No Right to Culture: Toward mono-culturalism and more peace

[TheNoNamedOne]

As the world economy has come to spread and connect all corners of commerce, dedifferentiation of culture is increasing. Capitalism is fueling that hand in hand with rampant consumerism and global communication when those means and infrastructure are in place.

Look at architecture (structures conforming in appearance across borders). Look at language (English, Chinese, and Spanish devouring other languages). Look at celebratory festivals (the spread of Western practices such as Halloween and Christmas etc...). Look at the lifting of taboo on intermarriage. Look at travel that allows for modern devices to reach even the most remote places and accepted for use by those people. Look at clothing and fashion (Even Amazonian tribesmen can be found to be wearing Nike shirts with that capitalistic International Corp swoosh logo on it).

Perhaps this is a good thing for an overcrowding Earth where weapons of mass destruction exist and recources are dwindling. Communication is one of the best things towards preventing war, as well is trusting those we seem to be familiar with. Cultural diversity vanishing may be a good price to pay for a more stable world if that lessens conflict and aids peace and understanding.

Would you or future generations really be so bothered by no more Okinawan traditional tiled rooftops? Looking out my window I see none, but yet I do not feel my life is any emptier or poorer by not gazing upon them.

[Isaak Brodsky]

Great post!

I see your points too. Globalization, mass consumption and mass communication appears to be homogenizing cultures throughout the globe.

Recent efforts in resurrecting Uchinanchu in Okinawa or Gaelic in Ireland or any other indigenous languages appear to be working. Along with the disappearance of a language and its culture goes certain forms of valuable knowledge too.

I just wanted to weigh in briefly here. What do you think about it all?

[TheNoNamedOne]

I think monoculturalism will be beneficial to humans. I think it will aid peace through familiarity and communication via a common language. It is true that some knowledge will be lost if certain cultures do not work to preserve that by getting that information translated into the lingua franca of the time.

[Isaak Brodsky]

I thought that the 19th Century saw the development of Esperanto as an effort to promote international peace and understanding.

They were noble efforts, I think, but they haven't really produced much global peace.

[OCanadaOurHomeAndNativeLand]

Recent efforts in resurrecting Uchinanchu in Okinawa or Gaelic in Ireland or any other indigenous languages appear to be working. Along with the disappearance of a language and its culture goes certain forms of valuable knowledge too.

I just wanted to weigh in briefly here. What do you think about it all?
I'm curious how the ressurction of Uchinaguchi and Irish Gaelic are similar. Most of the young (40 and under) Irishmen I know speak and write Gaelic reasonably well, and take pride in using it as often as possible. Few of the Okinawans in the same age bracket I know can say the same about their own local language.

[Isaak Brodsky]

I'm not comparing which culture widely embraces or rejects their native language - only that efforts like these to re-establish connections to past traditions and values appear to be rather similar.

Many campaigns throughout the globe are underway to reclaim dying languages - which invariably means the passing away of a culture.

It's a shame that Uchinaguchi isn't more widely embraced here like, say, traditional dance.

[OCanadaOurHomeAndNativeLand]

I'm not comparing which culture widely embraces or rejects their native language - only that efforts like these to re-establish connections to past traditions and values appear to be rather similar.

Many campaigns throughout the globe are underway to reclaim dying languages - which invariably means the passing away of a culture.

It's a shame that Uchinaguchi isn't more widely embraced here like, say, traditional dance.
I see. Could you direct me to any info on what's being done on Okinawa these days to reclaim Uchinaguchi? I'm interested in what's going on.

[TheNoNamedOne]

It's a shame that Uchinaguchi isn't more widely embraced here like, say, traditional dance.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Why? Uchinaguchi is not needed?

The more languages there are in a country the more chance there is for it to fracture and have inner turmoil.

[TheNoNamedOne]

I thought that the 19th Century saw the development of Esperanto as an effort to promote international peace and understanding.

They were noble efforts, I think, but they haven't really produced much global peace.

Whether Esperatno failed or succeeded (or will do so in the future) is irrelevant -- mostly because it will be whichever language is driven by commerce that will succeed. Commerce is the evolutionary field for language -- not the classroom or lab where one creates a language.

[Isaak Brodsky]

I see. Could you direct me to any info on what's being done on Okinawa these days to reclaim Uchinaguchi? I'm interested in what's going on.

Sure, I can dig up some stuff. One of my colleagues is finishing her doctoral dissertation on Uchinaguchi and pragmatics at Edinboro University in Scotland. She's a deep dark mine of material on the subject.

[Isaak Brodsky]

Why? Uchinaguchi is not needed?

Kinda presumptuous. No?

Tell it to local scholars/historians trying to preserve the truths about atrocities commited during the past war.

