The differences in the ways cultures use
language was what was discussed this week.
The Australian culture has a tendency to use
a lot of slang and colloquial metaphors within our language. We do not pick up
on this as it is the way we talk everyday but its not until we really look
closely that we realize how greatly affected our language is by our culture. As
a society we shorten our words constantly and say many metaphors in a way to
explain what we mean (EG- blind as a bat). In our context these metaphors/
phrases are easy to understand and we know that what is being said is not what
it literally means. For someone from another culture, however, this is not the
case.
I have had persona experience with this
confusion when my Aunty came over from Canada with her new husband. My
grandfather said “she stood out like a lily on a dirt tin” – we knew that that
statement meant simply that the women simply stood out in the crowd yet to my
Aunties new husband he had no idea what this women had to do with lilies being
on dirt tins. Once explained he understood but it is not until this explanation
is given that the cultural differences can be understood.
Semiotics is always going to be something
that separates cultures within language, as it is inevitable that each culture
takes different meanings on words within each context it is presented.
There is one language, however, that is
enabling people cross-cultures to understand regardless of the culture is
coming from- online. The use of terms (ROFL, LOL, LMFAO) are all, due to the internet
(and its ability to connect people from different parts of the word within a
few seconds) and as a result of this has formed a globally accepted language.
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