Cultural Differences (H.T.G.G.L.T.A)

For today's blog, I picked the scene where John had finally declared that Yolanda needed to see a  shrink, as he felt like she was "too intelligent for her own good." Although Yolanda was obviously very upset over this, it was still HER choice, a choice she could have very well declined.
 In the more  conservative cultures, if a husband were to think for the slightest second that his wife was going insane, that would have been the end of the story.
Unlike John, our more traditional husband wouldn't be wasting time with compromises, or make a list of the pros and cons of marrying his wife. Rather he would either remarry or get rid of his wife all together. He'd deal with the issue in whichever way he sees fit, and in that context, Yolanda wouldn't have anything to say about it, as males have an unequal amount of power towards their wives.

Dying Languages/The world of slang

⇸http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/enduring-voices.com⇷

For tonight's blog, I've selected the aboriginal languages located in Northern Australia, often referred to as the "island continent." Besides the fact that it's flashy red color(due to it's severe degree in threat levels) immediately attracted my attention on the website's map, I chose the area's linguistic history because of its large size and infamous isolation from the rest of the world. 
2) As it's thoroughly explained on its profile, the aboriginal tongues of Northern Australia are known for being one of the world's most critically endangered languages. This is primarily due to the fact that aboriginal languages are small and scattered, as a result of a long history of conflicts with withe settlers. 
Many struggled to maintain their identity, languages and cultures, while others hadn't even survived the contact all together. According to The Enduring Voices Team's recordings, their are only 3 speakers left of the Magati Ke language left, along with the only remaining speaker of the Amurdag tongue, a language which had officially been reported instinct 25 years ago. 
3) It would be nice to think that the remaining speakers of Magati Ke could dedicate the rest of their lives trying to keep their language alive, or that the Australian government could study and officially record every aspect of these various, complex languages in order to teach to generations to come, but the truth of of the matter is The Enduring Voices Team's recordings are likely the last that will be made of these languages, as some of the speakers wouldn't even be considered fluent. 
The last remaining speaker of Amurdag, for instance, had not used this specific language in over 50 years, remembering the words with great difficulty. Another women from Sunday Island was declared the last speaker of a language called Djawi. As heart breaking as it may be, due to its ridiculously low percentage of speakers, there isn't a lot of suggestions or realistic actions that can be taken to help save these dying languages. 

4) Slang words from my generation? Lmfao kk, dis should be #fun. 

 I can't even
Expressing a severe degree of annoyance towards something, similar to the "I am so done right now" slang phrase. You see, as us teenagers love to be dramatic, a hyperbolic expression like this is absolutely perf.
"Omg guys, I have to study for like 2 tests this week. I can't even." 

Doe
Well, it's basically a common abbreviation for the word "though", expect it's like, 10 times cooler.
"Yo that test doe!" "He hasn't texted me back doe..." "Yeah, but that girl is hot doeeeeee" 

Turn Up 
An infamous term that seems to have recently surfaced social media, it is generally used to describe the validation of an upcoming event. This can also be used ironically.
"Ashely's throwing a party for spring break! TURN UP DOE" "Ew, summer school tomorrow? Lol turn up." 

Can I get an Amen? 
In the religious world of being a teenager, getting extra praise for something that has happened in our continuously dramatic little lives is part of our Gospel, which is why we declare this phrase whenever we think we've said something #awesome."OMG guys Bob just texted me. Can I get an amen?" "I finally got that guy Dexter to do my math homework for me. Can I get an amen!"

Killin' it 
Since teenagers think that we're constantly doing incredibly awesome things, whether you're twerking your pride away on the dance floor or playing beer pong every weekend, a certain phrase needed to be invented:
"Ooooo girl be killin' it with dat ass doe" "Screw mid terms, let's get drunk today! #killin'it" 

YAAAAS 
My personal favorite slang word, you're bound to have heard this one before. Strictly put in capital letters, teenagers have successfully reinvented the word "yes" by radically emphasizing the excitement of a situation or general approval towards something in particular.
"Alex asked me out to the Prom...YAAAS!" "Should I buy this dress? YAAAS."Spring break finally started, YAAS"

#Hashtag  
Technological term used in a sarcastic way to embellish a point being made.
"Kyrsten's dating that hot brazilian exchange student? #WHATEVER." "This picture is sooo old #throwback" 
"Ugh can't wait for dinner tonight #starving #hungrygirls2k14" "KYRSTEN DUMBED ALVARO! #OMG #YAAAS"

Dat
The teenage version of the word "that" used in virtually any contexts.
"Dat ass doe #killin'it" "Dat time we listened to Drake and drank vodka out of plastic bottles #throwback" 

Swerve 
Used in a variety of different ways, the word is usually placed at the beginning or end of the sentence in an exclamatory manner.
"Oh dat hotties single doe? SWERVE." "Swerve, I got more likes than you!" "Oh girl, you just got #SWERVED." 

Turnt
Originating from our previously studied slang term "TURN UP," turnt basically means fun in typical teenage fashion. "Bruh are we gonna get turnt for this party or what?" "Watch out, here comes the Turnt Queen!"

