I am half Puerto Rican and half Dominican by descent, and though I feel great pride in my heritage, I'm not able to actively participate in gatherings with others of my culture, including my extended family, very much. My immediate family and I are very Americanized - my father is from the Dominican Republic, but moved here as a teenager speaks fluent English, and my mother was born in Philadelphia. We celebrate Thanksgiving, play Wii Sports and Scrabble on Friday nights, and sometimes prefer to have Taco Bell instead of rice and beans, a traditionally Latino meal that is a staple of our household diet but is the closest tie we share with our heritage in our Virginia home. However, every year our family will take a trip up north, to Philly where both their families live. That, in its own, almost inexplicable way, is a bizarre cross-cultural foray that I am never sure how to handle. I will focus on my father's side of the family with this entry.
All of my father's family who live up north - that is, most of my cousins, all of my grandparents, and most of my aunts and uncles - speak Spanish, and live within an hour of one another, so they see each other every weekend at the least, and usually throw a party once every two months for a more formal gathering. They are very tight-knit and the entire family focuses around my grandparents, so in a way they are their own Dominican community. I haven't spoken Spanish since I was five (I can only write, read, and interpret very little), and since I rarely see my family, it feels almost unfamiliar to infiltrate my abuelo's home and smell the warm scent of platanos, a fried banana dish, and boiled chicken intermingling with shouts in Spanish and English.
Its always a new experience when I go to visit. As an outsider - they mostly speak Spanish in the home, so I can basically only interpret their intentions from their tones and gestures - it is almost intimidating to be around them, although I know they are my family. My cousins can be very loud whereas I was raised in a very soft-spoken tone. In Dominican families, it is expected that one raises their voice and be loud. Also, generosity is something not taken lightly. I personally know that when Christmastime comes around, penny-pinching or bargains are not something to practice, as an exemplary Dominican must be loud, proud and giving. These are just a few of the many cultural boundaries that I have experienced from the little interaction I can foster with my extended family. Although I know that I share a bond with these people that is stronger than language and culture, it astounds me, and sometimes even makes me uncomfortable, to be immersed in such a different culture. It feels as if you are having a confusing dream at time: everything seems realistic, but still something seems off, and perhaps you are not sure of what to do, or what is real.
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I went into this course thinking that the purpose of it was to teach mehow to teach myself Turkish. So I found the readings frustrating atfirst because they seemed so irrelevant to what I thought I was supposedto be learning. The book discussed the history of language, the sensoryexpressions of it, and how they interrelate to each other. I found allthat fascinating because I love language and studying it, but I keptwaiting to really get to the heart of the class because I thought itshould be structured differently. Then, about halfway through, Irealized that this class wasn’t about teaching me to learn a language;it was about the cultural dimension of language.
The readings dealt with a society’s relationship with language, andincluded things like how one society’s body language can unwittinglytranslate wrongly into another’s body language. This was very usefulbecause differences in body language or gestures can be the differencebetween a compliment and an insult. It’s necessary to know what NOT todo when in another country as part of the basics of communication. Ialso found it very useful how we looked at the characteristics ofcultures like different perceptions of time, and explicitness versusimplicitness. On the whole, I found it very rewarding, and I feel betterprepared to know what to look for when studying cross-culturelanguages.
Androutsopoulos, Jannis. “Sprachbewegungen: kanaksprakk, ‘mischmasch’, ‘hiphop-slang’”
Fluter. (2003). http://www.fluter.de/de/sprache/lesen/1833
Byrd, Brenna Reinhart. “Media Representations of Turkish-German and Hip-Hop Language
as a Uniform Ethnolect.” (2009). http://studentorgs.utexas.edu/salsa/proceedings/2009/
08_TLS53_Byrd.pdf
Eryılmaz, Aytaç. “Forty Years in Germany; At Home Abroad.” (2002). http://www.tusiad.us/
content/uploaded/pw11At_Home_Abroad.pdf
Gogolin, Ingrid. “Linguistic Diversity and New Minorities in Europe.” (2002). http://
www.coe.int/T/DG4/Linguistic/Source/GogolinEN.pdf
Gregson, Julie. „Immigrants Help Create New Type of German Language.“ Deutsche Welle.
