Culture,+Language,+&+Religion

**1. What is culture? How do different disciplines define it?**

 * 2. What is a "cultural landscape" and how do we "decode" them?

3. How do we define cultural regions?

4. How do religion and language play a role in the creation and maintenance of cultural landscapes?**

**What is culture? How do different disciplines define it?**
The term 'culture" is used to describe the range of activities that characterize a particular group. A culture is a shared set of meanings that are lived through material and symbolic practices of everyday life. "Shared set of meanings" includes values, beliefs, practices, traditions, ideas about religion, language, family, gender, sexuality, and other important identities. Connections among people, places, and cultures are social creations that can be altered. The idea of a culture is a dynamic concept that revolves around and intersects with the complex social, political, economic, and even historical factors. Cultural geography is the study of the way in which space, place, and landscape shape culture at the same time that culture shapes space, place, and landscape. The study of culture can be divided into two categories: Folk culture and Popular culture. Folk culture is denoted by traditional practices of small groups, especially rural groups with homogenous belief systems and practices. Gypsies, the Amish, or Peruvian mountain villagers are examples of folk culture. Popular culture is categorized by practices, beliefs, and ideologies of large, often heterogeneous, commercial groups. An example of Popular culture is media or fashion.

Knox, Paul L, Marston, Sallie A. Human Geography: Places and Religions in Global Context. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007

**What is a "cultural landscape" and how do we "decode" them?**
"A cultural landscape is a geographic area that includes cultural and natural resources associated with an historic event, activity, person, or group of people. Cultural landscapes can be thousands of acres of rural land to homesteads with small front yards. They can be man-made expressions of visual and spatial relationships that include grand estates, farmlands, public gardens and parks, college campuses, cemeteries, scenic highways, and industrial sites. Cultural landscapes are works of art, texts and narratives of cultures, and expressions of regional identity. They also exist in relationship to their ecological contexts" (http://www.tclf.org/whatis.htm).

"Broad characterizations can be useful as a general guide to anticipating and discussing cultural reactions, attitudes, and behaviors in a neutral way. While cultural generalizations are helpful in analyzing cultural patterns (e.g., Americans //tend// to be individualistic while Japanese //tend// to be collectivist), it is understood that //no cultural generalization will ever apply to everyone in a culture// (no matter how small or isolated) because individual personalities and backgrounds always play a role in how people think and act. In intercultural communication, cultural generalizations are used as a shorthand way to make non-judgmental cross-cultural comparisons, not to oversimplify or deny the complexity of social interaction." (http://www.pacific.edu/sis/culture/File/sec1-1-3h7.htm).

**How do we define cultural region**
Culture is usually divide into two major categories, folk culture and popular culture. Folk culture is separated generally by region and is influenced by environment and resources. Popular culture, or pop culture, is shaped by popular ideas derived form commercialism and media.

• rules of social etiquette • concept of personal space • notions of modesty • values • concept of beauty • concept of fairness • childraising beliefs • understanding of the natural world • religious beliefs • importance of time • concept of self • concept of leadership • nature of friendship • general world view • work ethic
 * Folk Culture** is defined by the following:[[image:http://lh5.ggpht.com/_OdQhWuhQ3zM/RzDeqbSDnNI/AAAAAAAAA98/48o3aEpdpEs/IMG_1524.JPG width="376" height="296" align="right" caption="Arab Market"]]

The concepts listed above are not ideas or standards that arise overnight, but they take form over generations of customs and societal interaction.

• art • holiday customs • gestures • foods • eating habits • music • literature • styles of dress
 * Popular Culture** is loosely defined by:

Popular Culture in contrast to folk culture does change everyday. It does not need to be deeply rooted in society for a long period of time for it to become normal. Popular culture is more about what is going on now rather than what went on. Popular culture changes everyday, musical taste, fashion styles, new places to gather and eat, and popular art are constantly changing.


