Blogs

 Language Partner Meeting #10

Goal for the semester: My goal for this semester is achieve the “elementary” level of Hindi, i.e. read, write, and speak.

Week: 11/12/12 – 11/18/12

Goal for the day: Read Short Stories

I picked a short story and I tried to read in Hindi. I was able to pick apart the letters and understand the words gradually. Overall, I had a hard time finishing the story I was reading.

So far in my meetings with my language partner, I have learned to recognize the vocabulary that we focus on weekly basis. However, when attempting to read, I had a hard time with understanding certain words. Since Hindi uses a different alphabet that made it even harder to understand using context.

This week I learned that I need to broaden my vocabulary further before I can properly understand an entire story in Hindi. 

Language Partner Meeting #9

Goal for the semester: My goal for this semester is achieve the “elementary” level of Hindi, i.e. read, write, and speak.

Week: 11/05/12 – 11/11/12

Goal for the day: Business Vocabulary

I am doing a business minor. One of the reasons that I am learning Hindi is because it will be useful to me in my professional career. This week of my learning plan was dedicated to learning the business vocabulary of Hindi. Sanya provided with me a list and we spend majority of our time learning the pronunciation of the words.

During our conversation, I noticed that a lot of words that we were sing were mainly in English. Later, Sanya explained to me that in business surrounding, English is used predominantly. In the list that I was given, a lot of the words were in formal Hindi. On a day to day basis, these words are rarely used.

Keeping this in mind, I still want to learn the useful words for business vocabulary. From this point forward, I will be choosing which words are more important for me to learn. 

Throughout the semester, I have been trying to figure out what young adults do for fun in Iran and Afghanistan. The topic of hookah came of particular interest to me because its origins are in Persia and India. 

I recently read an article entitled " Hookah Smoking from It's Middle Eastern Roots to It's Collegiate Prominence Today" by Michael Holt of Yahoo!. He noted the hookahs' roots in the Middle East and how this form of recreation now popular among  U.S. college students .

Holt described hookah as follows : " The hookah functions in such a way that a coal is placed on a screen which is affixed atop of a clay bowl filled with a fruit/sugar molasses and tobacco mix known as Shisha. When the coal is lit ,it glows red hot as you inhale from the hose and receive water-filtered fruit flavored smoke. This smoke is inhaled like cigarettes and often the smoker does "O's" and other smoke tricks while exhaling."

When I visited Aladdin and Eko Lounge in Richmond for hookah, I found that they offered many different flavors. I usually try the tropical flavors or U.F.O., which is a blend  of all different types of fruits. Most places only offer hookahs that are filled with water, but Eko is different. They allow participants to replace the water with Red Bull or White Wine to enhance the flavor of the tobacco and to boost your "high."  I could not find any information on whether that is an option in the Middle East.

The popularity of hookahs is evident in the fact that most cafes in Iran and Afghanistan offer hookahs. I think that may be better than smoking cigarettes in establishments because the smell is not so strong and disgusting. I also read that hookah is healthier than smoking cigarettes, but the jury is more than likely still out on that. 

Holt  said, " Compared to cigarettes the hookah takes a long time (an hour) to smoke a bowl, cigs are for the busy people they say. The hookah also has less nicotine due to the water filtering is effective in the hookah in removing some damaging material though not significantly healthier when used as often as a cig smoker would smoke."

I spoke to Mirwais about hookah and he did say that it is regaining popularity in Afghanistan.

This is a form of recreation for people in the Middle East and has no negative associations as far as I can tell.

Language Partner Meeting #8

Goal for the semester: My goal for this semester is achieve the “elementary” level of Hindi, i.e. read, write, and speak.

Week: 10/22/12 – 10/28/12

Goal for the day: Giving directions in India and the terminology that is used

My language partner gave me the word pronunciation in Hindi. We spend majority of time learning the following words:

Following words are commonly used in stating the addresses in India: mains, crosses, blocks, and sectors. After I learned the words, Sanya give me an example of a probable address in India:

# 434, 5^th Cross, 8^th Main,

2^nd Block, Rajajinagar

Hyderabad – 567798

What struck me the most about this address was that it was in English. No technical Hindi terms were used to state the address. This just goes on to show that English is becoming a big part of the Indian culture, thus, affecting the Hindi language. 