(2007). http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2989308,00.html
Jenkins, Emily P., “Ich rede, wie ich mich wohl fühle: Language and Ethnic/ Cultural
Identity among German-born Young Adults of Turkish Descent in Berlin“ (2004)
IS Collection. Paper 512. http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1509&context=isp_collection
Sautter, Ursula. “Losers in the Language Gap” Time Magazine. (2001). http://
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,107344,00.html#ixzz15NHAe4YW
There are an estimated 3.5 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany. Most live
in urban areas; the vast majority live in West Germany. This group is known collectively
as “Almanya Türkleri” or “German Turks”. That’s the formal term, and a more common,
slang term is “Almancılar.” -- connotation of a Turkish person who has something to do with
Germany.
Turks in Germany are a much younger population overall than Germans. A quarter of
the mainstream German population is older than 60, compared to only 5% of the Turkish
population.
Their first major presence in Germany came in the form of foreign guest workers, or “yabancı
misafir işçi.” Large-scale immigration (göç) of Turkish workers began in the beginning of
the 1960s due to high population growth and mass unemployment within Turkey and labor
shortages in north-west Europe.
Most Turks believed they would only stay in Germany temporarily and would one day return
back to Turkey to build a new life for themselves. But many have now been expatriates for
generations (“Gurbetçiler”).
Many took advantage of the right of family reunification to have their families join them in
Germany. And as a result the number of Turks in Germany nearly doubled between the 1970s
and 80s. This also created a much younger age profile than the German population because of
the larger numbers of children in Turkish families.
_________________________________________________________________________
Citizenship (yurttaşlık or vatandaşlık) laws have tended to favor legitimacy by descent
rather than place of birth. Reforms have been made extending opportunities for German
citizenship, but restrictions on dual citizenship are still high. Since the year 2000, children
born in Germany are entitled to adopt German citizenship, and increasing numbers of second-
generation Turks have opted for this. Foreign citizens, which many Turks still are, are known
as yabancı vatandaşlar.
__________________________________________________________________________
Most Turks in Germany live in two conflicting cultures with vastly different behavior codes.
At work or school, German culture tends to dominate, but during free time, social networks
divide along ethnic lines of Turkish culture (Türk kültürü). The social networks are still
overwhelmingly Turkish.
__________________________________________________________________________
The Turkish language is Germany’s second language. Second and third generation Turks
often speak Turkish with a German accent or modeled on a German dialect. The majority use
Turkish in their homes and neighborhoods.
Interestingly, Turkish in Germany is often used not only by members of its own community
but also by people with a non-Turkish background. Especially in urban areas, it functions as a
peer group language for teenagers. There’s a German creole called kanak sprak or kanakisch
or turkdeutsch where Turkish is modified by adding German grammatical and syntactical
structures. It's also sprinkled with Arabic or Turkish words, such as Yalla (Arabic for let's
go), Wallah (a compressed form of the Arabic for by Allah which is used to mean "really")
and lan, short for Turkish "ulan" and used to mean "guy" or "dude". The Turkish langauge
has been used as an expression of solidarity and identity for Turkish youth, especially in
Turkish rap and hip-hop.
_______________________________________________________________________
Turks are the biggest foreign population, and they’ve left their mark on most German cities.
One of the most referenced cultural transfers is Döner kebabs, which have become traditional
German food. But there are problems of integration, as immigrant communities tend to form
cultural enclaves within Germany. Rejection of the strange and unfamiliar on the side of the
Germans and a strong concentration on religion and tradition on the side of the Turkish can
create a vicious circle of alienation.
One of the biggest problems is language gap. -- "Most third-generation Turks in Germany do
not have a sufficient knowledge of German even though most of them have been born and
raised here," says Ali Ucar, a professor of pedagogy at Berlin's Technical University.
There was a study of 273 preschool children from immigrant families in Berlin's Kreuzberg
district, most of whom were of Turkish origin, which found that 63% of the children spoke
little or no German and therefore "didn't meet the linguistic requirements for primary school."
This is because there is little reason to speak German outside work or school. Almost three-
quarters of German Turks live in urban enclaves with extensive Turkish networks of shops,
restaurants, mosques and professional services. They can even watch Turkish TV on more
than a dozen channels available via cable or satellite. One such television company is called
Türkiye Radyo Televizyon Kurumu, and broadcasts in Berlin.
Many politicians and other public figures have called attention to the problem of integration
for German Turks, and some local schools offer classes in Turkish, and many German
schools now offer courses to take Turkish as a foreign language.
