“Language as a human principle for constructing a reality” by Samantha Campos Villarreal

“The way you see color depends on what language you speak”

a01022767 — 2018-04-19 03:47:28 UTC

The human eye can physically perceive millions of colors. But we don’t all recognise these colors in the same way. For example there exist people who are color blind because of a defect or absence of certain cells in the retina which are sensitive to high levels of light. But the distribution and density of these cells also varies across people with “normal vision” causing us all to experience the same color in different ways.  The actual perception of colour it happens inside our heads which makes it extremely subjective because it is affected by personal experience.

“Where communication breaks down for people with Autism”

a01022767 — 2018-04-19 03:48:09 UTC

Autism is a developmental disorder marked by difficulties with social interaction and communication and with restricted and repetitive behavior, these difficulties can present long-term challenges to the individuals that have it. Autism was first identified by Hans Asperger and Leo Kanner and ever since then language problems have always been part of the diagnosis. The definition of prosody contains elements of both. As defined by Helen Tager director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence in Boston University “Prosody is part of the way we perform of language”, this is so important because it was gives emphasis to our message, what expresses doubt and emotions, without the Prosody part of the meaning of our message gets lost, this is why people with Autism struggle because they aren't capable to use Prosody.

“Racism and communication major challenges, migrants say”

a01022767 — 2018-04-19 03:48:18 UTC

Language barriers have been identified as one of the major problems that migrants have to face. A workshop hold in New Zealand to learn the struggles of the migrants show that the face difficulties when it comes to trying to get a job and in order to access health and government service which are key within society this creates in them a sense of isolation. The barriers in language are one of the main reasons for discrimination towards migrants and the consequences they suffer are against their human rights and the fear of losing their culture instead of being able to learn from each other, which could enhance our society greatly, instead of isolating the different groups because at the end we are all just one race, the human.

“Ghost in the machine: the robot that can understand emotion”

a01022767 — 2018-04-19 03:48:33 UTC

Samer Al Moubayed and his colleagues at Furhat Robotics are trying to create a robot that looks and talks like a human being, one that you can chat with and understands what you are feeling. They have developed Furhat OS this software allows people in some ways to interact with machines the way we do with each other. This is put inside a 3D-printed mask that resembles whoever you want it to resemble. The creators of this software claim that it is so sophisticated that it does not only allow you to talk with the machine but it can read social signals and understand your emotions this is why it is so relevant. In order to be able to create this kind of software research in understanding human emotions and the way we interact with each other was key. “We’re trying to understand what’s unique about humans and to replicate it. Psychologically it’s very close to us, which causes us to panic, that’s a very natural reaction – it questions our purpose in life”, Al Moubayed answer when asked about the fear that commons do to science fiction of robots taking over the world, an on a smaller scale the impacts on the economic, social and ethical area, which is one of the main challenges.

”Millennials destroyed the rules of written English”

a01022767 — 2018-04-19 03:48:46 UTC

Millennials have created a form of written English that's as expressive as spoken English. Spelling and grammar rules no longer apply on the Millennial internet, that's because millennials have created a new rulebook for a variant of written English unique to social media. A rulebook which states misspelled words and misused grammar that express tone, nuance, humour, and even annoyance. Dr. Lauren Fonteyn an English Linguistics lecturer at University of Manchester says that on a superficial level, we can see millennials stripping anything unnecessary from their writing, like the removal of abbreviation markers and in acronyms. In a world where most of our conversations take place online, millennials are using a number of written devices to convey things that could only be communicated face to face, by tone and body language. Dr. Fonteyn says millennials are "breaking the constraints" of written English to "be as expressive as you can be in spoken language." This new variant of written English is trying to convey what body language, and tone and volume of voice can achieve in spoken English, something that has never been achieve before and will take spoken language much further.