 * Popular Culture in Modern Society**

Popular culture has evolved over time and has experienced a major change with the present boom in technology. This sudden change in technology has changed the way people interact with one another and share information.

**Apple** Apple, once a company on the verge of bankruptcy, has become an iconic figure in popular culture. with the emergance of the sleek ipods, the relaunch of a more simple operating system, and the designing of new stylish laptops, apple is considered to be the pinnacle of technological style. The iPod line came from Apple's "digital hub" category, when the company began creating software for the growing market of personal digital devices. Digital cameras, camcorders and organizers had well-established mainstream markets, but the company found existing digital music players "big and clunky or small and useless" with user interfaces that were "unbelievably awful," so Apple decided to develop its own. As ordered by CEO [|Steve Jobs], Apple's hardware engineering chief [|Jon Rubinstein] assembled a team of engineers to design the iPod line, including hardware engineers [|Tony Fadell] and [|Michael Dhuey], and design engineer [|Jonathan Ive]. The product was developed in less than one year and unveiled on 23 October 2001. Jobs announced it as a Mac-compatible product with a 5 GB hard drive that put "1,000 songs in your pocket." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod)
 * The iPod** **and Itunes**

The idea of 1000 songs in your pocket was revolutionary. It made CD players and the more unwieldy mp3 players useless. Apple then pushed the revolution even further by creating the iPod video. Not only could the iPod play MP3 but it could now view photo and video. (http://lowendmac.com/orchard/05/origin-of-the-ipod.html)

Along with the ipod came itunes, a user-friendly music store. this service separated itself from cd purchasing because it allowed users to purchase single songs rather than whole albums for the fraction of the price. Itunes also helped combat risng music piracy by making music more accesible. (http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3882.html)

Facebook has revolutionized the way people communicate with each other. Every user creates his or her own unique page with their interests and other miscellaneous information, which is then available for viewing by others.
 * Facebook **

"Humans get their information from two places -- from mainstream media or some other centralized organization such as a church, and from their network of family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. We've already digitized the first. Almost every news organization has a website now. What Zuckerberg is trying to do with Facebook is digitize the second." (http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-vogelstein7oct07,0,6385994.story?coll=la-opinion-center)

Youtube **
 * 

"Before the launch of YouTube in 2005, there were few simple methods available for ordinary computer users who wanted to post videos online. With its easy to use interface, YouTube made it possible for anyone who could use a computer to post a video that millions of people could watch within a few minutes. The wide range of topics covered by YouTube has turned video sharing into one of the most important parts of [|Internet culture]." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube)

Youtube is an online video streaming tool that is used to share video information on the internet. It is used for mainly entertainment, however it is also used by corporations, news stations, and politicians to further an agenda. This election year Youtube played a strategic role in winning voters over and making the election process more attractive to the younger generation. (http://thebreakthrough.org/blog/2008/03/youtubes_political_revolution.shtml).  Politics: http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom Corporation: http://www.youtube.com/user/PepsiCorporation  News: [| http://www.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish]

Youtube's popularity has grown an enormous amount since its start. It has grown in to a massive online community with over 20 million visitors per day and over 1 billion video views per day. (http://blogs.pcworld.com/communityvoices/archives/2008/07/youtube_reaches.html)

Example of Youtube's embedding technology: media type="youtube" key="cTDln2f0GvQ" height="295" width="480"



**What is Language?**
Language is used everyday. It is how we get around in life; asking questions for directions, interacting with people, to buy food, etc. We need language, not only does it help us with everyday tasks, but it also defines who we are and our culture.

In the 15th century, there were at least 15,000 languages that were spoken; however, since then there have been nearly 4,000 to 9,000 languages that have simply disappeared as a result of wars, genocide, legal bans, and assimilation. In todays world there are about 6,800 spoken languages that are know and fewer than 2,500 people speak half of them.