______________________________________________________________________
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I liked the short part in the book where Crystal talked about the differences between a monologue and dialogue, mainly because I have my own movie review site. He talked about how many people who write blogs are evidently writing monologues but the act of putting it online shows that the writer is intending to make it public - and this results in an opportunity for someone to respond. So is my website a monologue? Or is is a dialogue because people can comment on my reviews? Crystal suggests that it is a "monologue masquerading as a dialogue." I know that by writing my reviews and I am expressing my thoughts to everyone else. I think that the overriding idea behind blogging is (a) anonymity, (b) the fear of speaking in public, and/or (c) spreading your ideas to a mass audience in a cost effective way.
Crystal states that when we are having a conversation with someone, we make eye contact about half of the time. Which makes sense, to me. I wonder if it is the same in Iran. Or it expected that when you are talking to someone that you always make eye contact. I guess that holds the same truth here in the U.S.; when I am talking to an elder, I generally tend to make more eye contact.
I thought it was somewhat interesting when Crystal talked about how babies learn conversation. It seems kind of common sense though. I can see how this could apply to someone who is just learning and language and has a person that they can talk with that speaks the target language....but what if someone was capable of having a conversation (they knew the grammar and vocabulary) but they had no idea how to actually converse. When to start talking, if it is ok to interrupt the person...yes in today's society the media provides an excellent source to learn these small details but aren't people highly likely to make fools of themselves. I don't know...I'm rambling at this point.
I thought the chapter "how we choose what to say" was the most interesting...not because I really learned anything but because it made me think. For the most part, I found myself asking what people in Iran do when Crystal stated something.
Cultural Shock Video
I really liked the video. Even though it could benefit from an update, I think that much of the content is still very relevant today. It takes a lot time for a society to change and I don't think that students' experiences are much different today. However, I think that the video could benefit from incorporating more students' perspectives, particularly of those students who are from the US. Even though they are unlikely to admit that, they, themselves, can be ignorant, it it highly possible to find students to interview that opened themselves up to meeting new people. An updated version can show, to an even greater extent, that everyone benefits from opening up and not closely yourself off.
I was glad to hear from the video that a lot of international students can build a strong relationship with their teachers. I know that most of them have a difficult time connecting with American students, so it is good to hear that they are connecting with someone from here. I don't like the fact that international students flock together, but it makes sense. They are going to relate more to each other than they will with me. I cannot join one of them in a conversation about how tough it is dealing with jetlag or how strange someone's expression about how they are feeling is because I don't notice this stuff like they do.
Not everything is bad though. I see a lot of cross-cultural relationships on campus that help build character in both parties. I myself enjoy doing so as well because I know how important it is to understand other cultures.
The way a culture uses language is often reflective of the actions and speech patterns that are socially permissible in the culture. Going back to the German student from the Culture Shock video, she was confused by the way Americans avoided speaking explicitly when they did not like something. From this, we can assume that German culture is more outright and explicit in meaning when they speak. However, if German students in the US always commented explicitly when they did not like something, Americans would see them as abrupt or even rude. Thus Americans, by a manipulation of language, hide their honest feelings beneath subtly constructed sentences. A culture is exemplified by what its members express or chose to withhold.
One thing I have noticed in my experience with Spanish culture is how little they apologize. Of course, they say "perdon", (excuse me) when they bump into someone, but the word for "I'm sorry" (lo siento) is used only in cases of a very serious nature to convey sympathy, such as the loss of a loved one, or to atone for a very serious offense. In my Spanish classes, American students will use "lo siento" all the time for very trivial offenses. This is in part because they have an incomplete understanding of the meaning of the expression, and partly because it is very natural for them, in American culture, to apologize almost excessively. Not understanding how Spanish culture uses the expression can lead to confusion on both sides. The Spanish people may think the American is being sarcastic, when "lo siento" is used for inconsequential offenses, and the American may be confused because what he said did not have the effect he expected. Thus, the meaning of expressions does not always translate directly from culture to culture, and the characteristics of a culture are shown by what means, and how often, they express feelings and communicate ideas.
interesting and it also opened my eyes to a lot of the hardships and
problems that international students encounter while they attend our
University. I went abroad so I know how it feels to try to immerse
yourself within an unfamiliar culture. I remember when I first arrived
in Australia, I was scared and alone and above all, I felt extremely
uncomfortable and intimated. I did not know anyone and I did not have
any idea what to expect. However, I told myself before I left that it
was important to always keep a positive attitude and to try to find the
best in every situation, regardless of how the situation made me feel
and that is exactly what I did.