“Language important in Sino-China relation: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Beijing”

a01022767 — 2018-04-19 12:36:18 UTC

Minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj said that it is important for both nations on the Sino-India relationship to learn each other language. Regarding the students of each nation it has been said that do to the way the relations of this two nations have been strengthen now a days is very important for Chinese students to learn Hindi and Indian students to learn Mandarin, so that they do not face language barriers. India and China are two very powerful countries with global influence and good communication among them is key, in order to maintain peace in the border areas and face global challenges like climate change and terrorism. The reason why is so relevant for the citizens of both nations to learn each other languages is because this is key to improve communication among them mainly between the citizens , especially students, who according to Minister Sushma have the power to make the friendship of this two countries stronger than the ministers could.

“Chinese greeting customs: shake hands, please, but no kissing.”

2018-04-23 20:33:26 UTC

The way Hongkongers behave in public is no doubt influenced by centuries of traditional Confucian culture, but 156 years of British colonial rule have had an undeniable effect on local customs, sometimes leading to stark behavioural differences with mainland Chinese.  Manners have helped people to communicate in a more proper way because it makes them feel comfortable by knowing that person has no intentions on being aggressive. The way of saluting changes depending on each culture, and it is impressive how even in the same continent. Here we can see how there are many disagreements related to the differences with mainland Chinese. Culture is constantly changing because it adopts other behaviours, in this case, the british ones. People who are extremely attached to their traditional costumes do not accept this “new” behaviours, which is why there is a division between several Chinese areas.

"Pecking order”

2018-04-23 20:36:22 UTC

It's the unspoken dilemma dividing Britain - one kiss, or two. Once the preserve of family and close friends, the peck on the cheek is creeping into all walks of life. But no one is sure when it's suitable, and how many are appropriate.
Greetings are considered as a matter of education that is taught to us since we are little.  To say hello and goodbye is to be polite, but of course the way of saying it changes according to each person’s culture. Each country has its own greetings, which is not bad, but it can create an uncomfortable moment when meeting someone who salutes in a different way. In Latin America, people are used to be warm and kiss each other, they involve touching. This can cause a disturbance because for others it can be considered as an invasion of their personal space, specially when kissing. This can create misunderstandings, since people who are just being polite when greeting can be considered as rude or invasive.

“Paterson weighing students’ language barriers in special ed evaluations”

2018-04-23 23:22:04 UTC

Educators in Patterson have been specially trained to be able to distinguish language barriers and people who have problems learning. Over 3000 children in Patterson have been transferred to Special Ed because of this confusion. This has happened many times before, so they’ve done this so this doesn’t happen again.

One of the barriers may have been caused because these students thought english-speakers spoke too fast and were hard to understand because of that. Many people have a hard time understanding what someone says if they seem to speak quickly, even if they understand perfectly the language spoken.

“Workforce Power: From Skills To Language Barriers”

2018-04-23 23:23:00 UTC

Although skills in the workplace are indispensable, complete domination of languages is just as important . In the workplace language barriers can affect employees performance.

If an employee can’t understand because, to them, their coworkers speak to quickly to them. This can cause that these people may think that while speaking to their coworkers, time is passing much more quickly or slowly.

“'Link It' project to boost integration of Syrian refugees in Europe”

2018-04-23 23:23:40 UTC

There’s a project to help the integration of Syrian refugees in Europe. One of its objectives is to break language barriers between Syrians and Europeans.

To refugees, time may pass significantly slower or faster when talking to europeans. One example of this is when they talk to germans in german, they may perceive time as if it were passing slowly and it may gravely affect how well they may integrate into European societies and communities. It can also affect how these communities think of the refugees, they may think that they aren’t trying to adapt. Language barriers can deeply affect how refugees can integrate into the societies they go to.

“Language barriers can create legal problems for expats, says expert”

2018-04-23 23:24:27 UTC

Language barriers may be an important reason why expats may have problems with legal cases because of their lack of understanding of the local language. Language barriers may cause an unfair disadvantage to these expats, especially considering that, because of this, they can’t even explain their legal cases.