[TheNoNamedOne]

Why is Uchinaguchi needed to preserve those truths? Can't those truths be related in Japanese?

[Isaak Brodsky]

-- mostly because it will be whichever language is driven by commerce that will succeed. Commerce is the evolutionary field for language -- not the classroom or lab where one creates a language.

Right! But these are self-evident truths. As a linguist, I only use the classroom to discuss how languages are used to negotiate truths in a culture or across cultures. Yeah, commerce does often provide the impetus for language change. We don't create language in lab or classroom, only examine it closely to uncover truths/generalities about certain social or cognitive phenomena.

[Isaak Brodsky]

Why is Uchinaguchi needed to preserve those truths? Can't those truths be related in Japanese?

As a bi-lingual, you must know better than most folks on this forum that certain realities cannot directly preserved. Sure translation has its ...

I gotta run to class. Will finish up in a bit. Sorry.

[TheNoNamedOne]

Right! But these are self-evident truths. As a linguist, I only use the classroom to discuss how languages are used to negotiate truths in a culture or across cultures. Yeah, commerce does often provide the impetus for language change. We don't create language in lab or classroom, only examine it closely to uncover truths/generalities about certain social or cognitive phenomena.

Then I am not sure why you brought up Esperanto. My post was addressed to that and here you are saying "Exactly" to it.

[Isaak Brodsky]

Well, I brought up Esperanto because I thought that it was originally one effort to stamp out geo-political strife, mistrust, misundertanding and whatever else sets one nation against another.

That's all.

I think it was a great idea. It's been around for a long time, but it doesn't seem to have lived up to its creator's expectations.

I think that the OP is fantastic. It brings all sorts of questions about the value of culture and of language and misunderstanding.

I still think Esperanto is a good example of a noble effort towards peace that hasn't really produced results. Inertia may also be part of the problem of peoples who desire to maintain their culture. Don't know really.

What do you think it??

[TheNoNamedOne]

I agree with you for the most part, Ian. We also agree from a few posts back that commerce in English is why Esperanto has not, and probably will not ever exert any force towards monoculturalism.

Indeed, noble effort, but a failure for not being infused into business.

As for desire, look at people and how they vote with their wallets -- well... inertia is left behind. The voting wallet has been spreading uniformity across the globe bit by bit to a rather steady tune of Western culture.

[Isaak Brodsky]

So true about our wallets!

Lots of research done already on the disappearance of culture in the wake of globalization. It'll be really interesting to see what happens to, say, nationalists or nationalism fifty years hence. Ya know, like Pat Buchanon, Lou Dobbs, et al.

Have you ever seen a documentary titled "The Corporation" ???

[OCanadaOurHomeAndNativeLand]

The first bit of this link, Ambivalence and Identity in Okinawan Literature, seems to have some relevance to the discussion at hand.

http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/publish/jbn/pdf/jbn26.pdf

[Isaak Brodsky]

nice find.

what a gem.

i'll try to pull out some discussion fodder.

[OCanadaOurHomeAndNativeLand]

Have you ever seen a documentary titled "The Corporation" ???
I have. Well worth the time spent watching it. A must for those with a social conscience.

[Asshat]

nice find. what a gem. i'll try to pull out some discussion fodder.

Good luck! The piece makes reference to US Military control and seems to try and draw a parallel for a loss of identity attributed to that. That is simply false. No where in the piece is the dramatic effect of pre and post reversion deletion of the Okinawan language by the GOJ.

Indeed new words were introduced during the occupation like "baru" (ball) to name the quantity of booze or cigarrettes a GI would exchange for sex. But nowhere in the piece is their discussion of students who were hit for speaking the Okinawan language, and the systematic erasure of the Okinawan culture through the schools by the GOJ.

[okisteve]

It looks to me that there are large pockets where uchinaguchi is still spoken, mostly among the older generations to be sure, but maybe it's demise should not be announced quite yet. I spent 10 days in Chubu hospital in a shared ward and mostly heard uchinaguchi spoken among the families of the other (mostly older) patients. A little is being taught in the preschools and kindergardens too. On the other hand I've noticed many older folks speaking nothing but nihongo to each other, so maybe it is a class or educational thing.

I don't know anything about the revival of Irish Gaelic, but the situation with the Yiddish language in the diaspora seems similar to other languages in danger of extinction. When I was a kid only my grandparents' generation spoke it as a primary language but my parents' generation spoke it also when they needed to communicate with their parents. When the grandparents died off the language fell into disuse and is now maintained only by cultural interest groups in the US, Canada, and Europe, but also by some ultra-Orthodox communities in the US and Israel where they won't speak Hebrew because they believe it should not be used for profane purposes.

Probably uchinaguchi is not beyond saving now, although the near-lack of a body of written literature works against it. A concerted effort by the prefecture's education and cultutal honchos might be most important.