Jocelyne Rodriguez
Eighth Cultural Post: Reflect upon what you have learned from the cultural projects presented in class.
There were four main points I learned from my cultural presentation. First, I learned that languages evolve and there can be more than one culture influencing this evolution. Through my presentation I explored the evolution of Portuguese from Latin to Galician-Portuguese to the current Portuguese spoken in the different Portuguese-speaking countries. Furthermore, I learned that there can be more than one perspective reflected in a language. For example, Portuguese reflects the perspectives of African, South American, and European perspectives. Third, I learned that learning a language requires cultural awareness. Cultural awareness is essential in determining the proper use of words and the context in which the different words are normally used. Understanding the culture behind a language can strengthen your knowledge about the language itself. Lastly, I learned that languages are more than just a form of communication but also a form of expression and even a political medium as seen with the Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement to improve international standing of the language and Galicia’s decision not to join.
Comments
I agree with you that understanding the culture can facilitate learning the language. Languages functions much more than communication.