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MLC 105 LEARNING JOURNAL # 6: History of Swedish

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The history of the Swedish language is very long history since its adoption as the national language of Sweden and to the establishments of institution to standardize and protect the language. Later as Sweden began to emerge as a world power so increased the importance of Swedish as language of communication.

The earliest indications of the Swedish language date back to Old Norse, which was a broader dialect spoken throughout the Nordic region and spread by the Vikings through their extensive travels in the area. Old Norse facilitated trade and commerce as a lingua franca and is greatly responsible for maintaining high similitude amongst Nordic language. Old Norse began to see a split into West Norse and East Norse which became the foundations for the languages of Iceland and Norway, and Sweden and Denmark respectively. These two languages eventually became distinguishable as Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic using ruins as the primary form of communication. It wasn't until the 14th and 15th centuries that Swedish began to develop as an individual language with distinct words, writing, and sounds.

The Middle Ages or "medeltiden" saw the emergence of Old Swedish which became distinct from Old Norse. The oldest example of written Swedish was found in 1222 in the Western Gotland where the language makes use of distinct writing styles and imagery. During this period there were  many ballads written that displayed intriguing characteristics unique to Sweden.

The Modern Swedish language dates to 1526 when the first bible was published in Swedish BY King Gustav Vasa. This Bible remained in use until 1917 and represented a combination of colloquial and formal written Swedish.  The next major milestone for Swedish occurred in 1786 under King Adolf Gustav III who established the Swedish Academy which was adopted from the French Academy in France. This institution would become central in promoting Swedish language and culture at home and abroad. Swedish is also spoken by a minority in Finland due to border disputes and eventual control by Finland of these disputed areas.

Today Swedish is spoke by about 9 million people and spoken by large communities of expatriates in Europe and in the U.S. and Canada as children and grand-children of Swedish immigrants. The most recent changes in the Swedish language paralleled developments in social movements in the 1960s which saw the movements towards greater gender equality and less emphasis on formality.

Sources:

UCLA Swedish language profile

http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=35&menu=004

History of Swedish

http://www.linguaphone.com.my/swedish2.php

Swedish language profile: historical periods

http://www.alsintl.com/resources/languages/Swedish/

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MLC 105 LEARNING JOURNAL #7: Cultural Presentation

My cultural presentation can be viewed here:

http://prezi.com/rbjmkz702c3p/present/?auth_key=lzkqzt1&follow=kts68f57bpc9

For my cultural presentation I chose to speak of the Swedish concept of "Allemansrätten" which is unwritten law which refers to the Right of Public Access to nature for all individuals. This concept is very unique to Sweden and its neighboring Nordic countries which have similar ideas of access to nature and more flexible barriers to access and use of nature for personal and social benefits. This concept is very interesting because it contrasts highly with the idea of property and access in the United States which tends to be highly delineated and demarcated without much flexibility. Property, its protection and right to one's property is also very particular to the United States. In Sweden property, especially nature is perceived as right that can be accessed by all even if it is owned or managed by another individual. This "law" also reflects the emphasis placed on nature and people's interaction with nature in various ways.

This right reflects the way in which Swedes respect nature and its sustainability as a part of Swedish culture and its regard as central to Swedish culture in cultural events and holidays. Through my cultural presentation I learned more about the implied characteristics of "Allemansrätten" and was able to contrast with my own experiences in the United States. I truly believe that this one example of Swedish culture has much broader implications for Swedish culture and explains how the state, society, and nature interact in as sustainable manner to promote the health and well-being of the Swedish people.

Sources:

English:

http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Work/Life_in_Sweden/Climate_nature/the-right-of-public-access/

Svenska:

http://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/natrecspo/nature/every.html

http://www.naturvardsverket.se/Start/Friluftsliv/Allemansratten/

"Allemansrätten: Vad säger lagen?" bertil Bengtsson http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CFAQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naturvardsverket.se%2FDocuments%2Fpublikationer%2F620-8161-6.pdf&ei=dQKTT87ECM-26QH20M2GDw&usg=AFQjCNEcPnCVuF8nOyi3pHX6cknclHQRbw&sig2=Lwbh6LQfAyM2NeUkc1iXbQ

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Do some research about the culture of your target language and write about the “linguistic aspects”. Body language, how people talk about time, etc.

