Saturday, September 25, 2010
Have You Realized Yet.....
that we (the ones in English 103) are typing the word, "bullshit" a lot? I'm doing the Reader Discussion Forum right now (yeah I know, "Oh you're not going according to schedule ohhhhh.") and I just realized I have typed the word, "bullshit" more than I say it in a day. I mean, I generally don't really use the word, "bullshit" but now I that I have been typing it for the past hour I find it's just coming out. It's funny how by using a word in writing, you end up repeating it. How about you guys? Is it sticking?
Friday, September 24, 2010
On Not Speaking English In A Global Economy That Is Dominated by English!
English has dominated the global economy but not everyone speaks it. The main reason that English has become the head honcho of languages in the business world is because it is spoken by those that have the money to do business; Americans. Now I’m not saying that Americans are the richest people in the world, and that everyone is poor in comparison (well kind of), I’m just stating that America has the largest economy in the world, is the richest country in the world, and has the largest businesses in the world (Wal-Mart being a good example). In other words, I’m referring to the country more than to the individual. So I don’t want you to misinterpret what I am saying.
Okay, sure, I’ll admit that’s not the only reason why English has taken over the global economy (British colonization comes to mind), but I think it’s probably the biggest reason. The fact that English is the strongest language in the global economy has caused a bit of a problem for the non-English speaking nations of the world. I’m not just talking about counties like Mexico, El Salvador, and Peru. I’m talking about other nations like Germany, France, Russia, China, and Japan. Sure some some countries have it worse than others, but there is always a language barrier between nations. Some times the English speaking businesses don’t even take into account the native language of the country they are selling their products to. The English speakers of the world (again referring mainly to Americans) really don’t care about other languages but their own. For example here in America, there is no emphasis on learning a second language. We don’t have public schools teaching Mandarin, or Portuguese. Sure they teach Spanish and French a little, but it’s rare for a person to be bilingual here in America due to the material taught in public schools.
One example of this was when Vicks Vapor Rub was being sold in Germany. Now in German the letter “V” is pronounced as a “F” in English. “What’s the big deal?” you might say, well it just so happens that when Germans would say, “Vicks” they would pronounce it with a German accent, “Ficks”. Now ficks in German, is a four letter word we say here in America that starts with an “F” and ends with a “K”. The American company that sells Vicks, having no knowledge of the German language, started to sell the product. Needless to say that after a few months, the company decided to change the name to “Wicks” (the “W” in German is pronounced as a “V”) in order to quell any discontent customers. I feel like this a good example of a language barrier with English, and at the same time a criticism of how bad America is at foreign languages.
So what exactly are the nations that don’t speak English doing to keep up with the dominance of the English language? How can they compete when they don’t understand the language of the people across the table? Obviously it’s up to the nation dealing with the English speaking nations (America), because the English speakers don’t care much for foreign languages (again America). A lot of countries have adopted English into their schools in order to keep up with how English is dominating the world. Germany for example has a grand English program in their schools. The program makes almost all German children learn English, well enough to communicate with any native English speaker with little difficulty. Of course, they tend to teach a more British influenced English, than an American one, but I guess something is better than nothing. In Japan they have a program for teaching English in which they hire English speakers from English speaking nations, to come teach in their public schools.
The nations that are not as developed as Germany and Japan are having a bit more problems. Sometimes the only way to learn the English language is through higher education. Public schools can not afford to have an English professor, so many have to rely on going to college to learn English. Since you actually have to pay to attend a college many can’t learn English because they simply cannot afford it. In nations like these, not many learn English, and language barriers become even harder. Unfortunately only the rich can learn a language that is so useful for the survival of a business, so competition between companies can easily be won by, who has the better English speakers. This can cause many businesses to go down, and when a business goes down that means that many jobs will be lose, which in turn means a larger rate of poverty.
As you can see, English has changed the world so much. Countries have been making English more accessible so that they can compete with the English speakers of the world due, in large part, to the fact that English speaking nations don’t really care for learning foreign languages. So it’s up to them to learn. But again this really only applies to countries like Germany, which having there own strong economy, can afford to teach English. Countries like Mexico can’t afford to pay to have English teachers in grade schools, even though they would like to. I find it interesting that English has shaped the world so much, and at times am really grateful that it has taken over, because if, for example, Japanese were the strongest language in the business world, I would have a lot of trouble programing my DVD player. But I still have some worries for the future. Will eventually English influence the world so much that other languages will go extinct? I truly hope not because, it is horrible to think my great grandchildren will not share with me, a language that we can call unique and our own. I truly find myself at a loss of words when I think about this.
