Immediately judging on the terms I used in patois, individuals around me in the city were able to see that I had become emerged in the culture of rural Jamaica. My language was a way of knowing where I came from and reflected my way of life (culture) in rural Jamaica. Also, when I came to Stoneleigh, Sherica and I shared a common background of both coming from the city and speaking patois. Our cultures were similar in the fact that we came from Jamaica, ate the same food and practiced similar ways of life. On the other hand our use of the language patois distinguished us from each other. Sherica grew up in the city/ urban area of Jamaicaa and so did I, but spending a majority of my high school life in the rural section of the island gave me a different accent from her. Immediately she noticed I had some rural influence in my life based on my language which served as a unique way to distinguish two individuals sharing one similar culture. Therefor language does influence the knowledge one may have on a culture.
KQ: How does our knowledge of language affect our knowledge in our cultures?
DeleteThis question directly pertains to me because I am Ghanaian and American; my parents are Ghanaian, but I grew up in America for most of my life. The effect of growing up in America was that I can not speak fluent Twi, which is the common, cultural language in Ghana. I say cultural language because it is not the official language of Ghana, which is English. Then again it is only English because my country was colonized by the British, which as a result pushes me to say “cultural language”. Of course, I know some of the language, but I am not fluent. This kind of inhibits me from knowing more about my culture: It prevents me from genuinely knowing my culture because I can not speak the cultural language fluently. I can truly say that I wish I had grown up in Ghana rather than in America, because Twi is not hard to learn. It is just that I have to get used to hearing everywhere go and in America that doesn’t happen. I feel that if I grew up in Ghana I would know Twi fluently. Just knowing the language of your people makes you feel more connected to them in a way and makes you know more about them because it makes you feel included. Knowledge of language affects our knowledge in our own cultures because it draws because if you do not know the language you might feel disconnected or vice versa.
In my opinion, under no circumstances, knowledge, including culture, fully depends on knowledge. The part that really needs the involvement of language may only be the spread of knowledge or culture. In order to learn and understand one type of knowledge or culture, one can also use their perception and logic.
ReplyDeleteThe moment that helps me answer this question is my experience traveling to Japan. In English class, Ms. Heinonen told us about the cultural background of the book the Woman in the Dunes that Japan was under western influence at that time. I learned this knowledge through language. Then, I relate this knowledge to my experience traveling to Japan. I remember that people is really polite in the street. The action and appearance of every Japanese is so distinct that they reflect the Japanese culture. There are a lot of traditional Japanese buildings around, too. I could feel the rich culture in Japan just by walking and observing in the street. Then, I could also feel the western influences in Japan. There are so many McDonald’s and Starbucks. I could hear English songs being played everywhere.
When traveling to a country, people do not need to talk to anyone or read and listen anything to learn about a different culture. Perception and logic can help a person learn about a culture as effectively as language can. Actually, the knowledge or culture that the knower acquire through knowledge is second handed. Perception and logic are the ways of knowing that bring the knowers primary knowledge.
correction for the first sentence: In my opinion, under no circumstances, knowledge, including culture, fully depends on language.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree with Cathy's opinion that knowledge including culture does not necessarily build on language. I had an opportunity of landing in Ethiopia and I managed to learn about some of their values even though I do not speak any Ethiopian language. From my observations, I managed to learn that they are very cultural through their dressing, their greeting style... I could tell the way Ethiopians have pride through the way that they handled themselves in public. I was still able to learn about the Ethiopian culture without knowing or using 'Amharic', the Ethiopian language. This means that culture does not necessarily depend on language. Through the reasoning of what I observed in Ethiopia, I managed to learn a little about the Ethiopian culture. If this is the case, this might mean that culture does not depend on language. Again, I agree with Cathy's saying that language is needed in the "spread of knowledge and culture". Without language, culture can exist, but would language exist without culture? This is a question that I am still asking myself.
DeleteMy knowledge question is "To what extent is the reasoning of an experience crucial for the understanding of a culture?"
