Japanese Culture example essay topic

Paragraphs Language is arbitrary- to obtain a proper definition of this statement I have broken it down into 2 parts, language and arbitrary. The heinemann dictionary has stated that "language is The words we speak or write, the sounds or words used by a particular country or group, a system of sign and symbols used to communicate. And that arbitrary is " based on your opinion or whim rather than a reason" So to place these to definitions into one would arrive at 'based on they way peoples opinions are formed will influence the way they speak or write". To look at the following quote in the textbook 'Language and Literacies" that " Language is arbitrary - there is no inherent reason that the word 'cat' refers to a small furry animal; it has been agreed to by a group of language users... it's the kind of agreement that occurs when groups of people come to share values, beliefs and ways of doing things over time". (Emmitt, 2003. p 12.) Examples of language being arbitrary are all around us in everyday life, things such as traffic lights and the correlation between red -stop and green-go, the famous Golden Arches, with out even seeing the name of the restaurant everyone knows what they represent-McDonalds. Symbols of a figure in a skirt or a figure on a door will always represent male or female toilets.

These are all meanings or signs that have been established and accepted by a common community. My understanding of Language is Arbitrary is the fact that language is not absolute, what is meant by this is that just because we as Australians refer to a particular item by a certain name or symbol does not mean that this is accepted on a worldwide basis. Signs: The definition found in the Collins dictionary, was that "Signs are an act or gesture to convey and idea, a desire, information or a command to others". A quote taken from the textbook 'Language and Literacies' was that "Signs are defined as 'artefacts' or acts which refer to something other than themselves... ".

(Emmitt, 2003. p. 39) Examples of signs are split into different categories there are systematic, symbolic, pictorial, culturally relevant, iconic and both verbal and non-verbal. An iconic sign are close to being an exact picture of what they refer to - such as a sign with kangaroos is referring to kangaroos on the road. A symbolic sign is not a direct picture but something we associate with. Culturally relevant signs are only appropriate for a specific group such as our wombat crossing signs would be irrelevant in Russia. How I understand signs is that it is the extra information given or the only information given to the community of users that is accepted and understood by all who use it. Discourses: I took a meaning printed in the book of readings as I was unable to find a dictionary meaning that was relevant to this Discourses.

"Discourses are ways of behaving, interacting, valuing, thinking, believing, speaking and often reading and writing that are accepted as instantiations of particular roles by specific groups of people". (Gee, 1990.) The following quote summed up the meaning quite well, "Language as well as literacy is always and everywhere integrated with and relative to social practices, particularly Discourses. (Gee, 1990.) Some good examples of Discourses are instances such as image, culture, behaviors, body language, the way people speak read or write. Such as the Japanese culture is very different to the Australian culture by ways of the Japanese being very formal and quiet while Australians are loud and relaxed, the Japanese are well renowned for being workaholics and Australians are perceived as laid back and easy going. The way that is easy to interpret Discourses is to think of it as simply being the overall ways that people of specific groups interact verbally and socially with others. Non-Verbal Communication: is defined as being gestures, facial expressions, body language that is being used to help convey a particular message by an individual; from the website dictionary. com.

(2002) (2003). The quote from the web helps to clarify the definition further by stating that it includes. ".. facial expressions, tones of voices, hand gestures, eye contact, spatial arrangements, patterns of touch, expressive movement, cultural differences and other non-verbal acts". (Non-verbal communication. 2003) (2003). In the world that surrounds us we get many non-verbal cues from every direction. Mothers get these clues from their babies cries and soon learn to interpret them - either hunger, nappy change or loneliness.

There are also clues given by the animal kingdom - such as the way dogs and horses get agitated before an earthquake; they sense the danger. To look back at this in l amens terms it is apparent that non-verbal communication is all the other information whether purposeful or not given by another, it is not only culturally relevant but can be universal depending on the source. (ie. Animal or human). Culture: is according to the Macquarie dictionary (1995) relating to the language skills and customs of a group of people passed from one generation to another. To delve into this more a particular quote stood out that seemed to sum up culture quite well, "Culture is everything.

Culture is the way we carry our heads, the way we walk, the way we tie our ties-it is not only the fact of writing books or building houses". (Quotations, 2002.) (2003). So to look at different countries generally you can see each culture is quite unique and specific to that region, such as Africa, the bushman tribes will dance to music made by other tribe members, arrange marriages and mourn the dead for set periods. In Australia we marry who we choose, we travel where we want, we have a freedom of speech and a democratic society with laws and liberties. Russians are communists and they live in a cold climate, are very patriotic, and some would say vodka is culturally relevant to Russia. As it is explained culture is the way we are as a nation and as individuals, a persons culture shapes how they interact and socialize with others, Australia is multi-cultural which means we have many cultures intermingled with our own which enriches our lives and helps us see and understand others.