In Sweden body language is very complex through my research I have observed that there is a mix of communitarian and individualistic cultures which is expressed interestingly through body language and physical interactions in public. There seems to be a connection between the idea of communitarian or welfare state and the manner in which people present themselves in public. There is a low level of formality which is reflected through the casual body language with dominates most social interactions. Related to the highly equitable political and social system is the limited physical interactions amongst individuals unless there is a long-standing relationships which may be reflected in physical greetings. Handshakes are standard or a quick hello without physical interaction. More intimate relationships consider hugs appropriate as within the family context.On the other end of the spectrum there is also a very individualistic culture that encourages self-expression and creativity which is admired but may also be rejected by larger communitarian culture that value the group before the individual.

Another interesting note about linguistic aspects is the manner in which Swedish people speak of time in a very precise manner. There seems to be a conflicting understanding of time, punctuality, effectiveness and productivity are valued but so is leisure time which is very important and reflects a larger right to leisure time and how pension and vacation structures are so generous.

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Reflect on Cultural dimensions of learning a language.  Reading from Figuring Foreigners Out

The cultural dimensions of learning a language are essential in learning a language. Some important points brought up by the readings include the incorporation of individualist and collectivist understands of culture that may influence the learning of language where dialogue and interactions are based on specific cultural norms. The individualist versus collectivist personal identity plays a crucial role because language will reflect the way in which individuals relate to one another, make requests, acquiesce, delegate, or accept certain aspects of social life. To know how the culture operate on the individualistic and communitarian spectrum will allow language learners to appropriately communicate with people certain situations.

As important as learning the spoken language, a large part of cultural learning is understanding the unspoken word or nonverbal communication which may express more or different meanings in different cultural settings. Learning a language requires one to understand how individuals react through facial expressions, signaling, or other movements which may have significant meaning. This is very important in learning a new language because confusion, insult, or misunderstanding may arise from such situations. And in the case that there are misunderstandings there is always a need to be flexible both as learner of another language and as a native speaker communicating with students of one's own language.

The explanation of monochronic and polychronic understandings provide a similar opportunity as nonverbal communication to ignite confusion or understanding, so it is an aspect of culture that must be considered in learning a language in order to be most effective in communicating.

The cultural dimension I found most fascinating and most relevant to learning language through immersion is the conversation on direct and direct communication. The difference between high and low context cultures provides a very important part of relating everyday within a culture that may be much more important to the student than his ability to speak the language. Responding to communication in the appropriate settings allows for less frustration and confusion and may facilitate language acquisition by understanding the comfort limits associated with a culture.

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Journal entry #5

I tried to do some reading in my language with my language assistant and to my surprise he praised my pronunciation. I have reviewed the alphabet several times and I am very familiar with every letter with the Turkish alphabet, therefore it was not a difficult task to read the words but difficult to guess the pronunciation on words that I did not know of. I learned around 8 new words, house, father, mother, job, businessman, professor, student, university. I think it is realistic for me to be able to read simple texts without complex words by the end of the year with an ability to understand the context of the text. I have learned that reading in Turkish is not difficult, but understanding the meaning is rather difficult in longer readings, compared to shorter reading where it is easier to understand. From reading I highlighted words that I did not know and looked up after, if I keep up m readings I believe that I will accumulate a significant amount of vocabulary.

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Learning Journal 8 (9)

In reading Cultural Competence, I realized that I often think of learning a language in terms of the phonetics and the semantics and grammar instead of learning communicative abilities in various contexts. If we think about it, from a young age we learn to communicate with others - that is the point of speech - to get an idea across (demonstrative), to command (imperative), to express desire in something, or share a part of our identity. A young child will first point to something he wants and say only the part of the word he knows, for example, "ju" for juice. I say this to emphasize Grice's 4 maxims of language learning: I ought to approach language learning as learning to say only as much as necessary for understanding, to say only was it true, and to say only was is relevant in truthfulness. Honestly, I have to admit sometimes I don't do this in English - I meander my way to the point I am trying to make. (for example I could have made that sentence - "I don't express myself concisely").