When we were in Thailand, one of the biggest struggles was the language barriers. Some of the people spoke english, but if they did it was often very broken. Therefor, we sometimes communicated through actions. That helped us communicate our wants and our needs, and it also helped us know how to act in Thai culture. However, it would have been much easier with a common language. We were still able to make clear points, and learn about Thai life and culture, but if everyone had spoke a common language I think that I would have gained a lot more knowledge. Therefor, in some ways knowledge, and especially knowledge of the culture depends on language. Actions do play a large role however. Language is not the only way to display knowledge. Acting something out to act as a role model is an incredibly valuable thing. Sometimes it could even be more helpful than just telling someone something, because you set a clear example to follow and act as a guide. One could also interpret question as “does the formation of culture depend on knowledge.” I believe that it doesn’t, but that it benefits from a language. In biology we are watching a film about the evolution of humans, and we watched animals who had no language build communities, and tools. However, they were not advanced at all. In my opinion, to build a solid culture there must be a language, or some way to communicate clearly (not just using actions). This is because to build a culture, you need discussions, and common agreements, but also points that may be controversial. A culture is much more advanced than a community. Overall, language is not necessary to communicate knowledge, but I believe that it is much more necessary to build a culture.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Grace's observation that Language doesn't just mean spoken words, and that the different ways we communicate can be dependent on language, but it doesn't have to. The knowledge question I extracted from Grace's question is "to what extent is language (or communication of all kinds) necessary for the formation of logic?" I want to connect this to some discussions that we have in History class. Whenever we try to answer any kind of question in history, Karen has a specific itinerary for the way we have to go about forming an answer. The first three steps of the process are 1) Read the Question, 2) Underline the key words, and 3) Define the key words. Oftentimes, we share our definitions as a class and usually our definitions kind of circulate around the same main idea, but they carry with them different connotations and points that affect our final answer. Then, we spend a couple of minutes simplifying our definitions, and then fifteen more minutes arguing over the correct definitions and the logical statements that can come from them. In this way, our language and similar forms of communication is necessary to come up with any logical, relevant answer to an IB Paper 1 history question. Without the communication, we could not form logical opinions that are based on preconceived facts that we can all accept. Its actually kind of interesting. What would happen if we all were mute, and had to come up with a logical thought process together using only body language?
DeleteI do believe that knowledge and culture as a way of knowing depend on language. Language has a big connection to understanding and comprehending information which then affects one’s knowledge. Personally, I can relate to this in many ways. One way is through knowing and understanding some parts of Spanish culture. Though I myself am not of Spanish descent many of my friends and the people who live in my neighborhood are Hispanic and thus I have experienced Spanish culture. What has helped me understand my friends’ cultures more, though, including music and home-life, is my understanding of the Spanish language and my continuous development of the language to the point where I can now begin to get a greater understanding. Prior to this, the Spanish culture was less clear and was hard to understand. In this way, my knowledge and understanding of the culture completely depended on my picking up on the language and now actually learning the language in school.
ReplyDeleteKQ: How does the environment affect the knowledge that the knower extracts?
DeleteYasmin’s experience living in a neighborhood with people from other culture reminds me of my experience here. There are so many cultures in the school. However, everyone can speak the same language so there is no language barriers. Regardless of the different accents, the ways in which people from different countries talk are different and the content as well. Language plays a big role in this case. The part that I don’t feel the same as Yasmin does is that I don’t learn other cultures purely by language. It is impossible to fully learn a culture just by listening, learning or reading the language itself. There must be the involvement of resources that people learn the culture from. For instance, in school, I learn the American culture from the food served in dining hall. Dishes from so many countries show that the American culture is a hodgepodge. There is no way that I would be able to understand the American culture just by using language.
The other day, Gabby and I were talking about accents throughout the caribbean. I told her that in Antigua where my family is from, the accent sounds almost exactly like a Jamaican accent apart from a few language structural differences. Then we watched videos on accents of different caribbean countries. We noticed that people of Belize also have similar accents to the Jamaicans. Trinidadian and Guyanese accents are also alike in the slang that they use. Overall, Caribbean people share similar accents, however, every island has it’s own specific slang and accent. On the contrary, from what I have seen, the Caribbean nations share a unified culture. We have certain things that are the same for all of us. For example, we listen to soca and dancehall music. Our knowledge, including culture is not very dependent on our languages and the different dialects that we speak. This is because our similarities in culture and surroundings are very alike, and they overpower the cultural differences. I went to Yasmin’s house over a break, and her families’ overpowering Guyanese accents were hard for me to understand, but I got the jist of what they were saying based on other things, like tone of voice that I was used to, or things I think they would say based on their background
ReplyDeleteKQ: To what extent does one’s experience of a different culture or language affect their knowledge of their own culture?