Expats may perceive that time is flowing differently because they don’t understand properly the language and this very thing may be another obstacle that these people may suffer through just to get representation and a fair case. Language barriers and the distortion in the perception of time caused by the same may be leading causes as to why expats may suffer through legal representation.

“‘Babble’ explores language barriers through art”

2018-04-23 23:25:38 UTC

An artist on the MICA has created an exhibit in which he demonstrates the language barrier not only people who speak different languages face, but that people who speak the same language face. Accent, slang, the generation gap affect how someone understands another person.

Even if people speak the same language, because of accent, slang and many other factors people may perceive the flow of time differently. An example of this is when a mexican who speaks spanish from Mexico City meets a person from Chihuahua, not only do they speak a very different spanish, but they also talk at different speeds. They may think when talking to each other that time is going faster or slower.

“How Cultural, Language Barriers Impact Positive Patient Experience”

2018-04-23 23:26:27 UTC

Scientists and doctors have identified that cultural language barriers are a major cause of problems for healthcare. People may have trouble explaining what they are feeling and what is their problem.

One of the problems these patients may face is that they will have a different perception of time. This will cause problems in how easily and effectively they can identify and communicate their problems.

“How This Brand is Fighting Language Barriers in Asia”

2018-04-23 23:28:10 UTC

A company is expanding its language learning program in India with a special project to be able to break language barriers. They are utilizing a blended learning method in order to teach Indians in an easier way.

Interacting with people who speak different languages can be very difficult and the distortion of the perception of time is one of its biggest problems. By helping Indians learn english well, english speakers will be in the same wavelength. In other words, the language barrier will be broken and they will perceive that time is flowing just the same as an english person.

"Europe divided by the ban on Muslim dress”

2018-04-24 01:43:28 UTC

The prohibition of burkini on some French beaches has unleashed a wave of criticism in the Anglo-Saxon countries, convinced that the exclusion of garments of religious connotations is a brake on integration.
Through the years, the people have adopted an open-minded way of thinking, since now we accept several ideas, languages and costumes that come from other cultures. This has helped us become a better population because now we have less conflicts than the ones we had decades ago. But, how can we say we accept others if there are countries that prohibit Muslim dressing. People believe Muslim women use that dressing because men force them too, but actually they feel more comfortable wearing them. It is part of who they are, of their essence and culture. By forbidding their way of dressing is like forbidding them to be themselves and feel integrated with their surroundings. If we are going to accept other cultures, then we better accept all of them and completely. This new help us see how there are countries that don’t accept other cultures, and sometimes they even make some of their citizens feel uncomfortable, like they don’t belong there.  We need to understand that not because something is unusual to you, it means it is wrong and must be banned. We are all the same, we should wear whatever we want if that makes us feel safe.

2018-04-24 01:49:19 UTC

CULTURE

“Cultural differences affect end of life decisions”

2018-04-24 01:54:42 UTC

Almost two thirds of deaths in Switzerland are not unexpected, through illness or failing health, a statement released on Friday by the universitiesexternal link of Geneva and Zurich said. The study looked at how cultural backgrounds in a multilingual country like Switzerland - which nevertheless has a common legislative framework – affects difficult end of life decisions.

Science has changed with the years, and with it medicine. We have discovered many new things that are sometimes considered as inhuman, but at the same time, they help society. Today, we have the chance of making end of life decisions. There are patients who depend on a treatment to be alive, since their status is so unstable that sometimes they cannot even breathe, eat or move on their own. Some people do not consider this as living, some rather be dead than living on a hospital attached to a treatment their entire life. Nowadays, these people have the change of choosing between having that life style or dying. This has created a debate because some people consider this as murder and a sin because supposedly only God can make that decision for you even if it is your right to do whatever you want with your life. It has to do with each one’s culture. It doesn’t mean that the ones who choose to end their lives are murderers, but it is a complex topic since we are talking about life. This has created an international debate between many countries who think in a different way, creating a conflict and many strikes in favor and against.

