Kaylee Wyrick

Indonesian culture is something that greatly interests me, so picking one aspect to focus on is difficult. My previous research was on the topics of music and religion, so these have been incorporated into my learning plan–but I want to research a…

Bahasa Indonesia has a rich phonetic inventory that is very similar to that of English. Both Bahasa Indonesia and English have twenty-six letters, but most Indonesian letters have only one pronunciation. Most consonants (except most notably C and R)…

Bahasa Indonesia is often said to be one of the easier non-romance languages for English speakers to learn, and a large part of this is due to Indonesia’s linguistic structures. Grammatically, it is similar to English because both languages use an…

One of the cultural topics I found most interesting in my research was the cultural significance of dance in terms of how it is connected to Latin culture and the Spanish language; “Many of today’s Latin American dance styles evolved from a blend of Indigenous, African and European dance traditions across Latin America. Dance styles originating from Latin America, including afro cuban dances such as salsa and bachata, are known for their energetic movements, rhythmic patterns, and deep cultural significance” (https://www.fredastaire.com/blog/ballroom-dances/types-of-latin-dances). I want to learn more about the origins and cultural significance of bachata, salsa, tango, and merengue particularly. Vocabulary is required in this area due to the different names of the dances and the different types of styles and movements used. I also want to do more research into understanding the cultural value of la familia and how it extends beyond the nuclear family and how exercising this value is…

Mandarin belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family, which includes Cantonese, Burmese, and Tibetan. The primary regions are East Asia and southeast Asia. So it shares its ancestry with China, Myanmar and Tibet. I would have thought it shared its lineage with Korea or Japan as I often group those together culturally. What’s interesting is how Mandarin also shows contact with other cultures over time. The PDF talks about areal influence, and Mandarin definitely reflects that. I looked up some examples: words like (fó) (Buddah) come from Sanskrit through the spread of Buddhism and (kāfēi) (Coffee) comes from English. Also, a lot of modern political or technical terms entered the language through contact with Japan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Structurally, Mandarin is typologically analytic, meaning it has simple word forms and grammar is expressed through word order. Since grammar isn’t carrying tons of information through endings, meaning depends more on context, tone,…

Kaylee Wyrick

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