Language Partner Meeting #7

Goal for the semester: My goal for this semester is achieve the “elementary” level of Hindi, i.e. read, write, and speak.

Week: 10/22/12 – 10/28/12

Goal for the day: Review day

So far in the semester, I have learned a lot. I have learned how to read and write days of the week and numbers in Hindi. I have learned how to tell time. I know the words for food and clothing. As I have immersed myself more into Hindi, I have simultaneously uncovered a lot of about the Indian culture. This has helped answer many questions about my own Gujarati culture.

However, one question is yet to be answered. Will I be able to reach the goals I have set for myself? After being half way through this semester, I think my learning plan is extremely ambitious. I have set high goals for myself. So far, I have learned a lot but I still have much more to learn. According to my original plan, I should know how to read and write at an elementary level by the end of this semester. However, at this point, my vocabulary in Hindi is small and it will not allow me to read and write properly. At this point I my reevaluating my learning plan. 

Language Partner Meeting #6

Goal for the semester: My goal for this semester is achieve the “elementary” level of Hindi, i.e. read, write, and speak.

Week: 10/15/12 – 10/21/12

Goal for the day: What are the main holidays in various regions?

India is a vast country with multiple languages and traditions. North India is much different than South India. Similarly, East India is much different than West India.

As my language partner and I started talking more about the festivals of India, we also dwelled further into the religious practices of India. India is a vast country often known as being a spiritual and holy land for multiple religions. Hinduism is followed by the majority of the population. Next comes the Islamic faith which is then followed by Christianity. Other religions of Indian include Sikhism, Buddhism, and Parsism. Hinduism is practiced throughout India. The other religions are concentrated in certain part of India.

India celebrates and welcomes the seasons of the year, birthdays of divine beings, saints. Two main festivals of India that are celebrated by all include Diwali, the festival f lights and the Indian New Day, that takes place the day after Diwali. For example, Navarati is heavily celebrated in the Western part of India. Holi is widely celebrated in the northern part of India. Festivals like Pongal and Onam are celebrated in southern India. 

Reflection #2

Learning Hindi has been fascinating and challenging for me. As I immerse myself further in Hindi, the more I appreciate the language and Indian culture as a whole. So far I have accomplished a lot in Hindi. I have familiarized myself with the alphabet. This will help me read basic signs in Hindi. After the alphabet, I learned numbers and days of the week. This taught me how to tell time in Hindi. After learning the basics, I moved on to learning more about the Indian culture. Food plays a large role in the lives of Indians. It serves as a combining force for all the different cultures that exist in the nation. Therefore, I asked my language partner to teach me the Hindi names for fruits and vegetables. Shopping in a bazaar for fruits and vegetables is a large part of the Indian tradition and its customary cooking fashion. Also, food is something that I am very passionate about. By focusing on learning of what I care for and feel passionate about, I learned Hindi more efficiently.  

I am an auditory and a visual learner.  So far, I have learned from hearing about the Indian culture from a macro perspective. In my weekly meetings with my language partner, Sanya, I have taken consistent notes. I am hoping that these notes will help me remember Hindi in the long run. I have been getting a lot out of initiating small conversations in Hindi with other people on campus who speak the language. These conversations and the conversations that I have had with my language partner help raise my confidence as far as speaking goes. Another component that helped me get comfortable with Hindi was learning how it originated.

