Writing about global languages

   Nowadays, it is common knowledge that English is the global, worldwide-spoken language. More and more of various ages, such as adolescents and adults, strive to master it. An increasingly number of citizens of the world considers learning this language as an obligatory and beneficial part of their studies. Although a world language results in communication, peace, connection and understanding between nations, there are both positive and negative aspects of this situation.
   Adopting a foreign language which is used worldwide has plenty of strong points. Firstly, a set of grammatical rules and a new body of vocabulary, which are parts of every language, boosts intelligence, cleverness, critical thinking and skills. This means that studying new things is an ideal way of brain exercise and memory practice. Another asset is that through this kind of learning, people are able to communicate and interact with each other even if their nationalities are not the same. Thus, they accept they accept the diversity between cultures as their horizons are broadened. For instance, young children attend exchange programs more easily or teenagers make new friends and meet different customs, traditions, history and values. Apart from intercultural understanding, professional needs and travelling too requires bilingualism. In many cases, students travel abroad to graduate, get a higher education and develop a better future. Travelling overseas is a popular trend, so English is very useful for communication and pleasure from a journey or a permanent installation to a place.
   However, global languages usage has a serious consequence known as globalisation. It is very easy for unpopular languages, tranditions and generally cultures to be consumed or even vanish in the mass of the most popular cultures, leading to limited significance of cultural identity and individual history. For example, in Greece more and more American traditions and rituals are adopted or replace the Greek ones, like carnivals or Christmas trees. Not only are cultural differences eliminated but also people -especially the young ones- have similar tastes in music, clothes and films. Lack of variation is a common phenomenon, which causes conflicts between adolescents and more competition about fashion, trends and popularity. The consequences of this problem are various, because relationships are destroyed by misunderstandings or conflicts and children  adopt the mentality of criticizing based on the outer appearance, instead of character.
   On balance, I believe that worldwide-spoken languages are worthwhile, important for harmony, communication and brain exercise. For me, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, as a world language is the flash of the human spirit representing the connection among all the cultures.

Endangered languages and cultures

This is the video, parts of which we saw during Monday’s presentation on languages. Watch it again and write your own message about language and culture preservation, by also using some of the information we discussed. You can create a new post or leave a comment under this one.

 https://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cultures?language=en

Cultures and Globalization

What are the characteristics of culture?

Culture is a term that defines the characteristics of people of a specific area at a specific time.These characteristics are mostly their behavior,their beliefs, their way of thinking, their feelings,their preferences,their language, their food, their appearance and their religion.

How is culture transmitted?

                                                             
First of all, culture is not a biological trait for every native, it is learnt.
Culture can be transmitted in various ways. Some of them are: By imitation,children sometimes imitate their parents and they learn their culture and traditions through this; from stories that older people like uncles, aunts, grandparents or parents narrate to their children and are related to their culture; from their language, which is an essential characteristic of culture that passes down from generation to generation and transmits a part of one's national identity.

The concept of globalization
The worldwide movement toward economic, financial, trade, and communications integration.
Globalization implies the opening of local and nationalistic perspectives to a broader outlook of an interconnected and interdependent world with free transfer of capital, goods, and services across national frontiers. However, it does not include unhindered movement of labor and, as suggested by some economists, may hurt smaller or fragile economies if applied indiscriminately.
(source:http://www.businessdictionary.com/)

How does globalization affect culture?
Globalization can affect culture sometimes.Through globalization it is easy for not so widely popular native traditions, languages, music and generally culture to be consumed in the mass of the most popular cultures of the most financially developed places.
Many languages (and traditions) have gone extinct and numerous others are endangered while losing in popularity (e.g. Irish)

My opinion on the issue
From my point of view, even though I don't follow all the traditions having to do with Crete or Greece, I still like culture as an idea and I feel sad when I hear that cultures are becoming extinct and forgotten because of globalization.I feel like one's culture is a part of their identity and shall not be forgotten that easily.

Culture

      What are the characteristics of culture?

The characteristics of culture are the following:
Culture is shared, social, transmitted through learning, dependent upon language, cumulative, gratifying to participate in, dynamic and variable between different societies. All human societies have their own cultures


   How is culture transmitted?

 Schein (1985) has argued that culture is transmitted in two different ways, either through 'problem solving' / 'positive reinforcement' or 'anxiety avoidance' / 'trauma'. The former refers to a policy of repeating successful work strategies, the latter to a policy of avoiding unpleasant situations by basing thought and action on previous negative experiences.



   The advantages and the disadvantages of globalization:

Advantages,Disadvantages

• Employment opportunities,Education,Trade has become more competitive leading to production of high-quality products,Price of commodities has also become cheaper,People have become more tolerant and open towards each other.
• Incursion of deadly diseases,it has not worked in favor for a large section of the population,unfair working conditions and social injustice,

• Do I feel cretan?Well the answer is actually no.I consider myself a citizen of Greece,thus I never liked  cretan music and customs that much,even food,for example the music with the mandolin and the meat don't appeal to me that much,for all that reasons I don't consider myself a cretan and to tell the truth I don't feel very good about it,but I can't change my habits and tastes to fit a total of people.

Culture

      Culture is "the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time. So, it is a complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.






Philosopher Edward S. Casey (1996) describes: "The very word culture meant 'place tilled' in Middle English, and the same word goes back to Latin colere, 'to inhabit, care for, till, worship' and cultus, 'A cult, especially a religious one.' To be cultural, to have a culture, is to inhabit a place sufficiently intensive to cultivate it — to be responsible for it, to respond to it, to attend to it caringly.
   

''CULTURE''

What are the characteristics of culture?

Culture is shared, social, transmitted through learning, dependent upon language, cumulative, gratifying to participate in, dynamic and variable between different societies. All human societies have their own cultures.

 How is culture transmitted?

The effects of globalisation on culture:

English as a global language

       English is becoming used more and more everyday as indigenous languages die. People believe that when languages die, their civilization and customs die too. Some others believe that we should all speak the same language in order to have an easier communication. In this way, the ignore the culture that with great efforts other people created. 

       From the ancient years, different languages were created. People tried to communicate with other civilizations and also evolve theirs. Nowadays, people affected by languages such as English. Therefor, they can easily travel abroad, but also they boost their intelligence and thinking skills.

       People especially immigrants and refugees are trying to learn the language, traditions and history of a country in order to assimilate in this country. As a result, they forget their cultural traditions, customs, music or film tastes which directly affect their civilization. Also because of the globalization in the next years, every country will have the same tastes of music or clothes, but they will also not have any difference.

       In conclusion, I firmly believe that every country should not be affected by others, as they have their own language and their own cultural identity. People should all learn other languages and know other civilizations without ignore their roots.

Notes on television and globalisation; taken from your amazing phrasebooks!