Definition: Structured activity which is governed by rules for the use of speech.
I realised that speech events occur in almost every aspect of our lives and we do take it extremely for granted. We assume it's natural, simply because we've been socialized into such norms, values and beliefs. It has become part of our subconscious. Only when we analyze deeper into everyday use of language, do we realise the significance of certain utterances.
Perhaps, this is what truely sets us apart from being mere animals. Perhaps, this is what it is to be truely civilized.
One point raised was that China nationals often have a smaller personal area in public spaces, and that Singaporeans must understand that it is the norm in China. However, in Singapore, it is NOT the norm and the China nationals have to understand it and adhere to our norms here! When in Rome, do as Romans do! The point I raised this was that I was thinking - how can such cross cultural communication or culture studies be applied to the masses so that there can be greater understanding and minimal misunderstanding in a diverse country like Singapore, where 1 in 4 are not born here!
Another point is when the prof asked if a prospective mother-in-law were to invite the son-in-law, what kind of reaction would be given. There were a great varying type of answers generated in the class, and within myself, I couldn't place my finger on my answer too - The "traditional chinese" values of modesty, unconditional respect for elders and consideration, yet being irritated or unhappy at being asked thrice reflected the democratic and respect ideology. My mind immediately thought of the sociologist Durkheim's anomie theory, where old values were becoming irrelevant in the increasingly fast-changing world and there was an absence of new values to govern social behaviour and norms, leading to absence or diminution of standards or values (normlessness). This was a classic example of how globalisation has affected traditional chinese values in a modern society like Singapore.
to end off, above is a video of a GREAT GREAT GREAT band from Scotland, FRANZ FERDINAND. Rock concerts do have a set of implicit rules as well! There is often turn-taking when the singer asks or says something and the crowd screams in response. Many concerts also have long sing-alongs nearer the end of the concert, usually the last song (before the encore). Sing-alongs also usually occur with the singer taking a line and the audience copying him in the next beat. And lastly, of course, when the crowd screams for encore, it is impolite of the band to refuse.
-5/2/10
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Dude franz ferdinand is awesome, its one of my top 5 bands... Also its true that some of the old values lose their meaning and effect in the changing environments of the present, thats why i think there's such a clash of cultures in the world today; change is not the same everywhere, some places have changed much more drastically then others and the people from different places see things differently.
ReplyDeleteAwesome song.
ReplyDeleteIts true globalization has worked its magic. The question is has it made us all the SAME SAME kind of people? I don't think so.
People still have moral values, maxims of discourse unique to their culture, even in Singapore. Chinese culture + Indian culture + Malay culture + "others" culture= Singaporean culture? Nah, I think it all results in ONE BIG PLATE OF ROJAK.
And with more races/nationalities added in, it only gets more chaotic. It'll be sometime before we stop stereotyping people- be it positively or negatively. Till then, it ll be exciting to track these trends by analysing how different races/nationalities interact.
Yes, globalization does have its effects on our use of language, but then again does it mean that culture-specific practices have vanished? Ditto to Ryna.
ReplyDeleteI think it's possible for an individual to have several identities, and therefore belong culture in this world. However, we ought to be careful about who we're defining in this. Not everyone in the world is as mobile or interconnected as Singapore. Even within some "1st world" nations, not everyone is "globalised".
ReplyDeleteBut taking Singapore for example, Malays, Indians, and Chinese do stick to their own cultures, values and beliefs, however, they also do share several common values (no thanks to PAP!) such as pragmatism, love of food, adherence to authority etc.
so perhaps people DO have several cultures. and the question is whether it is a natural occurance, or one made more widespread and more pronounced by the flows of globalisation =)