How are families organized? Is the family evolving? How are these attitudes reflected in the language?
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How are families organized? Is the family evolving? How are these attitudes reflected in the language?
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The essential themes of Indian cultural life are learned within the bosom of a family. The joint family is highly valued, ideally consisting of several generations residing, working, eating, and worshiping together. Such families include men related through the male line, along with their wives, children, and unmarried daughters. A wife usually lives with her husband’s relatives, although she retains important bonds with her natal family. Even in rapidly modernizing India, the traditional joint household remains for most Indians the primary social force, in both ideal and practice.
Tradtionally men handled business and agriculture and women handled the household but today’s generation living in metropolitan cities has changed traditional system of values. Now many people do not live in joint families and both men and women work and earn money for the household.
Children in Indian families are nurtured by their parents but are mostly living with the family till they are married and start a new life. Many Indian families don’t believe in the system of sending the children away to college. Children live with their parents and once they graduate help earn money for they household.
There is a hierarchy in a Korean family. The eldest are respected the most. While in the Western culture it is normal to leave ones family after a certain time, it is not the same in a Korean family. Most Koreans find it normal to say with their family even when they become adults. It is expected for children to take care of their parents because they are “in-debt” with them. This debt entitles to fulfill the duties of treating their parents respectfully all the time, taking care of them in their old age, mourning for them properly at their funerals and performing ceremonies for them after their deaths. There is also continued to debt after the passing of the parents. It is expected for Koreans to visit the grave of their parents on their death dates. On this day, the children, usually alongside their own family, will remember the parent(s) with the visit alongside food, usually the favorite meals of the person who passed away.
Historically, families in Korea were large because this was seen as better. Because Korean culture is a very commutative culture, there is especially a close bond between family members usually. Current day, families are not as large as they once used to be. But, regardless of the size of the family, each member is highly important. The words for the family members are the following:
Link to website
One of the differences is between father, mother, mom, and dad. Like many languages, depending on one's upbringing the word used for parents can either be affectionate or more formal. An interesting concept about Korean though is there are two words for older brother and two words for older sister. Depending on your gender, you are only allowed to use one of these words. But there is only one word for younger sibling, and gender does not matter. This is another example how elders are seen important in Korean society, even someone who is in the same generation as you. This word is used in both families and with people outside of one's family. For instance it can be used as a sing of respect for someone who is older than you in your workplace. Or it can be used more affectionately with someone you see as an older brother or older sister. Many girls also call their boyfriends older brother (oppa), as a sign of affection as well. These words that are mainly meant for families are regarded as so important that they are tried to be incorporated in everyday live as well.
In Iran, family has been and continues to be more important than any other social group, thus familial connections influence politics and economics. This contributes to why nepotism is considered a good thing within the culture. Immediate families tend to be on the small end with one or two children, however ties with extended family are strong and close. Women are "protected" from outside influences and taken care of at all time by each other and the men in the household.
Korean society is influenced by Confucianism, which stresses loyalty, duty, honor, filial piety, respect for age and seniority, and sincerity. Therefore it’s no surprise that the family is the most important part of Korean life. The father is traditionally the head of the family and it’s his duty to provide necessities such as shelter, clothing and food for the family members. As I’ve already stated in an earlier cultural post, more deference is given to the older or more experience member of the family, usually the grandparents. Korean language has many levels of formality and that formal language is always used when talking to someone older than you reinforces this hierarchical attitude.
I can’t speak for Koreans in Korea but I can speak about my experience as a Korean-American. Usually the eldest son is supposed to take care of his parents when they’re older and I grew up with my grandmother living in the house because my father is the eldest son. My father has made it clear to me that he won’t be imposing on me when I’m older, however. Whether it’s a result of American lifestyle or a change in his personal values due to modernization, my father doesn’t see the grandparents living with their children as reciprocity, but as a lack of independence.
