Essays on Language AND Culture

Introduction

According to cultural relativism, it is the view that there are no higher or lower cultures in all cultural and moral aspects ("Cultural Relativism", 2016). It is difficult to look at your own culture the way other cultures see it. In the article “Body Ritual among the Nacirema” Horace Miner describes American people in a satiric way, so it is not easy for readers to understand it. But it is the main strength or his article and he is not afraid to show his culture the way they always describe others. It is unfair to describe traditions of other ...

The book by Michael Byram “From Foreign Language Education to Education for Intercultural Citizenship: Essays and Reflections” is devoted to learning foreign languages in terms of culture at primary school. Language learning without cultural dimension is believed to cause danger, since children would use it to encode their own world, with no experience of “otherness”. Teaching is determined by social, political, and economic position of the society. According to the author, internationalization and globalization leave an impact on the educational sphere, and language teaching methodology requires revision, with consideration of intercultural competence. On the other hand, language learning is ...

English 1312.04

Carrera-Carrillo, Lore. "“Some of us are learning Spanish and some of us are learning English”: A comparison of second language programs in Texas." Thesis. 2003. Carrera-Carrillo observes how dual language programs are gaining popularity throughout the United States and targeting both the minority language students as well as the majority language students. Studies have revealed that there are many advantages which are associated with the learning of the English language. The native language enables students acquire content with better insight and can relate more to these concepts later in the English language. Not all facilities which have embraced ...

Superstitions in American culture

Superstitions refer to belief in magic and fear of the unknown, which leads individuals to adopt irrational behaviors. The influence of superstitions on individuals has remained strong throughout human history, but this influence has been declining with increased urbanization and education of the masses. The Halloween superstition reflects a fear of some power by human beings, which is beyond their understanding and control. However, some superstitions remain prevalent in American culture and other industrialized societies. During Halloween it is traditionally believed that it is a period that common myths, omens and folklore have more weight for the people who ...

Introduction

Geographic and Language The Asiatic geophysical location of Japan places its collective land masses in Eastern Asia, situated in the northerly Pacific Ocean, bounded by the Sea of Japan on the other side. According to the data source experts at Index Mundi, beyond the adjacent oceanic water bodies, its latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates are 36 00 N, 138 00 E (“Japan – Geography,” 2015). In terms of mapping references, Japan lies east of China’s enormous nation. For considerations of the business traveler who intends to travel to Japan, for pending negotiations settlements, the length of the trip alone presents ...

Over decades, Native Americans were facing fierce and severe oppression of non-Indians who targeted at ‘civilizing’ and ‘educating’ savages. Deemed they were helping English Americans were suppressing and erasing unique and beautiful Indian culture. Thousands of Indians were forcibly sent to schools in order to learn ‘correct’ language and values which damaged family relationships and distorted sense of belonging and cultural identity which brought Native American languages and culture in a catatonic state. However, despite all horrible deeds Native Americans try to rebuild and regain their cultural heritage in order to pass it to the next generations. A lot ...

The correlation of language, culture, and the way people think has been an issue of heated discussions for quite a long time and no definite answer has been found yet. The idea that language can reflect the speaker’s culture and individuality was first introduced by the German language scholar Wilhelm von Humboldt who “asserted that man perceives the world essentially through the medium of language” (Wilhelm, baron von Humboldt, n.d.). Later on, American linguists Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf went on developing the idea and insisted that “speakers of different tongues may think differently” (Boroditsky, 2011, p. ...

The history of immigration to the United States has had elements of racism with it from the times of ancient civilizations. The essential effects that racism brought with it to the American society as far as human relations are concerned have only gained serious significance in recent decades. Various American populations have been described with regards to their physical distinctions. It is due to this description that the nature of contemporary issues of racism has been based. Racism, as was evident during the slave trade, embodies attitude, behaviors and beliefs that render favoritism to a specific group of people ...

As a part of my learning service, I volunteered to teach English to some children whose parents had recently immigrated to the country. I handled four such children and learnt a lot through my interaction with the children and their parents for three months. First, I learnt some active listening skills. I had to be a careful listener to every word the children said so that I could understand them since they had come from a French-speaking nation and they could only speak very Basic English. I also learnt to be patient with children and adults as I waited ...