Saturday, June 13, 2015
An End Note
Thank you all for taking a look at my blog and taking the time to read, watch, and listen to these ideas and stories. I hope that coming together and learning about globalization and language can help us embrace our common humanity and never forget our individual identities.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Differentialism, Convergence, Hybridization and Language
Language and globalization need to be looked at with multiple lens, so I hope this post provides some deep thinking.
In my class we have discussed the three dimensions of cultural difference that are in relation to globalization: 1) Differentialism, 2) Convergence, and 3) Mixing or Hybridization. Difrrerentialism looks at the differences among cultures and diversity. Convergence looks at one culture being superior and one dominating; like colonialism. Mixing or hybridization looks at the mixing of cultures and ideas. The first two ideas, differentialism and convergence, are modern ideas and mixing/hybridization are post-modern ideas. (Class Notes, 5/11/2015 & 5/13/15)
These ideas are emphasized by Pieterse in his book "Globalization and Culture: Global Melange". In chapter three he goes into depth with these concepts and describes McDonaldization in relation to idea #2, convergence. Pieterse says, "McDonaldization, according to the sociologist George Ritzer, is 'the process whereby the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world'"(51). This can be related to language in saying that language is "coming to dominate more and more", and it looks like that can be said for English.
Societies come with languages, so this idea of McDonaldization and convergence is related to homogenization of language. I would say that English has been homogenized through out many parts of the world and this has happened with colonialism, capitalism, westernization, and so on. The website "Vistawide: World Languages and Cultures shows statistics saying that Chinese has the largest number of native speakers in the world and English has the largest number of non-native speakers in the world (http://www.vistawide.com/languages/language_statistics.htm). With that being said it shows how it could be that English is dominating the world on an international level. I think convergence has deeply affected language and I would say that language has been homogenized because of it. The website also mentioned that there are 6912 languages in the world and 516 are "nearly extinct". With English becoming a dominant language, maybe this is the reason there are many endangered languages.
Many could say that this is a negative affect to globalization and that may or may not be true. There are negative aspects to it, but I like to look at it with a positive lens and say that this is where hybridization comes in.
The McDonaldization and convergence happened in the modern time period around 1840's to 1960's (Class Notes, 5/18/15). But now we are in the post-modern period which is 1960's to about now (Class Notes, 5/18/15). There are other shifts happening, but I would say we still have post modern aspects. With the post-modern period comes hybridization that I mentioned earlier (Class Notes, 5/11/15). Hybridization and mixing of different cultural elements brings on many other ideas with globalization.
Pieterse and our teacher have discussed four ideas with Hybridization. There is hybridity which is mixing of differences. Then there is post-hybridity which is looking at the similarities instead of differences with mixing. Pieterse mentions both of these in chapter four (65-94). Then there is neo-hybridity which our class sort of came up with. It is the idea that mixing looks at differences and similarities of cultures(Class Notes, 5/22/15). The fourth idea is anti-hybridity where there is not mixing and that it can be superficial where it appears to be on the top, but not really mixing on the bottom (Class Notes, 5/27/15). These all attribute to globalization and interconnections between people. They can be looked at in a positive or negative light, but I say that they can be positive when it comes to language. I think using neo-hybridity can be the lens to look through when going towards the future with culture, in general, and more specifically language. We can do this because we can take similarities and differences and still be mixed. With a world that has been globalizing for a long time (according to Pieterse and class discussions) we will continue to globalize and with that we need to do so in a proficient way.
By taking our differences into the mixing (globalized) world we can embrace our cultural and personal identities, but by taking our similarities into the mixing (globalized) world we can embrace our human similarities and global consciousness. This can be said for language as well. Knowing our native language is important for that personal identity and should not be forgotten or pushed aside, but knowing more than one language helps us move towards a brighter future of human connectedness.
In my class we have discussed the three dimensions of cultural difference that are in relation to globalization: 1) Differentialism, 2) Convergence, and 3) Mixing or Hybridization. Difrrerentialism looks at the differences among cultures and diversity. Convergence looks at one culture being superior and one dominating; like colonialism. Mixing or hybridization looks at the mixing of cultures and ideas. The first two ideas, differentialism and convergence, are modern ideas and mixing/hybridization are post-modern ideas. (Class Notes, 5/11/2015 & 5/13/15)
These ideas are emphasized by Pieterse in his book "Globalization and Culture: Global Melange". In chapter three he goes into depth with these concepts and describes McDonaldization in relation to idea #2, convergence. Pieterse says, "McDonaldization, according to the sociologist George Ritzer, is 'the process whereby the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world'"(51). This can be related to language in saying that language is "coming to dominate more and more", and it looks like that can be said for English.
Societies come with languages, so this idea of McDonaldization and convergence is related to homogenization of language. I would say that English has been homogenized through out many parts of the world and this has happened with colonialism, capitalism, westernization, and so on. The website "Vistawide: World Languages and Cultures shows statistics saying that Chinese has the largest number of native speakers in the world and English has the largest number of non-native speakers in the world (http://www.vistawide.com/languages/language_statistics.htm). With that being said it shows how it could be that English is dominating the world on an international level. I think convergence has deeply affected language and I would say that language has been homogenized because of it. The website also mentioned that there are 6912 languages in the world and 516 are "nearly extinct". With English becoming a dominant language, maybe this is the reason there are many endangered languages.
Many could say that this is a negative affect to globalization and that may or may not be true. There are negative aspects to it, but I like to look at it with a positive lens and say that this is where hybridization comes in.
The McDonaldization and convergence happened in the modern time period around 1840's to 1960's (Class Notes, 5/18/15). But now we are in the post-modern period which is 1960's to about now (Class Notes, 5/18/15). There are other shifts happening, but I would say we still have post modern aspects. With the post-modern period comes hybridization that I mentioned earlier (Class Notes, 5/11/15). Hybridization and mixing of different cultural elements brings on many other ideas with globalization.