The second presentation for SDLC required us to do some research regarding the history of our target language. This presentation played a crucial part in helping me understand the origin of the language and why it is the way it is. The big question that I have always had is “why do words in different languages such as Urdu, Persian, Arabic and Turkish sound so familiar to me?” In our class, one of my peers is learning Urdu. When she shared her artifact with our class, I understand majority of what she said. This further elevated my curiosity. I did not understand why I understood Urdu? For me it was very important to learn about the origin of Hindi and how it is related to other languages such as Persian, Turkish, Arabic and many others. From doing research, I discovered that in the early history of India, Persian-speaking Turks used to control northern India. The Indians did not know the language of the Turks, Persian, and the Turks did not know the native language of the Indians, Sanskrit. Hindi was created as a colloquial version of Sanskrit. Sanskrit was mixed with words from Persian, Arabic, Turkish and many other languages to create Hindi.

Doing research helped me answer a big question. However, one question is yet to be answered. Will I be able to reach the goals I have set for myself? After being half way through this semester, I think my learning plan is extremely ambitious. I have set high goals for myself. So far, I have learned a lot but I still have much more to learn. According to my original plan, I should know how to read and write at an elementary level by the end of this semester. However, at this point, my vocabulary in Hindi is small and it will not allow me to read and write properly. When I meet with my language partner for this week, I will be talking to her about what she thinks I can accomplish before the end of the semester. 

Language Partner Meeting #5

Goal for the semester: My goal for this semester is achieve the “elementary” level of Hindi, i.e. read, write, and speak.

Week: 10/8/12 – 10/14/12

Goal for the day: Learn the Hindi names for various articles of clothing.

Among many aspects, Indian culture is also known for its unique clothing.

In our meeting, my language partner introduced me to the new vocabulary related to articles of clothing. I was taught the pronunciation and repletion helped me in remembering the words.

During the “culture talk” period, my language partner and I discussed how people in different regions of India dress differently. We dwelled further into this topic by discussing what is acceptable attire our cultures: Gujarati culture versus the Bangalore culture. Saris are commonly worn in India. However, Guajarati saris are wore much differently than a southern style of wearing a sari.  

Language Partner Meeting #4

Goal for the semester: My goal for this semester is achieve the “elementary” level of Hindi, i.e. read, write, and speak.

Week: 10/1/12 – 10/7/12

Goal for the day: Learn the Hindi names for fruits and vegetables.

Food is a large part of the Indian culture. In many ways, Indian culture is known for its flavorful food. Breakfast is called naashta. Lunch is called dubher ka khaana (afternoon’s food). An evening snack is called naashta. Dinner is called raat ka khaana (night’s food).

During our weekly “culture talk”, my language explained to me the importance of going to bazaars to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables. If I were to go to a major city in India, shopping at the bazaar would be a common occurrence. Therefore, I decided to dwell into the food aspect of Hidni further and learn about the words for fruits and vegetables. Some of the fruits and vegetables listed below can only be found in India!

I conjugated all of these verbs in my free time and countless others. Here is a section of that. 

Artifact 3

Please follow the links to see my documented learning tasks.

Artifact Front Page

Artifact Back Page

As I already stated, I am learning about what youth do for fun in Iran and Afghanistan for my cultural product. I chose to surf the Internet for more information on this topic and came across a  New York Times article. The link follows:  In Iran, They Want Fun, Fun, Fun. Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist, is well educated and has traveled to four continents.  Well, I expected something different from his article and was highly disappointed.

Kristof opens the article by stressing that Iranians are not the "religious fanatics"  that we take them to be in the United States. That opening prepared me for the overgeneralized article that was sure to follow. He goes on to tell readers that half of the Iranian population is under 25 and they seek fun just like anyone else in that age range. Then, he throws a big curve ball when he tells tales of a 23-year-old Iranian man he spoke with.This guy, as described by Kristof, drank alcohol and was on drugs until recently.Both of  which are illegal and if I am not mistaken, alcohol is just completely against the religion. This bothered me because "fine" readers know that every human is not perfect, so if this one guy did participate in illegal activities, we can understand his case. The problem came when Kristof followed up that story by saying "Iranian officials suggested that perhaps 10 percent of the population has used drugs." Maybe this just my journalistic background, but who are these "officials." If Kristof was going to provide such stunning facts, he better have a reputable source listed and  not a vague term like "officials." 