I also found it interesting that to understand a language, we need to know more than just the words and their meanings, we need to know the context around them. A very good example is where the American teacher says, "Would you like to read?" and the Russian student says: "No, I would not." There are underlying cultural rules that govern our conversations and structure our idioms. For example, a non-native English speaker (and even perhaps someone of an older generation) would not understand the sentence - "Yeah, so my coach got angry at me when I scored a touchdown and then tebowed." They would think, what is this word? Tebowing is to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different. It refers to the famous Broncos quarterback who drops to a knee and prays after every touchdown, while on national television, breaking an indirect norm not to show religious activities at a sports event. Thus, to understand tebowing, you have to know not only the word and its meaning, but the importance of sports, especially football, and the social norms surrounding sports events in America to understand the context. This is the power of the illocutionary force (or intended meaning) of words and phrases in a language.

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Learning Journal 7/ Cultural Post 5

12746794267?profile=originalIn India, henna is an artistic representation of traditional culture. "Mehndi"is the traditional art of henna painting, while henna is the plant whose oil dyes skin, hair, leather or wool. There are two types: either black henna or natural henna. 

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Henna is usually used in various festivals and celebrations. In India, people have used henna to dye their hair since 400 AD. They also use it in wedding celebrations; a woman prepares herself for her husband by marking her hands with henna and letting them ruminate over night before the wedding day. In this fashion, henna represents the love between a wife and a husband, and the length of the stain represents the enduring length of their love. Women usually apply it to their hands and feet, but men can also wear henna to very auspicious gatherings such as a battle victory. However, at any occasion, henna is a symbol for fertility. Literally the word henna means "to become queen." As an art form, it represents the cultural traditions of marriage and celebration in India.

Learning goals for culture project:

  • Learn how to do henna
  • Practice doing henna
  • Tell a story with henna using henna storying
  • Learn words in Kannada for the story

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I plan to do my culture project on food. It seems like one of the most universal things in a culture and I think it would be useful to know about korean food for several different reasons. I would be able to bond with my parents over it, who are both chefs, and it would also be one of the most basic things if and when I go to Korea myself. I have grown up eating Korean food but haven't known the names and the ingredients in Korean. In fact, many Korean foods my parents cook, my brothers and I have made little nicknames for that we identify in English. For example, my mom makes a really great  fish soup, and we call it fishy-chiggae, and chiggae means soup in Korean. Obviously, that wouldn't fly in Korea if I were to order it in a restaurant.

In terms of my goals, I would love to be able to identify not only the name of the dish, but the ingredients in Korean. This would also be a good way to learn about the culture in terms of where each dish is most prominent, originated from, and if there are different variations depending on location and socio-economic factors. For example, in America, there are different types of hot dogs depending on where you go, and also things like iced tea (assumed to be sweet in the South, but usually unsweetened in the North). 

As a food enthusiast, I can see that I will be enjoying this project! I will take pictures when I go home for spring break of the different dishes my mom and dad make and will be sure to upload them to whet your palates!

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MLC 105 LEARNING JOURNAL # 2: Writing System

Swedish is a northern Germanic language that has English's standard alphabet with the addition of three vowels: å, ä, och ö, creating a 29 letter alphabet. Swedish grammar is similar to English in that verbs only have one conjugation in the present tense and only change to indicate past and future tenses. This makes Swedish easier to learn than language such as Spanish and French that require several conjugations for each verb in the present tense. Swedish is spoken by approximately 10 million people in Sweden and by the Swedish minority in Finland. Swedish is recognized as the official language of Sweden, but also protects the status of five minority languages: Finnish, all Sami dialects, Torne Valley Finnish (Meänkieli), Romani and Yiddish.

Based on this knowledge about the origins of Swedish, and the similarities it has with French and English, it focuses my attention on acquiring vocabulary because the structure is similar to English and there are many relationships to be drawn allowing for easier acquisition of the language. Since the grammar is also rather simple and does not require many conjugations like French or Spanish, I will not be focusing much attention of grammar in my studies.