5) To be honest, I'm curious to see how long can our generation's tongue will last over the years to come. Will our generation's language be kept alive? It's hard to tell really, especially when you think back to previous generations and how they've managed to survive. I mean who really says "groovy" anymore, or uses the term "A gase" to express that their having a lot of fun? 
It seems to me like the majority of the people exercising the 60's slang words are the very ones who grew up with them. Just like our grandparents, I believe that the only way our generation can keep it's language alive is by speaking our common slangs until the day we die. In 20 years from now, will our kids be using the same slang our generation has picked up on? Or will they strike their independence by creating their own terms, abbreviations and dramatic hyperboles? 
With today's world constantly changing, the odds for newly developed terms are quite high. As the world evolves, new sayings will naturally emerge, which in a way are part of history itself, as each generation can be identified and embodied by the very words that represented that time in life. It's a natural process that allows each generation to be unique in it's own given way. 

Antojos

Connotation of the word craving: Longing

The nobel prize winning writer/poet Julia Alvarez chose to present the title of the very first chapter in Spanish as a dedication to her native land. Seeing as she was torn away from her home due to political unrest at a young age, her life was forever changed as she suddenly entered into a completely different culture. Not to mention that "the meaning of language" is one of the main themes expressed in this story. It would therefor make sense to at least include a/several literal aspects directly relating to the author's mother tongue.

 

Thesis Statement

To assist us with our statement today, we we will be relying on "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anzaldua. Now let's ask ourselves this: Why is it that two different interpretations result from a single text when the material is given to two people? As we've recently discussed a lot about culture, the manner in which a person reads as well as their personal interpretations all fall under the same tree. We're all different. We all have our own language, experiences, identity and unique personalities, all of which effect the way we interpret a given text. As crazy as it may seem, regardless of the 7.125 billion people on earth, there never was nor will there ever be a person that is exactly like you. You are truly unique.

The beauty of bilingualism

        Espaillat's use of parenthesis to translate several words into Spanish delivers a sense of acceptance towards its vast audience. As we've concluded last time, incorporating more than one language in a literal/musical piece allows the author to identify themselves, as well as unify both/several different cultures together. Although Espaillat and Alvarez's techniques are both based on the same concept, their approaches were a bit different: Alvarez was portraying her life story through translated words and meanings, all in different kinds of Spanish. She embodied her entire text with personal struggles towards growing up in a dual cultural society. Espaillat's doesn't have this need to constantly switch languages in order to prove her point.
        
As it's been proven over and over again, growing up with two different languages will inevitably result in a mixture of both cultures. Espaillat's   father may have been able to keep both languages separate, but contrary to her he didn't grow up with English. I personally grew up with both English and French, attending an all time  french-speaking school while having to speak English with my father back home. And let me tell ya, it's absolutely impossible to not manifest both languages together, especially as a child. Because you identify yourself with this sort of, personally unified language, you become one with both cultures. The fun part about it all is inventing your own language by mixing both in a single sentence. The Frenglish language was established between me and my older brother by the time I was nine.

        In her poem, the author had mentioned that a child learns by pointing at things and saying them out loud. Now this wouldn't be varied when it concerns a monolingual child, but a bilingual individual will say that word out loud  without a second thought on whichever language comes out first.The irony is expressed in the title itself, "Bilingual Sestina", as the author describes the importance of childhood memory by proving that the separation of both languages is nearly impossible. When she refers to English as Inglais, she's showing the reader that although her mind might have learned to say English, her Spanish heart naturally refers to it as Inglais. 

        She represents a figurative meaning when she refers to someone's tongue, when she tells the reader about how she's had to speak different languages while strictly keeping them apart. Instead of naturally unifying them both, she was obligated to keep them separate, thereby being forced to develop two different tongues. She represents a literal meaning of the phrase "Searching for my tongue" when she was gradually forgetting how to speak her first language Guajarti, afraid that by neglecting her mother tongue it would eventually "rot" away. The strong imagery is presented through her life stories and personal experiences. 

        I'm not exactly sure why the author chose to discuss the nature of bilingualism through a poem, rather than an article, memoir or even a journal. Perhaps because she wanted to reflect her life story and struggles with identity through a stronger technique? Poems are known for their dramatic effects and strong literal meanings, after all.

Why would someone want to write a poem or a song in more than one language?

The first thought that crossed my mind when I read today's question was unity.
As we've previously discussed the value and importance of one's identity/culture, it's easy to understand why one would chose to incorporate two languages in a single song, or sometimes even poems: They attract a larger audience. They've successfully blended two different cultures through a musical/literary piece. Not only are they representing, as well as portraying their songs/poems with their own culture, they're also unifying both groups in a unique, entertaining way.

Is robbing a people from its language more violent than war?

Regardless of how you look at it, your language is the very foundation of who you are. And although we aren't dealing with a physical war, cultural genocide is just as evil.
Robbing a people of its language is a serious violation of human rights.Who are we to dictate the linguistic choices of a people? Your language represents your culture, your country, what you grew up learning. It fills this primary need that we all have, the need to belong to a native people. It's such a natural instinct that it seems so wrong to take it away. The fact that someone doesn't have the basic right to identity themselves with their own language is just as morally wrong as declaring a war.