Pieterse and our teacher have discussed four ideas with Hybridization. There is hybridity which is mixing of differences. Then there is post-hybridity which is looking at the similarities instead of differences with mixing. Pieterse mentions both of these in chapter four (65-94). Then there is neo-hybridity which our class sort of came up with. It is the idea that mixing looks at differences and similarities of cultures(Class Notes, 5/22/15). The fourth idea is anti-hybridity where there is not mixing and that it can be superficial where it appears to be on the top, but not really mixing on the bottom (Class Notes, 5/27/15). These all attribute to globalization and interconnections between people. They can be looked at in a positive or negative light, but I say that they can be positive when it comes to language. I think using neo-hybridity can be the lens to look through when going towards the future with culture, in general, and more specifically language. We can do this because we can take similarities and differences and still be mixed. With a world that has been globalizing for a long time (according to Pieterse and class discussions) we will continue to globalize and with that we need to do so in a proficient way.
By taking our differences into the mixing (globalized) world we can embrace our cultural and personal identities, but by taking our similarities into the mixing (globalized) world we can embrace our human similarities and global consciousness. This can be said for language as well. Knowing our native language is important for that personal identity and should not be forgotten or pushed aside, but knowing more than one language helps us move towards a brighter future of human connectedness.
Meet Manu!
Iaorana!(Tahitian) Bonjour! (French) Hello! (English) Hola! (Spanish) Konichioa!(Japanese) Anyoung haseyo! (Korean) Saubona! (Zulu) Thobela! (Sipedi) Molweni! (Xhosa) Machironi! (Venda) Makadini! (Shona) Abareako! (Swahili) Minjani! (Tsonga) Ugandet! (Afrikaans) Dumelang! (Sotho) Kura Ora! (Marquesian)
Manu has used these different greetings before, but does not necessarily speak all of these languages fluently. He has taken aspects of many different languages and put them to use when he can! Take a look at what he has to say. Thank you Manu!
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
This is my first official blog post. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, it is much appreciated. First I will tell you a little bit about myself and then start my first post on this topic of language and globalization.
I am Erika Hill. I have lived in 6 states, Utah, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, and Hawaii. I grew up in Minnesota with a lot of diversity around me, which helped spark my interest and love for people and culture. I loved getting to know people from all over the world and talking about their languages. I started studying Spanish in 8th grade and continued on studying it all throughout high school and in college. Last summer, I was able to go to Peru for 5 weeks for a humanitarian aid trip and apply my language skills. I am still learning and many times it can be difficult. Living in multiple places, learning Spanish, being here at BYU-Hawaii in a highly diversified atmosphere, and my love for others has aided me in studying culture. I am just a student and I know that I am learning and have much to learn.
What is globalization? According to dictionary.com Globalization is "1.the act of globalizing, or extending to other or all parts of the world: the globalization of manufacturing. 2. worldwide integration and development: Globalization has resulted in the loss of some individual cultural identities." (link) One can see that our world today is very much globalized and people are interacting with others all over the place and on many levels. In my class, Anthropology of Globalization, I have learned that globalization has many different meanings and happens on all sorts of levels. We have been reading the book Globalization and Culture: Global Melange by Jan Nederveen Pieterse and in his book he discusses the different arguments of globalization. His first two chapters discuss these ideas and I have learned throughout these chapters and class that globalization has been going on from the beginning of mankind and we, as humans, have been migrating for years. It has been happening for a very long time, maybe it is just seen on multiple levels.
So what does this have to do with language? Well it has a lot to do with language. Language and culture are very much intertwined. Language is a part of one's culture and culture is a part of us. Since we have been interacting with people for so long and continue to do so on a faster level today our languages are interacting as well. There are national languages, local languages, and dialects. I think that in a globalizing (globalized) world it is important to know more that one language. Yes people can get a long with knowing one, but knowing more than one helps people be more proficient, have more opportunities, and interact with others on a unique level. Knowing Spanish is very useful to me because I can interact with many people from other cultures on an easier level and have more opportunities.
In this blog I will be posting videos and interviews of people from different areas of the world who speak two or more languages. Please feel free to comment and bring your ideas and personal stories about language and globalization.
Picture Link
I am Erika Hill. I have lived in 6 states, Utah, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, and Hawaii. I grew up in Minnesota with a lot of diversity around me, which helped spark my interest and love for people and culture. I loved getting to know people from all over the world and talking about their languages. I started studying Spanish in 8th grade and continued on studying it all throughout high school and in college. Last summer, I was able to go to Peru for 5 weeks for a humanitarian aid trip and apply my language skills. I am still learning and many times it can be difficult. Living in multiple places, learning Spanish, being here at BYU-Hawaii in a highly diversified atmosphere, and my love for others has aided me in studying culture. I am just a student and I know that I am learning and have much to learn.
So what does this have to do with language? Well it has a lot to do with language. Language and culture are very much intertwined. Language is a part of one's culture and culture is a part of us. Since we have been interacting with people for so long and continue to do so on a faster level today our languages are interacting as well. There are national languages, local languages, and dialects. I think that in a globalizing (globalized) world it is important to know more that one language. Yes people can get a long with knowing one, but knowing more than one helps people be more proficient, have more opportunities, and interact with others on a unique level. Knowing Spanish is very useful to me because I can interact with many people from other cultures on an easier level and have more opportunities.
In this blog I will be posting videos and interviews of people from different areas of the world who speak two or more languages. Please feel free to comment and bring your ideas and personal stories about language and globalization.
Picture Link
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