Kristof gets even worse as he talks about prostitution in Tehran and how he saw men in flashy cars pick up the women. Yet again, something so disrespectful to the culture should come equipped with cold hard facts. Kristof should have at least given the number of times he has seen this occur, if truly at all. 

"My road trip across Iran leaves me convinced that change will come here, too, if we just have the patience not to disrupt the subterranean forces at work: rising education, an expanding middle class, growing economic frustration, erosion of the government monopoly on information. My hunch is that if there is no war between Iran and the West — which would probably strengthen the regime — hard-liners will go the way of Mao, and Iran will end up looking something like Turkey."

That is the problem. Why is he striving to change a country that he has no roots in and no true reasoning for this change? Then, he throws out suggestions for what would make it better and hopes it will soon resemble Turkey. Iran is its own country for a reason and that is the problem with the world. Worry about yourself and do no assume your way of doing things is what is right for everyone else: it's not. 

Kristof had an article full of B.S. and I hope other readers did not take his rant seriously. 

Goal of the week: to learn vocabulary associated with the kitchen

This week I was particularly keen to learn about vocabulary associated with the kitchen and food because food and eating is such a major component of Gujarati culture. Eating brings a family together and a community together. It is important to note that most Gujaratis are vegetarians as the Jain religion has had a profound impact on Gujarati culture and the nature of Gujaratis to abstain from hurting anything. I really enjoyed this section and I will also enjoy eating lots of Gujarati food when I go to London this winter break. Wembley is London's Gujarati capital. Wembley's main religion is Hinduism, although there is a sizable Gujarati Muslim community and a small Sikh community. It will be interesting to talk the knowledge that I have learned from my language partners here in the US, back to Gujaratis in London, UK this winter break. I am eager to if there are any dialect differences.

wadki

chaapu

chamchi

thaari

tel

paalo

pani

naastho

                                                                                                          (Obviously this is not a Gujarati naastho. An example of a Gujarati breakfast would be roti and milk for breakfast)

jumvanu

dude

mithai

For this week’s cultural post, I will take a look at the flags of the two countries in which Persian is spoken: Iran and Afghanistan. I wanted to explore the meaning behind each flag and every color/symbol on it.
Iran’s flag was adopted on July 29, 1980, which is pretty recent for a country so rich in history. The flag is green, white and red with Farsi writing and an image representing the five pillars of Islam. Green is said to represent Islam. Islam is the monotheistic religion, whose followers are referred to as Muslims, and the Qur’an is the book of the religion. Muslims look to Allah for guidance in the path of leading a fulfilling life. The white in the flag represents “peace,” which made me wonder when white became the color symbolizing serenity and why? I will have to look that up on my own, but it is definitely of interest to me. The red represents courage, which I respect. Often time, red is associated with anger, hostility or physical aggression. I appreciate it standing for something else this time.
There is a symbol in the center of the flag said to represent the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars are listed below with brief descriptions.
1. The Shahada: the declaration of faith and the acknowledgement of Allah and Muhammad as his chief messenger.
2. Salat: the five daily prayers associated with Islam
3. Zakat: charitable giving/ selflessness to give to others to reduce inequality if one is able
4. Fasting : three types ( ritual, for repentance and ascetic)
5. Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca should be completed by all at least once in his/her lifetime
There is also red and green script on the flag, appearing 22 times to be exact. It says Allah Akhbar, which means there are no words to describe how great Allah is.
Now, I will learn what the Afghanistan flag means.
Afghanistan adopted its flag in January 2004, which is even more recent. The flag features three equal lines of red, black and green. There is a white symbol on the red, center bar; it is the coat of arms. It also features a line saying “There is Allah and his prophet is Muhammad; Allah is great.”
The Islamic faith evident in each fact shows how important religion is to people in both countries.