DeleteJordyn’s experience is much like many experiences I have encountered in my life as well. I think it is fair to say most people of the Caribbean have experienced this in some way or another. However her post made me think about how learning about one’s culture really makes me reflect on my own culture and my surprise when somethings have a strong link or compare in some way. One example of this that I can easily recall was during the Africa Presentation in housemeeting a little while ago. I remember Theresa was explaining foods from her country in Africa and it automatically hit me, as a huge surprise (I’m not exactly sure why), that some of the foods they ate all the way in Africa were almost if not completely similar to some of my favorite foods from Guyana which is in South America. A few days following this, the dining hall made an African meal (either from Kenya or Nigeria I forgot which) that had potatoes in it, and was named “Aloo (something else that I forgot)”, this was also a large reflecting moment for me because in Guyana, and possibly other Caribbean countries, this is also what we call a potato. This experience of Theresa’s culture and the food in the dining hall (which related to language) really made me look at my own culture and realize that there are probably a lot of very similar connections that my own culture has to other cultures.
I think that if language is defined by the ways we communicate with each other (to include spoken language and body language), than knowledge and culture depend on language but only to a certain extent. I was reading an interesting article the other day about whether or not people from different countries who speak different languages actually think differently. The article said that the human emotions, the deep meaning behind the thoughts that we think are pretty standard among humans, but that different languages can each express these deep meanings in an ambiguous way, often with several different meanings that could be interpreted differently.
ReplyDeleteExample Time!
If I told someone that I loved them, they could take it approximately seven different ways. Depending on the words used, the tone, the body language that varies from culture to culture, the persons understanding and reaction to the statement would be different. Language can be ambiguous, language can be taken in different ways and interpreted in different ways and then knowledge can be gleaned from it in different ways.
My conclusion, I think, is that true knowledge and understanding of a subject, an emotion, or a perspective is universal, across all languages. But the ways that we express it, the ways different cultures communicate ideas like humor, love, and grief vary depending on the culture/language. The ideas themselves (love, pleasure, pain, humor, etc.) are common to everyone.
I agree with Brianna’s post as I too have been in a situation where something I said was wrongly conveyed to another who wasn’t from a culture similar to mine. I am also happy that she regarded body language as a part of language as it is a good form of communication. One knowledge question that I can extract from her post is to what extent should knowledge transposed from one culture to another be considered accurate? To answer this knowledge question I think that there should be a limit to considering translated knowledge as accurate. This is because no two languages or cultures are exactly the same. While there are some things that can easily be conveyed across language and cultural borders, we should always bear in mind that culture and language directly affect knowledge.
DeleteThe moment of knowledge I experienced was in a ninth grade History when I had just moved to attend school in the United States. In my previous history classes back home we used a specific term to refer to a particular religious group which in my culture is perfectly fine. Even members of that said religious group did not mind being referred to by the name I used. One day while participating in a class discussion, I used that word to describe the religious group. After class the teacher sat me down and informed me that my comment came off a disrespectful because of my choice of words. This is a key example of a language barrier set up by culture. While I did not mean to cause any harm with my comment it was conveyed as such. While both my home country and the United States speak the same language, the cultures are different and this sets up the stage for misconceptions stemming from different cultural experiences. Thus I think that knowledge including culture depends on language
Almost everyday I have to work with an animal much larger than myself, to tell it to do certain things that are not necessarily what it was born to do. To ride a horse there is a lot of precise body language that needs to be executed accurately every time in order to tell the horse just what you want it to do. For example, just to turn a horse you have to position your legs a certain way, you have to turn your hips and shoulders the perfect amount, no more or less, and you have to use your hands to bend the horse the way you want it to go. If one thing is done incorrectly, the horse will not be able to turn just as it should. In riding, language is everything. Language is knowledge. Without the knowledge of the certain body language that needs to be used, the effectiveness of your riding may not be able to reach its potential. Therefore, in this instance, knowledge does not depend on language rather culture depends on knowledge of the language. The culture being the physical riding.