In places such as India, "Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, and English are each spoken by at least 40 million Indians, Kitchi, on the other hand has perhaps 800,00 speakers- and that number is declining as more and more Kutchi-speaking young people switch to Gujarati or English" (Sampat, Payal. //Last Words//.) **TRY TO LINK TO THIS ARTICLE IF YOU CAN** “Language researchers often study people with certain kinds of brain disorder to understand the nature of human language. For example, they study people with autism, because they have difficulty with both language and social interactions. Scientists have also looked at people with a much rarer disorder, Williams Syndrome, which also causes problems with language.” From these studies and tests scientist have discovered that language may be a separate unit of the brain indifferent from the many different mental functions. They also discuss the ongoing topic of the theory of mind which is “ the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of the person we are talking to.” - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5545504

  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 50%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Language Policy   <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 50%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">n. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 50%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">1. What government does officially – through legislation, court decisions, executive action, or other means – to  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 50%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(a) determine how languages are used in public contexts, (b) cultivate language skills needed to meet national priorities, or (c) establish the rights of individuals or groups to learn, use, and maintain languages. 2. Government regulation of its own language use, including steps to facilitate clear communication, train and recruit personnel, guarantee due process, foster political participation, and provide access to public services, proceedings, and documents. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">
 * What is a language policy?**
 * <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">"The United States has never had a language policy//,// consciously planned and national in scope. It has had language **policies **– ad hoc responses to immediate needs or political pressures – often contradictory and inadequate to cope with changing times. Government cannot avoid language policy making." http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/langpol.htm****

SOME INTERESTING MATERIAL HERE, BUT WORK ON THE FLOW... IT COULD BE BETTER. ** Links: [|WHAT LIES BENEATH: What does "wanna cup of coffee" really mean? Explore the social underpinnings that make language work in this multimedia interactive.] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5503688 There are about 200 languages that have a million or more native speakers. Mandarin Chinese is the most common, being spoken by around 874,000,000 people as a native language. English is a distant third with approximately 341,000,000 native speakers. NUMBER OF NATIVE SPEAKERS ( in the year 2000) ||~ COUNTRIES WITH SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS OF NATIVE SPEAKERS || is the 6th most common language in the world having 198-201,000,000 native speakers with substantial numbers in at least 46 countries.// //Source:// //[|**E**][|**thnologue**]// **//Volume I: Languages of the World////, 14th ed. (2000). These statistics are only rough approximations in most cases.//** || http://anthro.palomar.edu/language/language_1.htm WHAT ABOUT LANGUAGES SPOKEN AS 2ND OR 3RD (LIKE ENGLISH)? WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO SPEAK MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE?
 * The Most Common Languages in the World ||
 * ~ LANGUAGE  ||~  APPROXIMATE
 * ~ 1.  ||  Mandarin Chinese  ||  874,000,000  ||  16  ||
 * ~ 2.  ||  Hindi (India)  ||  366    ,000,000 ||  17  ||
 * ~ 3. || English  ||  341    ,000,000 ||  104  ||
 * ~ 4.  ||  Spanish  ||  322-358,000,000  ||  43  ||
 * ~ 5. || Bengali (India and Bangladesh)  ||  207,000,000  ||  9  ||
 * ~ 6. || Portuguese  ||  176,000,000  ||  33  ||
 * ~ 7. || Russian  ||  167,000,000  ||  30  ||
 * ~ 8. || Japanese  ||  125    ,000,000 ||  26  ||
 * ~ 9. || German (standard)  ||  100    ,000,000 ||  40  ||
 * ~ 10. || Korean  ||  78    ,000,000 ||  31  ||
 * ~ 11. || French  ||  77,000,000  ||  53  ||
 * ~ 12. || Wu Chinese  ||  77,000,000  ||  1  ||
 * ~ 13. || Javanese || 75,000,000  ||  4  ||
 * ~ 14. || Yue Chinese || 71    ,000,000 ||  20  ||
 * ~ 15. || Telegu (India)  ||  69,000,000  ||  7  ||
 * // Note: If the 15 major variants of Arabic are considered one language, Arabic

