Language lost through technology.

I was reading the previous posts and noticed the topic of how our culture and language is influenced by the large increase of technology in our society. And I think we can all agree that technology is only at it's beginning.

I'm just concerned that technology is going to get a bad wrap because it promotes the use of text instead of voice, which isn't always the case.

I feel like currently or society uses video chatting minimally. I remember in the early 2000's that if anyone saw a web cam in your house you were automatically judged as being a "creeper"... unless of course you were a grandparent or your children were away at college. Technology, in the future, will in fact promote the use of human interaction by voice instead of our standards now of email, texting, blogs, forums etc. Now web cameras are standard in most Apple computers and Dell is catching on as well.

Overall, I believe it is important if language is lost or untraceable in the future, but I think technology is only going to enable us to preserve the existing cultures of the world. I'm not denying that it has promoted the deterioration of our current language "standards".

Do we have those? Americans? Standards?

Does any one care?

Not for sure...

Scatter-Brained[English Dialect]

Language. A noun. By definition; a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition. As I am a little late in the week for posting this entry, most of my thoughts on the subject of "losing language" have already been covered by others, and after reading their opinions on the matter, I have drawn a somewhat simple conclusion. Language plays a major role in every culture. That is a given. Dialect evolves like everything else..and I'm not sure if saving or preserving the "original" version of a language holds as much value as adapting to new forms does..I mean, I think it's a gift that we have Old English texts to study, and we can look deeper into the Latin language to better understand the history and basic beginnings of the words we use daily, but at the same time people will continue to communicate with other people no matter what the format. Just my take..and there's a high chance I could be totally off topic here. Caffiene makes me scatter-brained.

Jordan

I've been interested with cultures in the middle east and northern Africa, especially after I went to Morocco. Also, I'm a big fan of ancient history so to see the ruins of the ancient cities would make my day. I know a little bit of Arabic enough that can get me by, but I would brush up with a translation book.
I would pack summer clothes. It's going to be hot and I'll be expecting the heat, I believe the average temperature is in the 90s. I would bring some food like snacks or something to bounce back to in case the I don't adjust to the food out there. Other items I would bring along would be my camera, laptop to keep in touch with people in America using e-mail and instant messenger, a notebook to document my time out there if I take a tour to write down the information.
I would bring books and magazines and my drawing pad to help sustain me.
I'm sure that my hobbies and things that I'm into will be translatable. I enjoy soccer, find someone who would be into history, mention some of the music that they listen to, I would try to make myself one with their culture and fit in.

Thailand

Travel seems second nature to me. As important as the comforts of home are, there are certain elements of world travel that are bound to be discomforting, no matter what I bring to acclimate myself to new surroundings and cultures. I'm an "all or nothing" kind of girl.

My choice is Thailand.
Thailand has its own alphabet, so reading and translating written texts will be my first challenge. So I will be bringing my Thai/English dictionary with me, as well as hopefully preparing myself with some essential phrases to save myself in sticky situations.
A camera and sketchbook (and writing/drawing utensils) are my only other necessities in order to document my journeys.
Through photos, drawings and writings, I will be able to record and get the best out of my trip. Surely enough will come of my long stay there, that I will be full of inspiration and ideas upon my return.

I've found through domestic and international travel that sometimes its best to discover new products and items available in other countries. Falling in love with a different brand or method of using everyday items are often the most wonderful memories I am left with after I return home. Sometimes I miss the things I got used to enjoying while out of town more than the location itself.

Gifts. During some of my travels I've been relying on the help of others and it has been really invaluable to leave a gift behind to thank those who have led me in the right direction. Sometimes it is great to give a gift of something that is unique to the United States or to the Midwest, where I come from. Maple syrup is a product that is quite unique to the US, and goes over well as a small gift abroad. I'm not going to flash my huge American flag as a colonial "THANK YOU!", but sometimes its nice to leave something behind.

I picked Japan

When thinking about which different culture I'd visit for six months, the first one I thought of was Japan. I've been learning Japanese for a while and would like the opportunity to visit and experience the culture first hand. 

The language barrier- I'm still at the beginner's speaking level- as well as other cultural differences would make me want to bring lots of things that would remind me of home. I'd bring my computer full of my favorite movies and TV shows so that at the end of the day I could relax without having to translate anything. Obviously I would bring my Japanese/ English dictionary, and I would also get a phrase book to help acclimate me quicker. I would also be sure to have my Japanese teacher's e-mail address so I could ask her about cultural differences as I encountered them. 

I know that the food available in Japan is pretty different than in America, but there's no way to really guard against that. I'm not sure how much western food is available, but I do know that the Japanese diet has a lot more seafood than I'm used to. From what I've read, most of the American food they have their are different fast food branches and also American food tweaked to fit a Japanese palette. 

From what I have learned about Japanese culture already- such as the fact that people need to carry around their own toilet paper because public restrooms doesn't have any- I know there would still be plenty of differences that would catch me off guard and confuse me. One helpful aspect of Japanese culture though, is their general interest in American culture. Quite a few english words are even incorporated into the japanese language, and many Japanese know at least a little english.