Levi "Der Schriftsteller" Ayala
Okay, sure, I’ll admit that’s not the only reason why English has taken over the global economy (British colonization comes to mind), but I think it’s probably the biggest reason. The fact that English is the strongest language in the global economy has caused a bit of a problem for the non-English speaking nations of the world. I’m not just talking about counties like Mexico, El Salvador, and Peru. I’m talking about other nations like Germany, France, Russia, China, and Japan. Sure some some countries have it worse than others, but there is always a language barrier between nations. Some times the English speaking businesses don’t even take into account the native language of the country they are selling their products to. The English speakers of the world (again referring mainly to Americans) really don’t care about other languages but their own. For example here in America, there is no emphasis on learning a second language. We don’t have public schools teaching Mandarin, or Portuguese. Sure they teach Spanish and French a little, but it’s rare for a person to be bilingual here in America due to the material taught in public schools.
One example of this was when Vicks Vapor Rub was being sold in Germany. Now in German the letter “V” is pronounced as a “F” in English. “What’s the big deal?” you might say, well it just so happens that when Germans would say, “Vicks” they would pronounce it with a German accent, “Ficks”. Now ficks in German, is a four letter word we say here in America that starts with an “F” and ends with a “K”. The American company that sells Vicks, having no knowledge of the German language, started to sell the product. Needless to say that after a few months, the company decided to change the name to “Wicks” (the “W” in German is pronounced as a “V”) in order to quell any discontent customers. I feel like this a good example of a language barrier with English, and at the same time a criticism of how bad America is at foreign languages.
So what exactly are the nations that don’t speak English doing to keep up with the dominance of the English language? How can they compete when they don’t understand the language of the people across the table? Obviously it’s up to the nation dealing with the English speaking nations (America), because the English speakers don’t care much for foreign languages (again America). A lot of countries have adopted English into their schools in order to keep up with how English is dominating the world. Germany for example has a grand English program in their schools. The program makes almost all German children learn English, well enough to communicate with any native English speaker with little difficulty. Of course, they tend to teach a more British influenced English, than an American one, but I guess something is better than nothing. In Japan they have a program for teaching English in which they hire English speakers from English speaking nations, to come teach in their public schools.
The nations that are not as developed as Germany and Japan are having a bit more problems. Sometimes the only way to learn the English language is through higher education. Public schools can not afford to have an English professor, so many have to rely on going to college to learn English. Since you actually have to pay to attend a college many can’t learn English because they simply cannot afford it. In nations like these, not many learn English, and language barriers become even harder. Unfortunately only the rich can learn a language that is so useful for the survival of a business, so competition between companies can easily be won by, who has the better English speakers. This can cause many businesses to go down, and when a business goes down that means that many jobs will be lose, which in turn means a larger rate of poverty.
As you can see, English has changed the world so much. Countries have been making English more accessible so that they can compete with the English speakers of the world due, in large part, to the fact that English speaking nations don’t really care for learning foreign languages. So it’s up to them to learn. But again this really only applies to countries like Germany, which having there own strong economy, can afford to teach English. Countries like Mexico can’t afford to pay to have English teachers in grade schools, even though they would like to. I find it interesting that English has shaped the world so much, and at times am really grateful that it has taken over, because if, for example, Japanese were the strongest language in the business world, I would have a lot of trouble programing my DVD player. But I still have some worries for the future. Will eventually English influence the world so much that other languages will go extinct? I truly hope not because, it is horrible to think my great grandchildren will not share with me, a language that we can call unique and our own. I truly find myself at a loss of words when I think about this.
Levi "Der Schriftsteller" Ayala
Friday, September 3, 2010
On Being Illiterate
Being illiterate would destroy me. It would kill me beyond all recognition, because I am a reader, and sometimes a writer; taking away such a marvelous privilege would be devastating. It is horrible for me to envision myself not being able to read, “The Great Gatsby”. If I were to lose the ability to read now at this very moment, I think I might go mad. I honestly think I would go off my rocker. How would I know what happens next in, “The Road” if I couldn’t read? I wouldn’t be able to see what my friends are up to on Facebook, and worse I wouldn’t be able to write this blog! Heartbreaking right? It would be too much for me to bare. But if I were to put that aside, and imagine myself in a state of illiteracy without ever knowing what I now know, I can see a situation that is bad, but I must say not as bad.