**What is religion?**
LOTS TO DO HERE...

"Religion is a set of stories, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to an ultimate power or reality. It may be expressed through <span class="wiki_link_ext">prayer, <span class="wiki_link_ext">ritual , <span class="wiki_link_ext">meditation , <span class="wiki_link_ext">music and <span class="wiki_link_ext">art , among other things. It may focus on specific <span class="wiki_link_ext">supernatural , <span class="wiki_link_ext">metaphysical , and <span class="wiki_link_ext">moral claims about <span class="wiki_link_ext">reality (the <span class="wiki_link_ext">cosmos , and <span class="wiki_link_ext">human nature ) which may yield a set of <span class="wiki_link_ext">religious laws , <span class="wiki_link_ext">ethics , and a particular <span class="wiki_link_ext">lifestyle . Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural <span class="wiki_link_ext">traditions , writings, history, and <span class="wiki_link_ext">mythology , as well as personal <span class="wiki_link_ext">faith and <span class="wiki_link_ext">religious experience " (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion ).

This link shows regions of the world broken down by religion. http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/02016/images/map_of_religions.png

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/

Can religion be blamed for war...?http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/wtwtgod/3513709.stm**

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
Origin of Religion - Ancient Foundations The origin of religion can generally be traced to the ancient Near East and classified in three basic categories: polytheistic, pantheistic and monotheistic. Atheism is really a modern belief that resulted from the "Enlightenment" period of the 18th century.

Origin of Religion - Polytheism The origin of religion and polytheistic systems: Polytheism (a belief in many gods) is thought to have originated with Hinduism in about 2500 BC. Hindu beliefs were recorded in the Bhagavad Gita, which revealed that many gods were subject to a supreme Brahman god. Polytheism was also the religion of many other ancient cultures, including Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. The ancient polytheistic belief systems viewed gods as being in control of all natural events such as rainfall, harvests and fertility. Generally, polytheistic cultures believed in sacrifices to appease their gods. For instance, the Canaanites sacrificed to the male god, Baal, and his female counterpart, Ashteroth. Baal controlled the rain and the harvest, while Ashteroth controlled fertility and reproduction. The Greeks and Romans developed polytheism to a highly structured pantheon of gods and goddesses.

Origin of Religion - Pantheism The origin of religions and pantheistic systems: Pantheism (a belief that all is God) prevailed in numerous ancient cultures. The belief that the universe itself was divine was typified in the Animism beliefs of the African and American Indian cultures, the later Egyptian religion under the Pharoahs, and Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism in the cultures of the Far East. Pantheistic beliefs are also finding resurgence among various New Age movements. Generally, pantheism is the principle that god is everything, and everything is god. Therefore, nature is also part of god. We must be in harmony with nature. We must nurture it and be nurtured by it. Mankind is no different than any other animal. We must live in harmony with them, understand them, and learn from them, focusing on the relationship between mankind and the elements of nature.

Origin of Religion - Monotheism The origin of religion and monotheistic systems: Monotheism (a belief in one God) is the foundation of the Judeo-christian-muslim line of religions, which began with a man named Abraham in about 2000 BC. From this point in history, God began revealing Himself to the world through the nation of Israel. The Jewish Scriptures record the journey of the Israelites from slaves in Egypt to the "promised land" in Canaan under the leadership of Moses. During a period of about 1500 years, God revealed what became the Old Testament of the Bible, relating the history of Israel with the character and laws of God. During the period of the Roman Empire, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem as the long-awaited Messiah. The ministry of Jesus ended in about 32 AD with His crucifixion and resurrection. After Christ's ascension into heaven, the Christian church grew in His name and the New Testament was written. About 600 years later, Muhammad began preaching in Mecca. Muhammad believed he was the ultimate prophet of God, and his teachings became the precepts of Islam as recorded in the Qur'an. http://www.allaboutreligion.org/origin-of-religion.htm