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MLC 105 LEARNING JOURNAL # 1 : Learning reflections

As a language learner, previously having studied French, Spanish, and Norwegian, I realize that part of what I enjoy most is being able to communicate with native speakers of the language and having a more profound connection through my language access. I enjoy speaking the most and understanding cultural norms and language that are unique to that culture, I use media and film sources in order to compliment my language learning and find this a very useful way in expanding my language knowledge. What I have disliked the most about learning any language has been the heavy emphasis on grammar and the minute attention that it requires at times. I understand that it is important in order to write and understand linguistic structure, and surprisingly enough reveal cultural characteristic reflected in linguistic formulations. Taking into consideration my previous experiences, I find that I am an oral and visual learner. I enjoy very much repeating sounds and words and strive to imitate accents, fluctuations and tones, this is the funnest part and what I enjoy most about learning new languages. Furthermore, I learn visually, I have to see the words that I am speaking in order to make connections between the spelling and pronunciation. A combination of both works best for me. This type of learning style would be best complemented by a combination of media materials such as film, tv shows, short clips, and extensive reading that would be practiced with my language partner. A possible opportunity to expand my learning activities is to consider utilizing news reports that are televised in Sweden as a way of integrating new vocabulary and synthesizing information in a quick and effective manner.

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MLC 105 LEARNING JOURNAL #5. Reading in Swedish

I focused on learning more about a current debate in Sweden surrounding a recent proposal to implement a 40% mandatory quota for women in the board of directors of businesses. This proposal was made by the Social Democrats and has been a highly debated topic since Norway's recent adoption of this same law. In order to understand the diversity of opinions and arguments for the quota system I have followed media coverage in several news sources and listened to interviews with top representatives of political parties, feminist groups, and the Swedish organization for enterprises. The following are some of the articles I have read:

Interview with a female representative from the Organization of Swedish Enterprises

http://www.newsmill.se/artikel/2011/09/23/lika-inte-s-rskilda-r-ttigheter-arkelsten
Interview
http://www.expressen.se/debatt/kvotering-fungerar---se-bara-pa-norge/
http://www.dn.se/nyheter/valet-2010/norsk-kvotering-gav-hojd-kompetens
http://www.svd.se/naringsliv/karriar/ratar-norges-modell_2051167.svd

Through reading of these articles and discussing the topic further with my language partner I have also expanded my vocabulary in the areas of argumentation and related vocabulary.

jämställdhet: gender equality

särbehandling

rättigheter

måltavla: target

särskildt: particular

likabehandling: equal treatment

kvotering: quota

bolagstyrelse: Board of directors

egenskapar: personal skills

målriktaded: goal driven

undersökning: research study

motsatset: the counter

jämfor med: compare with

talesperson: representative

Based on the number of words I have learned I believe that my reading goal is very realistic and that I will be be able toe expand my vocabulary to a significant extent. I am able to follow the arguments, the logic, and formulate my own opinions using the vocabulary used in the articles.

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GULLAH CULTURE

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What is Gullah?

The Gullah people are located on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia.  They are communities of people who are the descendants of enslaved Africans.  Before the Civil War, the Gullah were more autonomous than other American slaves, because many slave owners preferred to move inland as a result of the extreme heat and mosquitos of the swampy Atlantic coastline.  After slavery, the Gullah people were able to buy their own land, and they remained relatively isolated since there were few connections to the mainland (bridges weren’t built until the 1950s).  The isolation of the Gullah enabled their West African roots to thrive, and they now have a unique culture that is directly linked to West Africa

 

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Gullah Traditions

The Gullah have their own unique blend of crafts, cuisine, and culture.  For example, they make sweetgrass baskets, quilt, and knit fishing nets. Folklore, stories and songs have also been handed down over the years.  There is a wide-known annual Gullah Festival held in Beaufort, South Carolina in May. This is just one of the events held throughout the year to celebrate Gullah traditions.