Through my study of Bosnian culture, I have noticed three radically different conceptions of history from the Serbian, Croatian, and Bosniak groups. What these three have in common as a result of this history is a distrust of each other unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Without trust, without the comfort to disclose freely in relationship-building discourse, little hope remains for any people genuinely hoping to negotiate and build a better future for one another—together. These people have sustained and inflicted horrendous pain from on one another. Each is suspicious of one another’s true intentions. The root cause of all of this, I believe, lies in the assumptions and expectations that come from each side’s illogical, concrete, and sadly distorted near fanatical belief in an incomplete version of their shared pasts. The adherence to their respective historical narratives is dogmatic, comparable to Christians’ unmoving belief in the divinity of the Bible and existence of God. This narrative shapes how they perceive, think, feel, and ultimately act towards the other side.

Part of why I love history, part of why I want to be a historian is that I truly believe that conceptions of the past profoundly impact people in the ways that I’ve described above. Historical memory defines the present and future. It is my duty as a prospective historian to destroy cemented narratives that are over simplistic, to clarify the picture in a way that will bring about a better understanding of how and why certain events came to be, why certain people acted the way that they acted, who these people were. To get this story straight, I believe, is the only way human beings by nature can “move on” in the most productive and healthy way. That is not to say one should hide the atrocities of the past, or relieve parties of responsibility. I just think that people run into trouble when they misplace their indignation and praise. Things with such significant implications and consequences deserve thorough interrogation and justification.

This thinkpiece/cultural piece was inspired by a lot of thinking I’ve been doing in regards to my philosophy of history, general philosophy, reflections on the Bosnians I’ve spoken to, my history course work, and some reading I’ve been doing in regards to the disastrous state of Bosnian politics. According to historians Steven Burg and Paul Shoup, Bosnians have adopted a power sharing approach. This means that each ethnic group has its own territory and veto power. A small group of elites determine vital interests of respective groups. It is one of the saddest, most ridiculous system of government I have ever come across in my life. Underlying this “power share” approach, demanded by the three parties, is emblematic of the phenomenon I describe above: total distrust.

I found this article very interesting.  The notion that the historical linguists created a computer program to review the thousands of languages that are spoken and have been spoken in the world is shocking.  In the end I do not believe that the actual region where all languages originate from is important.  However, I do find it very important to know what family the language you are studying comes from.   While studying Spanish I learned that I could easily pick up sentences from other "Romantic" languages.  However, languages such as German did not have many cognates with Spanish, thus I have a hard time understanding German when my father speaks it.   While learning Hebrew, there are many cognates within the languages.  Hebrew is an ancient language, but Modern Hebrew is relatively new.   Many modern day words either have a root stemming from an ancient word or are very similar to English.   Shir has been working with me on recognizing cognates within the language when they stem from an ancient word.  For instance, the word for computer is Maksheva and the word for "to think" is L'makshev.   

I conducted a thirty minute interview with a native Bosnian. It was a general interview aimed at family, values, and lifestyle. I want to emphasize that my descriptions are general. It is my intention to delve deeper into some of the trends I found

According to her, the family is primarily seen as a unit of economic support. The ideal family is one that is affluent, obedient to the laws of the land, raises children who are married off and able to support their families, holds a great reputation among friends and families. The gender roles in Bosnia could be considered traditional. The father is expected to be the breadwinner and protector of the family. Family reputation is closely correlated to the economic success and general reputation of the man. The mother is expected to cook, clean, and take care of the children. The relationship between mother and father tends to be more of mutual respect than American notions of an affectionate loving couple. Siblings tend to be closest to one another, providing the emotional and moral support that does not typically come from their parents. Children are raised to be well-mannered, obedient, and fit for traditional marriage roles.

American families tend to be so busy, that family time sometimes needs to be set aside if it's every going to happen. In Bosnia, families apparently have so much leisure, that family time simply happens. Guests pass in and out all day for tea and cookies. There is chat, leisure, and plenty of gossip and cigarette smoking. Life there is very "chill." Time comes and goes. This reminds me a little bit of life in the American country.

Below are two questions I'll ask some other Bosnians?

Where does this traditional family model for success come from? I know the American version comes from Victorian models...

