What if everyone in Chicago called "pop" soda?

Languages are the most important aspects of cultures. Language is what sets each culture apart from one another and gives each culture it's individual identity. Many cultures may share the same language, but there are different dialects, accents, and diction among each subculture. For example, in America there is a difference of how people living in say Memphis, Tennesse speak from how people living in Chicago, Illinos speak. They both speak English but our accents are very different (southern accent vs. midwestern or the stereotypical "Ditka!, Sausage!, Bears!" accent) and some of the words or phrases we use (soda-Memphis vs. pop-Chicago). If everyone in American spoke the same, there would be nothing that sests us apart from one another in each of the different regions. There would be no cultural difference as far as language.

If languages eventually start to disappear, then the cultures will eventually disappear. Cultures may still have their different rituals, beliefs, artifacts, etc., but the cultures would just kind of mesh together without having a specific language thats makes them special.

Blog Assignment #2: Following the Fate of the Dinosaur

and the dodo......

According to the NY Times article “Languages Die, But Not Their Last Words”, there are about 7,000 languages spoken in the world today. Of these languages, nearly half will likely be extinct in the next 100 years. [Read this article before your answer these questions.]

In your blog response, I want you discuss one or more of the following questions:

Should we care about languages dying out? Why? Is language important to cultural identity? What is lost when we lose a language?

Please think of an original title for each of your posts. I will count comments on other people’s posts as your post for the week when your posts respond to something that the original poster stated in her/his blog response.

I’d really like this blog to help us to create a class discourse. Any extra activity on the blog can help to supplement your overall course participation grade. I encourage you to read other people's posts.

Also, I’ve started adding labels to people’s posts. I'll probably hand that duty over to you soon. Feel free to change labels if you don't like them. Some people have already added labels to their posts. I encourage you to do so since, I think, the labels will help to create ties between blogs.

Also, I’m not really an expert in adding multimedia to blogs, but if you’d like to add a video, song, story, a relevant story from the NY Times (for example), or something else that you think is relevant to the material that we’re covering in class and you know how to do so, then feel free to post it on the blog.

I repeat: any extra activity on the blog that shows that you are engaging with the course materials can supplement your course participation grade.

Also, remember that there’s going to be a quiz next week, so don’t be surprised.