“Feminism, fashion and religion: Why Muslim women choose to wear the veil”

2018-04-24 01:58:40 UTC

As a 16-year-old girl is told she cannot wear a niqab to a British school, Reddit users, who say they are Muslim women, candidly explain why they wear the veil. The pupil, who has not yet been identified, attends Camden School for Girls in north London – a school typically known for its liberal attitude. But headteacher Elizabeth Kitcatt has said that the pupil wearing the niqab goes against the school rules. A statement from the school reads: “We have an appearance policy and students at the school may wear what they wish subject to any requirement in the interests of teaching and learning, health and safety. Inappropriate dress which offends public decency or which does not allow teacher-student interactions will be challenged.

It is said that the next generations are the ones who are going to make the world a better place, but how can we expect that if their own school (the place where they learn most of the things they’ll use in the future) teach them that the dress code from other cultures are ”inappropriate.” Children learn from their superiors, in this case it is Camden School, an institution that does not accept other cultures’ dressing (it breaks the school’s appearance policy). This attitude is extremely dangerous because it can create a wrong stereotype of the Muslim dress, creating conflicts related to discrimination, a topic that has divided the population many times. Are we going to let the next generations have this kind of mentality?

Are we guiding them to marginalize part of the population or to accept everyone?

“Discrimination against Latinos in United States has risen, study says”

2018-04-24 02:01:47 UTC

Most Latinos in the United States say they have suffered discrimination, more than twice as many who said so a decade earlier, according to research released on Tuesday. A study published in online journal Social Science & Medicine - Population Health found 68 percent of Latino men and women in the United States reported discrimination, a rate comparable to that reported by blacks, which was more than twice the 30 percent rate of findings from 2003. The study found that those living in U.S. states with tougher anti-immigrant policies such as Arizona were more likely to report discrimination.

The discrimination against Latinos has been present since many years ago, but in the past few years it has risen. Many of the US citizens see Latinos as invasors who steal and have no education at all. This idea has created a huge division between Latin America and the US, a perfect example is Mexico and the US. This is a terrible attitude because it has destroyed many families, and has created many obstacles in several lives since the population closes opportunities to Latinos. Unfortunately, many people from Latin America have suffered a lot of discrimination through the year, making their lives much more difficult and have limited them to have the lifestyle they wish and could have. Also, there have been many people arrested and killed because of this xenofobia, and even the children have learned this attitudes. According to several studies, the cases of bullying have risen notoriously. We should be aware of this and make an effort to stop it before it causes a bigger conflict that could affect many more people around the world.

“The Problem with Abortion Prohibition”

2018-04-24 02:03:40 UTC

If you believe life begins at conception and every abortion is murder, this post is for you. Here is the harsh truth: even with a Constitutional Amendment to declare human life begins at conception, and laws making abortion illegal, millions of (illegal) abortions will continue to be done in America. Abortion prohibition laws will be less effective than alcohol prohibition was in the 1920s, the war on drugs has been over the last 45 years, or attempts to stop prostitution have been for centuries, in preventing the prohibited act from taking place.

Abortion… a subject that has created many debates around the world. Some consider this as an alternative, since there are many women who end up pregnant after being raped, it is not their decision, their life changes completely because some of them maybe don’t want kids, and also there are women who can’t afford everything needed to raise a child. Also, there are some cases where the parents know their kid is going to born with a disease that will make him suffer and won’t let him have a normal life, which is why they prefer the baby is not born. On the other hand, an abortion can be considered as an inhuman action, since by deciding having an abortion, you’re ending a baby’s life, you’re not letting him have a life. It is a extremely complicated subject that has many arguments in favor and against. It has caused many debates and conflicts around the world because it also involves legal issues. It is very important to study this topic, since it is something very common nowadays, and it should be taken seriously because at the end of the day, there are many lives involved.

2018-04-24 02:08:02 UTC

DOES LANGUAGE AFFECT THE PERCEPTION OF TIME?

UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEINGS

a01022767 — 2018-04-24 02:47:42 UTC