What is this preoccupation with reputation? This is so pervasive in Asian cultures too.

What is the difference between Bosnian village people and Bosnian city people?

“Tribe Revives Language on Verge of Extinction”

“School was also once the enemy of tribal languages. Government boarding schools, where generations of Indian children were sent, aimed to stamp out native ways and tongues. Now, the language is taught through the sixth grade at the public charter school in Siletz, and the tribe aims to have a teaching program in place in the next few years to meet Oregon’s high school language requirements, allowing Siletz, in a place it originated, to be taught as a foreign language.”

I am very happy that they’ve managed to save their language. There are very few things in this world that invoke my fury like that of imperialism and paternalism. The ways in which those in power impose unsubstantiated assumptions and standards to judge human nature harbor tragic consequences on the victimized civilization. Who has the right to deem certain customs “savage”’ or “civilized”? Something really damaging happens to a people, to a language, when they are made to believe that their way of life, their beliefs, their pleasures, and their languages are inferior or barbaric. If they conform to these absurd standards, they must destroy the parts of their identity that are central and unique in hopes of becoming more “normal.” Unfortunately, such a dream, while undesirable (though made to be desirable by those in power,) is near unattainable. One from a different culture can never be good enough to be “normal” until everything that you are and hold dear is transformed into something “normal,” something docile and predictable.

In some ways, this story demonstrates these effects blatantly. Had it not been for the heroics of Siletz tribe members, an essential part of a people would have been destroyed. What’s more insidious about this process of normalization is that these methods actually aim at the unique qualities that are actually the source of that other culture’s power. Uniqueness, difference, allows a people to break free from categories and identifiers. They challenge “authoritative” claims to knowledge and categories. They challenge traditional those in powers’ justifications to stay in power and impose this power in the ways that keep others subordinate.

Goal for the Week:

Vocabulary Midterm

Converse and Comprehension

Result:

Review Vocabulary

Film: Noz

Dialogue

Method:

Unfortunately, we did not have the midterm this week. It was a hectic week for the both of us, and we weren’t able to meet as frequently. We’ve decided to put the midterm and vocabulary on the backburner for now. Instead, we worked on a dialogue. I anticipated questions that curious Bosnians might ask me were I to be in the country at that very moment. Questions include the following: how are you today, why did you choose to study Bosnian, what about Bosnian culture excites you, what do you plan to do with your Bosnian, how did you end up at the University of Richmond, and so on. Milica helped me to construct professional and impressive answers. This is a way to build vocabulary and become “automatic” in answering a body of information I want to be able to convey and that I will very likely be asked.

We also watched a film called Noz, which means knife in English. It was the first film I saw of the Bosnian Serb perspective of Orthodox and Muslim relations. The opening scenes aptly characterize the sentiment. While a Serbian family was celebrating their Christmas pre-WWII, an especially holy day, Muslims barged into their houses seeking to take their land. It is believed in this film that the Muslims entered on this particular day because they knew that the opposition would be unarmed. In front of the entire family, the Muslims raped and killed their women (they filmed this), burned the house, and burned the father of the household in the Orthodox Church. Most insidiously, they took the baby son, and sought to raise him as a Muslim. For Muslims and Serbs, according to the film, to be converted and set against “one’s own kind” is the most damaging blow to the opposition. Following this event was cyclical impulsive, angry retaliation, further offensiveness, cruelty, regret, and an unhappy ending.

I watched the film with two Bosnian Serbs, who said that this film is a decent synopsis of Serbian views of what really went on during the Bosnian War. It wasn’t that they were the aggressors; it was that they were protecting themselves from Muslim aggression and dominance. Having this other perspective provides a much better picture of why both sides really harbor a strong sense of resentment and distrust for the other. I think both sides are really irritated at the fact that their “opposition” refuses to feel their pain and take responsibility for their blatantly cruel actions. Without this responsibility, there can be no forgiveness. With each side in pain, vying for revenge how is one to trust the other side and move forward?