ReplyDeleteHeather's post really interested me because it got me thinking about how one's definition of language could be different from another's. I ride as well and I definitely think that there is a mutual "language" between the horse and its rider and I think that the culture of riding is very dependent on this. We can also see that many cultures have been dependent on the knowledge of language between horse and human. Horses have been used throughout history within cultures, especially for military use in ancient times. However some individuals may not consider the relationship between rider and there horses to be a language. Overall I completely agree with Heather. The knowledge question that I extracted from her post is: To what extent does experience with a language affect the interpretation of knowledge?
DeleteI think that knowledge, including culture, depends on language in some ways. This question instantly made me think of my Italian family and our culture. I think that a lot of knowledge that comes from Italian culture and the culture itself is very language driven. When you walk into an Italian household you will always hear at least some italian words that could easily be said in English or another language, but speaking them Italian is just part of the culture. I think that there is also a tone of voice that is spoken with Italians, not to mention the loudness of Italians, that is a huge part of the culture. This makes language a key part of gaining knowledge from this culture. On the other hand, I not speak Italian, but I have a really good understanding of Italian culture, at least through my family. I have learned about the Italian culture by watching and learning about traditions and beliefs and morals of Italians through my family. So to me, I do not think that it is crucial to have language as way of knowing in order to gain knowledge. I think that it can make things easier, but there are other ways of gaining knowledge like through actions.
ReplyDeleteOlivia mentioned that Italians are normally viewed as loud. This enabled me to reflect on my own culture and derive the knowledge question:"To what extent can the way language is used impact the knowledge derived from the message it should convey?" My moment of knowledge is influenced by this question almost daily. I come from a society where speaking loud is not viewed in a rude or pious manner. At times when I am around individuals who are not use to the way I speak, some of my statements may come off as being rude because of the way it is said. Here we see language interacting with tone which greatly influences how the knowledge of a message will be taken by others when conveyed. In English class we read the novel The Stranger. The main character Merasault was viewed by the entire class as indifferent because of the tone associated with his speech. Simple sentences like "Maman died today," was taken as rude/non nonchalant. This was mainly because a majority of us came from a background where language is used in a more descriptive way as opposed to the book that used sharp and blunt sentences. This is another example of how humans base their knowledge on language dependent on the tone used in order to extract the message trying to be conveyed. This example also reflects how differing cultures derive their knowledge based on the use of language and the message it conveys by comparing it to theirs. We in America may view Italians as loud, but to them it is completely normal to use language and speech in that way.
DeleteI believe that knowledge does not necessarily depend on language. One form of knowledge that I acquire is through riding. If you consider language strictly spoken language, then this example connects to my point.
ReplyDeleteWhen I ‘communicate’ with a horse it is all through body language, feel, and energy. While I am on a horse everyday I am unable to communicate through a spoken language, thus, I have to create my own. The tricky thing is, is that every horse is different, thus, the communication varies. Most of the time I find new ways to express what I want from the horse. The horse also communicates to the rider through their own body language. There are various way in which horses communicate: When angry, horses flip their tails and pin their ears back. When alert horses put their ears forward and their eyes get larger. When calm and relaxed, horses lower their heads and relax one of their back legs. All of these communications aid humans into understanding how a horse is feeling. In my eyes, none of these ways of communication or knowledge is communicate through a spoken language. Thus, I answer the knowledge question: "does knowledge, including culture, depend on language?" to say that knowledge does not necessarily depend on language. When language is taken out of the equation there are other forms of communication that must be used.
I completely agree with Franny. As a rider I know exactly what she is talking about. There is definitely a communication between the horse and rider, with or without words. I know that personally, when I say dexter’s name, he knows that I am addressing him and that he must pay attention to me. Does he process that it is his name? Of course not. It is just a key sounds that he associates with me, and focusing. Therefor, no language (I’m defining this a way of communication through speaking that both parties can understand, process, and build off of) is necessarily needed, just cues. However, even though I can communicate and make a connection with him, we have no culture. His brain just simply isn’t developed for that. No matter how much communication we had, we could never build a culture (def: the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively). Therefor, this raises the knowledge question: to what extent can knowledge, especially culture, be passed between species? Again, I can connect this question back to my moments when I communicate with dexter, telling him what to do, but not being able to build a culture. I think that knowledge can be passed, and quite a lot, but only in context of an activity. If I tried to explain this post to dexter, he would stare at me, and not process. Therefor, only relevant knowledge that asks an animal to perform a specific action, or directly relates to the effect that someone has on an animal’s life will be communicated.