Oneof the things the students in the video mentioned was that they were
surprised about the amount of participation that was required in
certain classes. Many of them were used to big lecture halls, with
class sizes ranging from 40 to 200 students. Well, I am not at all
shocked that the class sizes here took them by surprise considering
most of our classes have between 10 and 20 students. However, while
this system ensured that they were prepared for every class and
actually encouraged them to do their readings, many of the
international students noted that it was difficult for them to
participate in class. They were intimated by American students and felt
that they would not be accepted or that they would be judged for the
comments they were making. I can definitely say that I know exactly
where they are coming from. I remember in one of my lectures in
Australia, class participation was worth 40% and yet, it took me at
least two weeks to make one comment. Believe it or not, I stood out
like a sore thumb for being American and I was worried that the
Australian students would criticize my opinions and beliefs. However, I
soon realized that this was far from the case and that most Australians
actually liked hearing about American culture and the American way of
life :).
Anotherpoint that the international students made on the video was that they
thought American students were disciplined and hard-working. I cannot
say that I was not flattered when I heard this remark. I love living in
America and having the privilege to attend the University of Richmond.
There is always something to do and as one of the students mentioned on
the video “life here is accelerated” and I do not think this statement
can be more accurate. When I went to Australia, one of the first things
I noticed was how slow-moving everything was and how people did things
at their own pace, at their own time. This was something that I was not
used to. Fast-food restaurants were anything but fast and dinner at
restaurants took an average of two hours, even if there were just two
of us eating! I definitely would not give up the fast-pace lifestyle of
America. I enjoy doing things quickly and getting to where I need to
be, when I need to be there.
Overall,I learned a lot by watching the Culture Shock video. It goes to show us
that maybe we need to reach out more to international students, not
just us, but the University as a whole. I do not think many students
here realize how hard it is for international students to adapt to our
culture and our way of life and it is up to us to help them with that.
After all, I know that I would want the same courtesy if I were to ever
visit their homeland.
Also, I was not aware of how difficult it is for some international students to become accustomed to the colloquialisms of Americans. I think it will help me in the future to be more sensitive when I am conversing with international students, and to avoid sentences that tend towards slang or 'non-textbook' constructions. However, this is an aspect of culture, and I suppose one of the things everyone experiencing a new culture has to deal with. One example I thought was particularly good was the German student who mentioned the use of the word "nice", and how Americans use it in contexts where they don't really like what they are describing, but don't want to cause offense by being honest. Inconsistencies such as this must make learning a new language even more difficult; words that by definition mean something specific may be used in a way that does not convey the same meaning as the definition states. This is an intimidating fact, and one that I suppose will never be overcome until one has had extensive exposure to the new language.
I have noticed, among my friends, some of the characteristics of culture shock such as excessive stereotyping of the host nation and the picking out of faults and negative aspects of the culture you are experiencing. However, it has not been only among my international friends, but also among my friends from the United States that are from an area that doesn't have a lot in common with Richmond. Growing up only two hours from Richmond, I have experienced very little culture shock, aside from the usual transition from home to college. But for my friends coming from areas as far away as Washington state, I have noticed a definite propensity to stereotype the city of Richmond, the state of Virginia, the South, etc. It doesn't cause a very positive reaction with me, because growing up in the area I know that much of what they say is untrue. This has helped to make me aware of what I generalize about cultures I visit, and how stereotypes can often be quite offensive to the host nation.
Although, the rest of the film was great! I enjoyed being able to relate to the students and others being interviewed since I live with an international student, and I understand the troubles that he went through when he first came to this country. It is definitely interesting in my opinion how different everything can be from the way teacher's communicate with students to how students interact with other students on the weekends ;-)
Overall, I didn't learn THAT much new stuff from the documentary; however, I did for the first time, experience someone directly say to me that Americans are these social dominant people who have a very distinct way of speaking. I think that such a generalized claim is a horrible stereotype that I cannot tolerate.
Benim adım Kristen.
Ben yirmi yaşındayım.
Ben Amerikalıyım ve Vircinya’da yaşıyorum.
Ben University of Richmond’a gidiyorum.
Ben politika okuyorum.
Kardeşimin adı Becky.
Arabam beyaz.
Türkiye’ye gitmek istiyorum.
Kedimi seviyorum.
Evde televizyon izliyor.
Kitaplarımı okula getir.
Görüşürüz!
Actually reading all this reminded me of Asperger's syndrome, which is on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum, but still can involve some social awkwardness and disconnect because those affected generally are less able to comprehend the normalities of conversation, so they might not understand when it is their turn to speak, or to look at the other person when speaking, or be able to figure out the other person's moods or facial expressions. In general, though, most of us can interpret these signals more or less accurately, so conversation generally is not impeded significantly.
