Endangered Language Podcast- Kallawaya

Attached is the podcast I made with Hala Ariqat, discussing the endangered language Kallawaya. 

Works Cited

         "Bolivia: Global Warming Endangers Kallawaya Healers." WilderUtopia.com. N.p., 06 Feb.   2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2017.

          "Kallawaya." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2017.

    "Kallawaya - Highland South America Language Hotspot - Living Tongues Institute For Endangered Languages." Kallawaya - Highland South America Language Hotspot - Living Tongues Institute For Endangered Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2017.

     Favorite, Crowd. "Languages Going Extinct Fastest in 5 Regions Around World: One Language Dies Every 14 Days." National Geographic Society Press Room. N.p., 05 July 2012. Web. 21 Jan. 2017.

    "Revitalization." Enduring Voices Project, Endangered Languages, Map, Facts, Photos, Videos -- National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2017.

"Screening of "The Linguists," featuring Professor David Harrison." The Daily Gazette. N.p., 27 Mar. 2008. Web. 21 Jan. 2017.

Speaking in Tongues | The Value of Indigenous Languages

What is the value of preserving indigenous languages?    

         In today’s society, approximately half of the world’s languages are coming face to face with ‘black hole of extinction.' Does it matter? Should we care? The report Back to Babel, published by Time magazine in 1997, examines this globalization concern in light of language extinction and its entanglement with one’s culture, power, and knowledge. Specifically, the article expresses its concerns regarding the critical value that is intertwined when preserving indigenous and aboriginal languages.

            Approximately half of the 6,500 languages that are spoken today are one the verge of extinction or have already reached their destination in the black hole of extinction. With languages dying roughly every two weeks, Stephen Wurm states that “More conflicts have been created between the world’s languages than ever before, causing languages to disappear at an increasing rate.” Furthermore, the uprising pressure that is pushing on the linguistic natural selection of languages is mainly caused by the “economic might, military muscle and cultural prestige of the country in which a language is spoken” (Times Magazine). This pressure is especially noticeable when analyzing the value of preserving indigenous languages from the Pacific basin, which claim over one-fifth of all existing languages. In this case, its pressure arose from European colonization, causing an unstable climate for native languages. For example, before white settlers claimed their first arrival in Australia in 1788, the area spoke approximately 250 tongues. After the settlement, however, indigenous languages decreased to only 20 tongues.

            According to Max Weinreich, “a language is a dialect with an army and a navy.” referring to its protectionism and suited harness that is required from linguistic extinction. Furthermore, languages paint our emotions, grasp our experiences and portray the observations of our surroundings. A language is essentially a crucial and central puzzle piece of a culture’s identity and the lens in which they digest and interpret their environment. Rhonda Inkamala, a language coordinator in Alice Springs, once stated “You feel lost without it, … You feel left out.”. This further illustrates the painful emotion many Aboriginal individuals experience, as the evanesce on their traditional language “leaves a painful gap in their sense of self” (Times Magazine).

            The true value that is gained from preserving these aboriginal languages primarily reliant on the absorbance and studies of their rich vocabularies and poetic beauty. Aboriginal languages are widely known for their rich vocabularies used to express the natural world. The use of evocative imagery further evokes how close Aboriginal clans are interconnected with mother nature. For example, the Ngiyampaa language describes “a bird whose tail twitches like a walu” (Times Magazine). Also, the Arrernte language describes “the smell of rain” with the word nyimpe. In both cases, English does not have a direct translation that can be made. This further settles the enormous gap that is existent between the languages’ poetic beauty in describing nature.

            Furthermore, aboriginal languages also convey significant scientific advances compared to other dominant languages. Due to their close relationship with the earth, Botanists now have the ability to discover new species using the Aboriginal words given to flora and fauna. Therefore, the further existence and preservation of indigenous languages contribute significantly to archeological facts and cultural expressions. As Evans once stated “We can infer a lot about Australia’s ancient past through looking at information furnished by languages. This is lost when the language goes.” (Times Magazine).

            Once an indigenous language goes extinct, much more is lost than simply its tool and service of communication; its cultural expression, vocabulary, poetic beauty, discoveries and scientific advances are also lost in the “black hole of extinction.” The value of aboriginal languages does not solely depend on protecting its existence. Preserving its existence has significant implications and values that are crucial to one’s identity and cultural interpretation, which are necessary for their present and future understanding of the world. While the influence of colonial languages such as English and Spanish hinder the revival of these languages, efforts should be integrated to fight against the tremendous forces of globalization and mass culture.

Generation Like | Youtube Stars

 In today’s society, social media is one of the most common online platforms for advertisers to reach out to their targeted audience in emerging markets. Gen Z’s social media ecosystem heavily relies on these platforms in a view to communicating with others. This extreme dependency was reinforced by a Pew survey (2014-2015), demonstrating that a staggering 94% of teens access their social media on a daily basis, of which 71% used more than one social media site. One of the most popular social media sites is YouTube, launched in 2005. YouTube not only allows teenagers to share their passion with the world but also allows teenagers to feels a sense of connection and value in their society. The world of technology has revolutionized to suit its customers best, however, what many teens may or may not notice is the complex implication and role that advertisers hold in this environment. This raises the questions whether YouTube stars are being exploited or empowered and the ripple effect it causes on its customers.

