Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Barking mad
The evolution of language fascinates me. Not just derivations of the same language just a few miles apart geographically, but across countries (eg. 60% of English is said to derive from French). Now here is a trivial question (or is it?) A dog barks in Sweden. Another dog barks in Germany. If they were to meet would they understand each others bark?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I say yes they do, the barks tone is something that is set mainly by the dogs gene's, and that would be pretty much shared by the same species, i dont think animals like dogs have cultures that mark them out into seprate groups as we do.
Its an interesting statement about geo-polticis that whilst most say that english is the interntional language, in fact only around 7.6% of the world speak it whereas 15.2% of the world speak Mandrian.
As the world moves more and more global with technology are we merging into one grand culture, will language barriers that mark off cultures more perhaps than national borders begin to erode ?
Not according to Samuel P Huntington, head of international studies at Harvard who wrote "clash of civilizations"
Whilst he sees the world is yes working towards modernization and econmic prosperity, that is not the same as homogeny.
IN fact he belives as different cultures increasingly collide, that of India, China, the islamic countries, Africa, and "the west" and Latin and central America, Russia and the other Orthadox countries, this contact is conversly making people underline there own cultures not dissipate them.
In times of great change people grope for a clear idenity so they feel more secure, to root themselves when the winds of change are blowing hard.
Language is one identifier but culture is stronger still, and in post war world is a deeper definition than ideologies which separated the world mostly up till the break up of the USSR.
i agree your idea ! very nice blog
Post a Comment