I found the video about culture shock really interesting. I only experienced a mild degree of that when I went abroad to Scotland and Jordan. The first was because the UK university was English-speaking, (if with an accent :D ) and also because English society is not all *that* different from American society, compared to other regions of the world. The second was because when I was in Jordan (and also in Egypt and Jerusalem for a few days), I was only there for six weeks, and we were twelve Americans all in a programme together, so we stayed clumped together instead of fully integrating. While we did make some Jordanian friends there, and there were plenty of cultural differences in the way life was run (and most difficult for me, the expectations of woman there), we weren't really deeply affected by the cultural divides because we had each other, and we got closer for it. I can imagine how hard it would be to start over completely in a different country. To be honest, from what the video was describing, I experienced more of that in my freshman year than I ever did when I went abroad. I was still pretty introverted my first year, and it was hard to get to know people and make friends and feel integrated into the school. It must have been even harder to do all that in a different country where your language wasn't even the one predominantly spoken... :-O
When I was in 7th grade, we went on a family vacation to St. Lucia, a small island in the Caribbean. At the time, it wasn't a popular island for Americans to visit, and since it was a territory of the UK, there were many British visitors to the island. My brother and I became good friends with two British girls. We loved their accents, and they thought our American accents were so cool. It was the first time I ever really thought about having an accent. I had heard "southern" accents and British accents, but I never heard of an "American" accent. Looking back, I probably should have realized that to other people, I have an accent, but I had never been around people from other places before, so I guess it was just something I never thought about.
Also, in the Caribbean, we did travel off of the resort to the other places on the island. We visited a Cocoa Plantation and we spent some time in a few of the villages. Although I don't remember much, I remember that their lifestyle was very different. Every Friday night (I think...), they had street parties. They didn't have a lot in the towns and villages, but they still made sure that they had time for each other. We rarely do things like that here, and when we do, it certainly isn't an event for the entire town or city (at least I haven't experienced anything like that before).
It was also the first time that I truly saw poverty. Once we traveled away from the resort, we saw people living in make-shift houses made out of left over scrap-metal. Entire families lived in one or two room houses. It was shocking to me. But they were such happy people, and I never felt that they resented their position in life.
During my three weeks in Tanzania, I saw even more poverty. The children didn't have shoes; the children didn't have store bought toys; people sold their extra goods for a few extra Tanzanian Shillings; people didn't have indoor plumbing, or electricity; people worked all day in the fields, more for subsistence than anything else; people don't have good medical care; entire towns were so poor, etc. Yet they were happy. The children were so smart because they had to make their own toys. It kept them busy. I never saw an unhappy Tanzanian. Here, we always seem to want more. There, they are so thankful for what they have. It is such an incredible difference to me.
Tanzanian culture is so incredibly different than our own, and it is hard to put it well into words. Their mindset is more on the community, and generally, for the religious more on God than themselves. They aren't ever focused on themselves. They look to what God would want them to do, which would lead to more of an involvement in the community. I always tell the story of Mama Allen to illustrate this. She makes about $1 per day from the Diocese, when they can afford to pay her. Yet, on one of our last nights there, she had all of us from America (about 8 people) plus three people from the Diocese plus her own family to her house for a dinner. It was a normal meal of chicken and rice, but since she lives in a more urban area, she wouldn't have been able to grow the food or raise the chickens herself. She had to buy all of it. She probably spent nearly her entire monthly salary on us because she believed that is what God would want her to do. She also had the faith that God would provide for her and her family.
I have mentioned this throughout many of my journal entries already, but just to reiterate, I have only been out of the United States once in all of my 22-years. Call me sheltered or call me fearful of taking on new cultures and to be honest, I do not think I can disagree with either of these criticisms.
When I was given the choice to decide where I wanted to study abroad for the fall of my junior year, hands down I wanted to go to Australia; no questions asked. I am not going to sit here and pretend that the fact that the Australian culture is very similar to that of American culture
had absolutely no influence on my decision; that would just be a lie. Therefore, when it comes to discussing cross-cultural experiences, I would not be a good example to use, and to be honest, I am not okay with that :( .
I would not change my decision of going to Australia for anything, but I do regret not giving Europe a chance. Many of my friends were privileged enough to travel to so many cities and experience so many different cultures and customs and while I still learned a lot from my experience in Australia, I cannot say that I had the opportunity to experience multiple different customs and cultures. Other than the fact that Australians are not as fast-paced as
Americans and that they find it rude to tip at restaurants and that their beer is nearly three times as expensive as ours, their culture is overall very similar to America.