 

Gullah Language

In South Carolina, this group of African-Americans and the language they speak are referred to as Gullah (Gul-luh). In Georgia, they are called Geechee (Gee-chee).  Gullah the language was developed among Africans as a way to communicate with people from other tribes and Europeans. It has a unique simplicity in that it is written the way it sounds.  For years (until the 1930s), people thought it was poor English.  People who speak Gullah sound like people who speak Krio, one of the common languages spoken among the people from Sierra Leone, West Africa.

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What are the Gullah people like?

  • Direct communicators
  • Loud talkers
  • Affectionate
  • Collectivist – family is extremely important
  • Time – who needs it?!

 

Now...

With the incoming of development on the Gullah islands are fears of assimilation.  Younger generations are steadily selling their ancestral lands to development contracters and are encouraging increased tourism.  Older members of the Gullah community therefore fear that their traditions and language are becoming endangered.

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Due to my unique situation of not taking MLC 110 simultaneously with MLC 105, I do not have a specific language whose history I need to learn.  As a result, I teamed up with Jack Hodil, a fellow classmate who is also not taking MLC 110, and did some research on the history of language in general. 

 

There has been extensive study and research on the emergence of individual languages, but interestingly enough there has not been as much study on the history of language in and of itself.  Nevertheless, it is widely known that most of the currently existing 5,000 languages of the world (about a third of them are in Africa) are in linguistic families descending from one common language ancestor.  Experts say many of these “original languages” were spoken as little as a few thousand years ago.  The Indo-European language family is currently the most widespread of these language groups as it is spoken by more than half of the world’s population (includes Hindi, Persian, English, Norwegian, etc.).  Another important linguistic group is the Semitic language group (and no, it’s not strictly referring to the Jewish religious/ethnic group…).  12746795880?profile=original

 

An extremely important concept to keep in mind when studying the origins of language is the fact that languages have continuously infiltrated each other since the beginning of time, whether it be through conquest, empire, trade, religion, or technology.  So, there is essentially no such thing as a “pure” or uninfluenced language.  Modern English for example, occupies a middle position within the western European family of language with about half of its vocabulary being Germanic and half Romance in origin.

 

Thus, linguistic evolution is defined by a “survival of the fittest” process.  An ongoing struggle between languages occurs as they all seek to exert their influence.  Words travel/survive throughout time and the world according to their usefulness.  The word “aspirin” for example was coined in 1899 by a German inventor.  Today, it is a commonplace international word used in the medical realm.  The fluidity of language often troubles traditionalists who want to build barriers against the natural changes of languages.  France has somehow become the archetype of this image in recent years.    

 

In any case, the evolution of language is a long and lengthy ordeal.  Still, it deserves careful inspection, because it can teach us a lot about the cultural nuances evident within our target languages.

 

 

 

References:

http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab13

http://walkinthewords.blogspot.com/2010/07/illustrated-language-tree.html

 

 

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MLC 110 Week #7 Activities

This week, I met with my language partner, who helped me study new vocabulary related to family and kinship, hobbies, and home life.  I learned the construction of "to have X hobby" and how to say "I like X" (a particulary hobby).  My language partner would say the word aloud, and I would try to write it/spell it on paper or on a dry-erase board.  This activity really made me realize how important it is to keep reviewing "basic" elements of Hindi, like the alphabet!  There were unfortunately some tricky, less-common letters that I had forgetten how to write.  Luckily, however, this review helped a lot.  The kinship expressions were a lot more detailed than I realized, because in Hindi, there are many different words related to family, like "father's older brother" vs "father's younger brother."  I learned the main expressions for common family members.

With regard to writing practice, I wrote about 10-12 sentences relating to family and hobbies (introducing myself and my family).  I tried to use the present progressive and present habitual (imperfect) tense, since those two tenses are the ones I have been studying.  I also learned how to ask Sanya (my language partner) questions about her own family (examples: "What is your sister's name?"  "How many sisters and brothers do you have?", etc).  I recorded these questions, but I felt as though I didn't know how to transition between questions -- this is something I am going to work on and then re-record sometime this week.