DeleteAs far as I concern, to a great extent, knowledge and culture depends on language. In the ancient time, people use language to spread the myths and legends from generations to generation. People use myths and legends to explain the origin of the human being and the natural phenomena and diasters. Therefore, language is a intangible way to record the knowledge and culture. For instance, There is a Chinese godness Nüwa existed in the beginning of the world. She felt lonely as there were no animals so she began the creation of animals and humans. She created men from yellow clay, sculpting each one individually, yet after she had created hundreds of figures in this way she still had more to make but had grown tired of the laborious process. So instead of hand crafting each figure, she dipped a rope in clay and flicked it so blobs of clay landed everywhere; each of these blobs became a person. Nowadays, Chinese kids still learn the legend even though most of people already accept Darwin's evolution theory. In this way, the culture tends to be more rely on the language than the knowledge does.
ReplyDeleteI agree that knowledge and culture depends on language to be passed on and shared, but my question is, can the roles be reversed? Does language depend on knowledge and culture? To what extent is language and knowledge/culture interdependent?
DeleteLately, I have been watching a TV documentary series on Chinese cuisine, it's called "A bite of China", in this documentary, different types of food from different areas in China are revealed, and during the interviews, each person speaks with a different accent and use different "slang", there is a multitude of different sub-cultures within China, each having different characteristics in speech and words. Even in the suburbs of Beijing, there are at least three types of mandarin spoken with accents on different vowels. Without these cultures, these words and accents would not exist.
I can't help but think back to chemistry class when we memorized the names of molecules, these names also wouldn't exist if we have no knowledge of the science of chemistry.
I am not sure of whether or not, knowledge or culture, depend on language but I do believe that it is the other way round. As I was talking to my father, I raised that question and we concluded that, language depends on knowledge, including culture. My first language, ‘Kinyarwanda’, has evolved over the years. Under the influence of other cultures, new words have been added to the ‘Kinyarwanda’ language. When the Belgians colonized Rwanda, new words like ‘ubucoloni’, meaning colonialism, ‘uburaya’, meaning prostitution, were added to Kinyarwanda. This was because new traditions like colonialism, or prostitution, which had never been part of the Rwandese culture, were added to the knowledge of the Rwandese. In this case, those new habits or the new culture that developed in Rwanda had to affect the Rwandese language. The way our culture was affected, affected our language. Colonialism and other habits that were added to our culture were added to the Rwandese language. In this case, I can also say that language depends on culture rather than culture depending on language. However culture depends on language when it comes to how the culture is presented. I think saying ‘ubucoloni’ or colonialism in Rwanda, just gives more meaning to the word which gives more meaning to the culture.
ReplyDeleteKQ extracted: to what extent can culture and experience affect language?
DeleteWhen reading Cynthia’s post, a few moments of knowledge came to mind. One of these moments had to do with my education in Spanish. When I entered into kindergarten, my parents enrolled me into a dual immersion program for spanish. In my classes and around school we were told only to speak spanish, using English only when necessary (besides Wednesdays, those were “English” days). My knowledge in the Spanish language flourished, as the cultural experience helped to foster this. Within a few years I was considered fluent, and often times found myself in real world situations where I could understand native speakers having a conversation. I completely relate this success to the culture and experience gain through my school. We celebrated Spanish holidays, constantly spoke the language, and got to hear the language from many different teachers from around Latin America. Learning in this culture created this language to be second nature for me, purely through experience. Later on in middle school, I dropped out of the dual immersion program, only to come back to Spanish classes this year at stoneleigh (5 years without speaking it). While I still may remember verbs, vocab, and pronunciation, the language is taking me much longer to grasp, now that I’m in a different culture/environment where I am not constantly speaking Spanish. The culture conjured within situations leads to different experiences, which can either be successful or not as successful to learning and education. With both experiences in mind, I can fully answer that culture and experience do affect language, and knowledge in that subject area.
Knowledge and culture cannot be separated from language, because not only do we need language to communicate and share knowledge and culture, language itself is also knowledge and culture.