In the future, I would definitely love to travel to Europe if I am ever given the opportunity. I think it is so fascinating to immerse oneself within a culture with which one is unfamiliar; you learn more than you could have ever imagined! I mean let’s be honest, the best way to learn a
language or about another country’s culture is essentially to visit there and experience it for yourself. I mean of course you can always read about these different customs and cultures in a textbook or online, but it is definitely not the same. I think it is fun to learn languages and to learn about how other people live, which is why I can only hope to one day expand my cross-cultural experiences and familiarize myself with different cultures and customs.
Another crosscultural experience I had was when I went to Spain this past summer. One thing I observed about the Spanish was how they have open displays of affection for family and close friends, but reserve when interacting with those they do not know. For example, when riding the buses and metro I rarely noticed a conversation taking place between two people that didn’t obviously know each other before, except when it was absolutely necessary. This made me wary about engaging in casual conversation with someone I did not know, for fear my actions might be interpreted the wrong way. However, it is possible this tension exists in cities in the United States, and I only noticed it in Spain because it was my first big city immersion after growing up in a small town. Even so, it is an example of a cultural difference, whether it is between US/Spanish cultures or just a small town/large city difference. When I observed this difference, it made me uncomfortable at times because I was unsure of my behavior, and what signals I may give off, albeit unconsciously, through my actions. One thing I know for sure, experiencing other cultures has caused me to be more sensitive to those from other cultures who are experiencing life in the US, because I have some understanding of the uncertainty that comes from being in an unfamiliar setting.
Unfortunately for me, I have not had much cross cultural experience. I have never actually traveled outside of the United States, except to Canada, and both trips there were to English speaking areas. So really the only interaction I have had has been with people who were visiting the United States. This past summer, the woman who took care of my parents when they lived in Romania for a year visited us. She is the cousin of my grandmother, so we had a somewhat close family relationship. The fun part about her visit was the fact that she could not speak a word of English. I had to go through my mother to translate in order to have a conversation with her. When my mom would leave the room, I was then stuck with her, unable to communicate and feeling awkward. She, on the other hand, did not mind a bit. She would smile and enjoy where she was, not caring about the fact that this young boy could not speak to her at all. After the first day, I decided to give communication a try and began using hand gestures and making facial expressions in order to convey ideas across to her. In return, she began teaching me Romanian words and phrases (with some help from my mom). By the last couple days she was with us, every time I would use Romanian, she would praise my hard work and say "da" which means yes (apparently yes is a very common word for agreement in Romanian and can be used in many ways, simply by changing inflection of the voice). It was fun learning how to communicate with someone in a challenging way, and it made me wish that she could stay for more time. I told my mom after she left that now I understood why visiting a country is so helpful to learn a language. When you surround yourself by the language and are forced to use it, it becomes more entrained in your mind.
This week’s reading investigated the meaning of the terms “language” and “communication”and how they affect human activity. The two senses most integral to languageare sight and sound, especially for their roles in written and spoken language,respectively. There is also the subtler body language, but this introductionfocused mainly on spoken modes of communication.
Visual cues in language are important to take into consideration when learning a foreign language, in orderto learn not only words but also the method used to communicate. For example,some cultures are more demonstrative with their arms or faces when they speak.Additionally, it is very important to know what certain gestures can meanacross cultural divides, since something in one culture could mean nothing orsomething completely different in another. Keeping track of these disconnectswould be instrumental in avoiding offending someone with whom you’re trying tocommunicate.
It’s also about the time to start thinking about a cultural project to do. One of thethings that I find very interesting, given my background in other languages, isthe huge Turkish minority in Germany. I’ve studied German for the last severalyears, and it’s a familiar topic that Turkish guest workers (Gastarbeiter) whocame several decades ago are now a sizeable and distinct minority insideGermany. There are about 3.5 million ethnic Turks in Germany, as the largest minority, concentrated mainly in urban centers.
Europe as a whole has been experiencing some social upheaval, because for thousands of years Europe remained ethnically homogenous, and citizenship was based primarily on jus sanguinis (or citizenship by blood). Now, though, most countries are experiencing a huge influx of foreigners, often from the Middle East or Africa, and many keep their own cultures and don't assimilate into their host country. This generally creates a conservative backlash by the country's original residents. I'll look into changes in citizenship rights, as well as Turkish cultural enclaves and political trends by Turks in Germany.