In the documentary ‘Generation Like’ (2014), Rushkoff observed several American teenagers in order to frame the intricate interrelationships between big-name brands and their young target audience. The film portrayed several normal teenagers stating that ‘social media makes them feel empowered.'

YouTube stars such as Tyler Oakley and Steven Fernandez, earn millions of likes for every video they publish on the YouTube platform. For many advertisers, this is a gold mine for views and viral popularity; giving advertising companies an opportunity that is exceptional to send out a message, and thus, encourage these stars to promote their products in return for their sponsorship. In this film, they have illuminated how they form partnerships with particular brands in order for companies to reach out to their customer. For example, in several videos, Oakley promotes and motivates the consumption of tacos from Taco Bell. Not only does this incite his viewers to purchase their own, but it also allows for a mass-media message to be sent out. Therefore, in many cases, advertisers take advantage of one’s popularity for their own benefit, which exploits their platform, and arguably empowers their consumers.

The personal connections that these YouTube stars make with their audience is what makes their business successful. Their subtle or non-subtle promotions and partnerships, allows companies to enlarge their audience, thus, their profits made.

Even though many YouTube stars may project themselves as being empowered by the opportunities they receive from sharing their passions with the world from the social media environment. However, big-name companies cause these stars to conform to an ideology or a non-existent interest of a certain product, causing our ‘synthetic’ generation to enlarge even more. While many believe, social media shows the reality and allows for a global connection, we must consider that the ‘behind the scenes’ of this massive industry is nothing more than exploitations stringed together with popularity in order to produce dollar bills.  

Stereotypes

In one way or another, most individuals interact with some medium of advert infotainment throughout their daily life. Specifically, advertisements are a form of mass media which plays a pivotal role in projecting certain aspects of humanity. The main purpose of an advertisement is to persuade the audience. However, some advert campaigns may drag along certain generalizations to certain communities to give meaning or be used as a means of persuasive technique or other humoristic effects. When an advertisement generalizes a particular group (gender, age, religion, ethnic group) to achieve this, certain people have been stereotyped. The extent to which stereotypical applies to different advertisement varies, and this raises the controversial question Do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotypic people?

            In my estimation, I believe that advertisers have some moral obligation to avoid stereotyping people. When an advertisement is sent out to the public, it automatically has a vast influence on their ‘reason’ as it may change their perspective on individuals and different subjects. As a result, some individuals and subjects may be viewed more negatively and stricter than before; setting a social ‘norm’ or ‘standard’ in one’s society. The aftermath that an advertisement generates is immense as it evolves a society’s ‘new’ way of thinking. Therefore, I believe that advertisements must be carefully reviewed to minimize major influences in one’s beliefs, values, and society. I am not stating, however, that all advertisements must avoid stereotyping. To my way of thinking, some advertisements will always have some stereotypical elements embroidered within their purpose, which is inevitable. However, I do believe that greater attention must be gathered when reflecting on the impact of an advertisement. Once an advertisement is considered more carefully from various perspectives, the implications on one’s society may be less threatening and concerning; creating an evolution in the way we perceive reality. 

Her Future Begins On Two Wheels

This print ad, published by Child Fund International, reveals several pivotal notions about the cultural, social and historical context of its production. The overarching value of the ad is to inform affluent individuals regarding the situation of impoverished children, and to persuade them to donate to charity. The ad promotes and persuades more economically developed countries and its individuals to donate and sponsor their Dream Bike Program. Some economists argue that the gap between the wealthy and poor be a myth, and over the years has become a closer reality. However, this ad claims that more economically developed countries (MEDC) such as the United States and the United Kingdom have the responsibility to ‘nurture’ and ‘guide’ these less economically developed countries (LEDC) such as India, presented in the ad. Not only does this reinforce the enormous pressure that it being weighted on MEDC countries, but it also depicts society’s expectations towards the western input on restoring goods in other nations.

            Furthermore, the advert is generalizing the population and the economic state of India, as it only sheds light on the lack of transport and need for education. In other words, the advert, published in the United States, concludes that every child in India is in ‘need’ of more necessities. Even though the ad is published with the intentions to raise money for the poor, by doing so it creates a stereotype regarding all LEDC countries recalling that without their help they do not have a ‘future.' While the ad is promoting a more caring and supportive society and environment for others in need, it suggests greater and more pivotal values which lead to increased pressure and expectations upon MEDC countries to fulfill, rather than supporting their economic development and growth.