Family is an essential part of the Turkish culture. Turkish people usually spend a lot of time together. Even if they are busy with their work, they will always find some time during the day to spend with their family. Turkey is a collectivism culture, not individualistic. Family is valued, relationship between family members is highly important and spending time with each other is one of the crucial aspects of this culture. When I was in Turkey, I stayed at my friend's house and I can say that they spend a lot of time together. Even though her parents are working, and the children go to school, they still meet at least during the evenings and especially for dinner and spend some time together. Very often they would attend events together, or go to the theater/cinema together! Especially during weekends, they would spend a lot of time together. And this is not only one case that I have experienced, almost all of the Turkish people that I know are so connected to their families. For example, my former Turkish roommate would spend several hours a day skyping with her family. I asked my Turkish friends how important their families are to them and they all said that their families are one of the most important things in their lives. When I asked why, one of them answered that family is the only unit that will always want the best for you. For them, family is someone who they can trust completely.
According to my research on this topic, there are two types of families in Turkey:
- a big family where in one house you can find several generations living together, for example grandparents, parents, children (married) and their wives and grandchildren all living together. However, such families are less common now days and they are usually found in rural areas. Father of such extended families is considered the leader and holds the utmost authority.
- a small family is another type of families in Turkey where in one house you can find only parents and children. When children want to get married they form their own family and live separately from their parents. This is the most common type of families in Turkey! When sons get married they usually get their part of inheritance to be able to start a new home with their new family, and live separately from their parents. Usually, the youngest son gets the family house.
Respect in the family is extremely important. Father is recognized as the head of the family just as in majority of the cultures in the world. Elderly family members are always respected, and are never interrupted by younger family members. All in all, family is very valued in the Turkish culture, and family members usually love to spend as much time with each other as possible.
I personally value family a lot and think that family is one of the most important things one can have in their life. Therefore, I like how family is such an important part of the Turkish culture and how family members are so attached to each other and trust each other.
Typically, families in Bangladesh are predominantly joint. This means that after children marry, they don't start their own household, but instead the wife joins her husband's. This is the normal family dynamic:
Grandmother & grandfather (paternal- dada/dadi, maternal- nana, nani).
Father & mother (amu or ma/abu or baba or papa).
Young and unmarried children.
Married son (son = chelle)
Son's wife
Because Bengali society is patriarchal, the eldest male in the family is the head of the household. Despite the patriarchy, the eldest woman in the house (the eldest male's wife or his mother) is an important figure because this woman takes care of the children and commands the servants in the house as well as organizing affairs that the man would not be present for. This responsibility usually gets passed on to the incoming daughter-in-law or eldest unmarried daughter (though having an unmarried daughter is not normal).
It is not socially acceptable for a married couple to live on their own without their parents and such couples usually earn a disreputable name. Unless the husband's work calls for them to live separately, it is not acceptable.
Sons are valued the most in Bengali households because of gender bias. The reasoning is that boys will not leave the household and thus be the most beneficial financially and for security. Giving birth to a girl is not spurned on a widespread basis, but a girl comes with more risk because she needs to be protected as opposed to a son not needing such protection. However, with the rise in education for girls, this issue has become less prominent, though not nonexistent.
In the family, the only way that language changes according to the family dynamic is in using the honorifics for the elders.
family has evolved with "technological advancement" towards marriage based on mutual consent and affection.
"women's liberation" has reached third world countries like Iran and Afghanistan
family is still "influenced by Islamic culture"
The old regime failed to speed up secularization so there is still a conflict between western values and Iran.
http://books.google.com/books?id=hxZg9Ri4E5YC&printsec=frontcov...
Family is an important aspect of the Israeli society. This importance may derive from Jewish traditions or the neighboring Middle Eastern areas where many immigrants came from. Women are encouraged to get married and have several children to increase the population. I read that at some point a government branch existed solely to promote having larger families. This makes the mother the central part of the Israeli family. The Israeli culture encourages women to work and have children, as they have great daycare facilities throughout the country.
The country's small size allows larger families to live close to their relatives where the family can celebrate major holidays together. At the same time, families in Israel are comparable to modern Western families. Marriage is based on the individual and not socioeconomic reasons. Marital rates and birth rates have been in continuous decline in the late quarter of a century. Divorce rates have been increasing as well. However, the family remains a cornerstone in the Israeli culture.
There is no certain way to speak to the elderly in Israel to appear more respectful. Of course, certain things that are considered as foul language cannot be said in front of family members and the elderly. However, you address people the same way if you are being respectful or if they are your closest friends. This is probably due to the fact that spoken Hebrew has only been revived for slightly over two centuries.