I can see that if I were to have never gotten the chance to learn how to read life would be very difficult. I would need people to read me my letters, someone to tell me what the newspaper is saying, and I wouldn’t be able to drive because I would never be able to pass the written part of the driving exam. I would have to find a job that didn’t require being able to read. The only jobs I know that don’t really need that are landscaping, construction, and plumbing. All of which I have actually done, and I’ll tell you something; it’s hard! These are not fun jobs; they are very hard; and require a great deal of physical strength. This is about all I would be able to do. Job at a library? Out of the question. How about a job working in an office? Nope. Well maybe unloading office supplies, but then I would need someone to tell me what each box has because I wouldn’t be able to read what the box says. Honestly, being illiterate would be very depressing. But then again maybe not.
Let me start of with a quote, “Ignorance is bliss”. I know some say that this is not true but perhaps, just maybe, it is. Let’s assume it is, just for the sake of argument. Now lets imagine I work at an office. What do people do in an office? Well they file papers, write reports, and on occasion, write reports. Now if I were illiterate, first I wouldn’t have this job. I would not have to read anything, spend my time writing reports, or risk paper cuts filing papers. That last one kind of seals the deal for me. This illiterate business sounds pretty good, at the moment. I would never get depressed by an email from a girlfriend saying that she wants to break up with me because first I can’t read, and second I wouldn’t have an email address. Can you say, “No more spam”?
Now I just want to be clear, I’m not advocating illiteracy. It may look like that, but I’m not. I, simply put, just have a weird sense of humor, and I just felt like ranting for a bit. I do, honestly, wish everyone could read and write. Being literate frees your mind, and your spirit. They may throw you in the “can” for a million years, and throw away the key, and beat you unmercifully, but they can’t take away your knowledge. And not being able to do that, you will always be free. I would never give up my literacy for anything in the world. Not for all the riches in the world, or for a place among kings. My education is so valuable to me, that I find that I am not a good enough writer to convey my feelings towards education, so I will say it in words that I feel are universal and that most people will understand. I love, and adore my education. My literacy is more precious than gold.
I can see that if I were to have never gotten the chance to learn how to read life would be very difficult. I would need people to read me my letters, someone to tell me what the newspaper is saying, and I wouldn’t be able to drive because I would never be able to pass the written part of the driving exam. I would have to find a job that didn’t require being able to read. The only jobs I know that don’t really need that are landscaping, construction, and plumbing. All of which I have actually done, and I’ll tell you something; it’s hard! These are not fun jobs; they are very hard; and require a great deal of physical strength. This is about all I would be able to do. Job at a library? Out of the question. How about a job working in an office? Nope. Well maybe unloading office supplies, but then I would need someone to tell me what each box has because I wouldn’t be able to read what the box says. Honestly, being illiterate would be very depressing. But then again maybe not.
Let me start of with a quote, “Ignorance is bliss”. I know some say that this is not true but perhaps, just maybe, it is. Let’s assume it is, just for the sake of argument. Now lets imagine I work at an office. What do people do in an office? Well they file papers, write reports, and on occasion, write reports. Now if I were illiterate, first I wouldn’t have this job. I would not have to read anything, spend my time writing reports, or risk paper cuts filing papers. That last one kind of seals the deal for me. This illiterate business sounds pretty good, at the moment. I would never get depressed by an email from a girlfriend saying that she wants to break up with me because first I can’t read, and second I wouldn’t have an email address. Can you say, “No more spam”?
Now I just want to be clear, I’m not advocating illiteracy. It may look like that, but I’m not. I, simply put, just have a weird sense of humor, and I just felt like ranting for a bit. I do, honestly, wish everyone could read and write. Being literate frees your mind, and your spirit. They may throw you in the “can” for a million years, and throw away the key, and beat you unmercifully, but they can’t take away your knowledge. And not being able to do that, you will always be free. I would never give up my literacy for anything in the world. Not for all the riches in the world, or for a place among kings. My education is so valuable to me, that I find that I am not a good enough writer to convey my feelings towards education, so I will say it in words that I feel are universal and that most people will understand. I love, and adore my education. My literacy is more precious than gold.
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