For listening, I listened to the "My family" audio lesson on the GLOSS website (such a good resource! Here is the URL: http://gloss.dliflc.edu/Default.aspx) and did the related online comprehension activities, and then also did the "The Meeting" audio lesson + activities for more of a focus on culture + grammar (tenses).

For reading and vocab practice, my LP and I have just started to transition into studying food vocabulary (common fruits, vegetables, and restaurant dishes in India -- as well as how to order in a restaurant in India), and she also had a menu for me to read and sound out the words and then match them to the vocab I had just learned regarding food.

I have been realizing that I haven't been focusing on reading as much as conversational speaking and vocabulary, so I will be doing more reading over break and in the weeks to come.

 

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MLC 105 Learning Journal #8

Response to reading “Communicative Competence:"

I really enjoyed reading "Communicative Competence" because of the current tasks I am working on in my study of the Hindi language.  The very first point, in which the author wrote: "Recent trends have put less emphasis on structural and cognitive characteristics of communication and more on the myriad social, cultural, and pragmatic implications of what it means to communicate in a second language," made me think of the last few weeks in my study of Hindi.  Initially, at the beginning of the semester, I focused a great deal of my time and attention on learning the introductory grammar and "structural" characteristics of Hindi.  Since I know Punjabi, I (erroneously) assumed that beyond the structure and some vocabulary differences (differences in sound), the two languages, would, for the most part, be quite similar. I was wrong.  Yes, the two languages are similar, but the interpersonal meanings and interpersonal context of Hindi is quite different from Punjabi.  For instance, in the article, when the author discussed the different types of competence (Grammatical, Discourse, Sociolinguistic, and Strategic), I found it very interesting to think of one of my weak points in Hindi -- sociolinguistic competence.  It is difficult for me to be sensitive to dialect and to be "natural" in speaking Hindi.  When I was working on my artifact and recording a conversation with my Language Partner last night (in which I asked her questions about her identity), I kept feeling as though my questions/conversation were so abrupt because I didn't know how to end one question, ask an unrelated question, have her know that I am listening, and finally end the conversation.  In the text, this is referred to as topic nomination, turn-taking, and topic shifting.  Since my goals for this semester were primarily functional in nature, I never really thought about spending time in studying topic nomination, turn-taking, topic shifting, etc.  For instance, with regard to gender, I don't really know what body language or nonverbal signs a female or male should have while asking a question to someone or introducing him/herself to others.

Thus, by looking back at my artifact with my LP and at the text, I am realizing that sociolinguistic competence and the non-structural aspects of language are just as important in communicating with locals as grammar and vocabulary are. 

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MLC journal # 4

Modern Hebrew language is affected by many various cultural influences. Most Israeli's speak not only Hebrew, but also English, and Arabic. This is because of the significant influence that America has on Israel's politics, and the neighboring Arabic speaking countries. The Hebrew language incorporates many militaristic phrases and words because of the warlike nature of the Israeli people. Body language is much like that which can be found in America. One difference between American culture and Israeli culture is the assertiveness of Israelis. For instance, waiting for your turn in line is not usually done in Israel. It is not viewed as rude to "cut" in line, and in fact waiting for your place in line causes those around you to be viewed as naive.

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MLC 105 Journal # 3

Learning a language also includes understanding the culture surrounding the language. This helps to understand when it is appropriate to use certain forms, tones, and words in specific contexts. For instance speaking informally when addressing ones superiors ( a teacher or project overseer for example), can be viewed as disrespectful. There are factors of each culture that are necessary for the language learner to understand in order for them to effectively understand what to say and when to say it.

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MLC 105 Journal # 2

The Hebrew writing system is one of the most ancient written languages in the world. The earliest known writing in Hebrew can be traced back to the 11th century BC. Hebrew began to be replaced by Aramaic around 586 BC, and by 70 AD the use of the Hebrew language had nearly ceased. The revival of the Hebrew language began in the 19th century. The Hebrew writing system is called "Abjad." Hebrew is read from right to left, and numerous letters have a final form that differs from the original. My learning goals do not involve reading and writing, however it will be important for me to recognize letters and learn to pronounce them in order to improve my pronunciation of various words.

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