            In addition, woman are also empowered in this print ad. Noticeably, a young girl is displayed on her journey to chase her dreams to go to university. A common stereotype that has been instilled in our society is that women have little to no value in developing countries. They either stay at home to cook or clean the floors. In this ad, however, they depict a young Indian girl on her way to receive an education, and overcoming the daily struggles of reaching her school. Furthermore, the ad suggest that they allow the new generation of women in India to receive an education, expressed through the slogan “Her future … towards her dream.” 

Pitch Reflection

I have completed this pitch presentation with Shriya Baweja and Luiza Helena regarding the Casio Keytar product (The UK, 1980’s).

The aim of this task was to create an advertising campaign and pitch the product to persuade the company (Casio) was entirely fit for their purpose. Our agency Inspire Your Desire aimed to convince the company by employing several appeals during our speech.

While presenting our pitch, we primarily focused on the use of ethos, both in our speech and our pitch. As a group, we decided to showcase the reputation of our agency, to assure the company our ability to make the campaign successful and worthwhile at the beginning of our pitch. We have achieved this by introducing our agency with our goals, who we are as a team, our perception of advertisement and listing specific awards that our agency won over the years. We included this intentionally to develop a credible and reliable character towards the company. Another ethos rhetoric that we incorporated were the Beatles. Given the timeframe of the 1980’s and a musical instrument, we ought that including a favorite British rock band in the advertisement was an essential and pivotal element to persuade our intended audience and to show awareness of the cultural context.

Another persuasive technique that was incorporated in the pitch was repetition. As a group, we came up with a slogan that would reflect the enthusiastic and exclusive identity of the product “Now be a star with your very own Keytar.” We included this slogan to convince the company that the advertisement would centralize the central identity and reputation of the good. Other appeals that we mentioned during our endorsement was the need for autonomy, the need for something new and logos (neurological impacts).

Overall, we tried to incorporate persuasive language throughout our speech, to reinforce the purpose of the pitch and unite the script as one. We focused on using specific phrases that would automatically lead the company to believe that the campaign is refreshing and credible, such as “Think again… We know… Yes, that’s right! … We strive…”. We expressed this diction in an enthusiastic manner to transfer the same enthusiasm and excitement of the campaign to our audience. Moreover, I believe that this technique was effective as it exhibits a particular perspective on the product, allowing the company to engage with the topic.

Knowledge of the awareness of audience and context influenced our approach to this task. For instance, our context was the UK, during the 1980s. Therefore, we chose for a text type that was popular during this framework: TV commercials and podcasts. Also, we supposed that having a British rock band that was globally known would introduce greater authenticity to the product. Also, we also focused on persuading the company that a musical instrument would not narrow down their options for a broad target audience.

I believe that our group worked very efficiently to complete this task to our best extent, and I’m proud of what we were able to achieve in the time given. During class, we were able to manage our time to finish the task on time successfully. Overall, we collaborated efficiently and were able to distribute the workload equally. Personally, as we worked fluently and were able to collaboratively effectively, I do not think I’d change anything regarding preparing for the task. However, I believe I focused too much on the development of the script, compared to presenting. When presenting, I felt nervous which made me rely on my cue cards too much. Therefore, I was not able to engage with the audience as much as I wanted too. Thus, if I were to complete this presentation again, I would equally manage my time in both the preparation and rehearsing of the task. Then, I’d be able to present without relying on my cue cards and present with greater engagement and communication skills. 

Rhetoric in Advertisements

The intended audience of this Nespresso advertisement are coffee consumers, particularly towards an affluent clientele of a higher income to affirm the brand’s image. In general, young adults tend to express their social status by their looks and physical appearance. However, adults aged 35-50 prioritize their social status by their possessions. As espresso has a focused brand image on luxury coffee and espresso machines, the possession of Nespresso is exclusive and valuable, thus, attracted by higher social class adults.

            The advertisement notably introduces ethos by appealing the presence and authority of the well-respected actor, filmmaker, and activist George Clooney to stimulate a believable character of persuasion. In the ad, George Clooney convinces the intended audience to purchase Nespresso, because his judgment on quality coffee is respected, thus, trustworthy and reliable. As the celebrity is a well-credited actor of a higher social class adult, thus, automatically influences the consumer purchase, position of the brand and attracts new users. 

            Additionally, the advertisement also provokes emotions through its use of setting and characters. Throughout the advert, George Clooney identifies the value of luxury coffee. The brand’s image is primarily visualized in the advert; set in a highly exclusive and wealthy scenery where gestures and movement throughout are elegant, graceful and sophisticated. The use of private setting and exclusive and wealthy characters evokes a luxurious and authorizing feeling. By doing so, the advertisement attracts their intended audience and their media message. Additionally, the slogan of the campaign is to "Experience the quality of Nespresso, and you'll let no one compromise your pleasure". As the women prefers to have another espresso rather than meeting George Clooney, it illuminates and highlights the intense sensation and valuability of Nespresso coffee. Eventhough this situation is highly unrealistic, the setting and character appeals to the intended audience which evokes a prioritized and exclusive emotion.