ReplyDeleteIn the chinese language, "time" is written as 时间, a compound of two characters. the first character means time, and the second character can either mean space, or interval. I dont know the thinking or reasoning behind the chinese word for time, or how it came along to be this way, but is it coincidence that they are put together to form the word for time, hinting that space and time is inseparable?
Language also embodies culture, and that has caught my attention when we studied mao's china in history class. One of mao's policies was called "100 flowers bloom together", although it seems like an environmentalist initiative, the actual motive of the policy is to promote civilian criticism of the government. This is one instance where names of laws in the PRC are poeticized so that it almost seems like its less about humans. On one hand, it is a reflection of the culture and tradition of poetic language originating in ancient china. On the other hand, it is also a reflection of the lack of humanity in China, and its long going unacceptance of human rights.
In contrast, in the U.S, there are many examples of laws being named after real people. The first example that comes to mind is in the movie legally blond 2, when Elle goes to washington d.c to lobby for an animal testing bill. When the bill was passed, it was named Bruiser's bill, Bruiser is Elle pet dog. Bruiser is not a human, but this law still illustrates the humanitarian culture of the U.S. As a fact, as of 2009, there are eleven U.S laws that are named after people.
Although laws and politics seems rigid and impersonal, examining how language is used can reveal the nature of a culture.
When reading Qianqian's post I was really interested in the way culture affects language. Her example of Mao's "100 flowers bloom together" campaign was really interesting. Although it was a campaign for laws in the PRC it seems, to me, to be talking about a "Green-up" campaign. I like that she mentioned how it is a reflection of the appreciation for the arts in a culture as well as a lack of humanity. This got me thinking, to what extent does culture affect the understanding of one's language?
DeleteAnother instance of this could be literal translations. In Spanish sometimes a literal translation will not mean in English, exactly what it does in Spanish. Is this because of the differences that these two cultures has? I believe that culture completely affects the understanding of language. If I translate a phrase in Spanish into English and don't understand it, maybe it is because I don't understand Spanish culture.
The instance that I relate to this question is simple. Throughout my life, I have seen neighbors, family friends, and acquaintances adopt children from other countries. Adoption can be extremely difficult, especially when the child has grown up in their home country long enough to grasp the language and culture. An example of this was when a family friend adopted a girl from China. The girl had been living in China for around four years, meaning she was beginning to learn the language, culture, tradition, and knowledge of China. When she came to the United States, the adoptive parents spoke no Chinese, and expected her to completely assimilate with western culture, including learning English. Through this, the young girl had to learn an entire new culture and language only one year before starting kindergarten. In this instance, language was the key factor in comprehension and knowledge fostered in the child. This dramatic change in culture showed that in order to fully understand American culture, the girl must speak English and be fully immersed into the culture. Without this understanding of the English language, it would have been extremely difficult, if not nearly impossible, for the girl to carry on with her American education. Language was a vital part of the connections she could make, and a vital part to the people trying to relay their information/knowledge to her such as her teachers, her parents, and friends. Similarly, knowledge and culture of her previous home was completely lost in this transition. This girl, in present day, has no recollections of China, the Chinese language, or even the cultural aspects. Without the link of Chinese language, all knowledge of culture was lost. Whether this was because of her young age or because of change in language, it’s safe to say that the loss of culture and cultural knowledge was inhibited by the language change itself. Knowledge can be both gained and lost through communication, showing that it depends language heavily.
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge question is to what extent has language has impact on gaining or losing knowledge?
DeletePersonal speaking, I lost a huge amount of knowledge of China after I studied in the US for almost three years. My mom was upset about the spelling error that I had when I text her. I used to recite the old classic Chinese in the elementary school and middle school, but I no long have chance to review and study them. My mom told me that the old classic Chinese are the treasures of 5,000 Chinese history, and even I study in the US and live and think as an American, I should not forget that I am still a Chinese. Moreover, I found out that I had hard time to write formal Chinese letter when I tried to contact with the people for my Extended Essay. When I was in China, I was really good at using the honorifics to show my respect to people. In this case, I lost knowledge since I stopped studying the language of Chinese.
When I went to the host-family, the host-father always told some joke, but I had time to understand it. The joke is created based on the American culture and the uniqueness of the language of English. But after I lived with them for few months, I started to understand the American humor and to laugh with them. In a word, I gained the knowledge of American culture through communicating with the local family.