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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 14:39:31
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quote:
Originally posted by Babylon
I do see now that the idea of having the six most common languages spoken from the six different zones represented as official languages is a very good idea. Yes indeed, that is infact a very brilliant idea that has my full support from this day on. Why not bring back and renew the system that was in Africa before the colonialism? That could make a huge positive difference. But how to make this thought into action?
Here Kassma is the proof that I changed my mind, read it and GET OVER IT! I know you donīt care, but you really ainīt got no reason to act like a crazy @zz over nothing. |
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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 15:31:26
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Hereīs another one, just to show yīall where I stand in questions like these and not let people like Kassma ("Language and development") be the judge and the jury.
quote:
Originally posted by Babylon
True it is that ones native language is important for the development of ones personality. Every child should have the right to learn the language that is spoken at home. That makes a person grow strong with steady roots to stand on for the rest of their life, also when you are secure in your mother tongue you can learn another, foreign language easier with more success. I am also making sure that my children gets a chance to know my native language and also their fathers language (wolof) because I know it is important for their personalities so that they will be able to grow up into strong individuals proud of both of their cultures. I believe it is extra important for biracial children to know both of their cultures and not just one part of it. It is my duty as a parent to make sure of that.
Also I wasnīt saying that people who canīt speak English are stupid, I never make that hasted judgements of people which would make Me look ignorant. I was just saying that, in reality -in the real life, you do need to be able to communicate in English if you leave your own country and in the business world. And I know that especially in the US people do make quick judgements of you if you donīt speak "proper" English = american english. There you get stares from ppl pretty fast if you even have a small foreign accent. That is why I said I would sure look funny if I went there and spoke Swedish, just as an example. I know that people are not stupid just because they do not speak a foreign language correct. But, unfortunately, far from all know that.
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Edited by - Babylon on 06 Mar 2006 16:25:59 |
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serenata
Germany
1400 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2006 : 17:54:07
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Maybe Benjamin Whorf's (1897-1941) works on the importance of language for our thinking and our perception of reality are of interest in this discussion. His book 'Language, thought, and reality' (a small book, but not very easy to read) is still a milestone.
According to Whorf, every language gives a special access to the world to its speakers. A good example is the different perception of time in different languages, like Mandinka compared to English, etc. So, reducing languages to only one could make sure all people on earth would share similar views of reality, similar values, have similar structures of thinking. A paradise for colonialists.
The Americans, long before Whorf, knew this instinctively when they kidnapped Native American children and took them to boarding schools far away from their parents on the reservations. In these schools, it was strictly forbidden to speak a Native language, and the children were severely punished when they did. But as I heard, this was (is????) practised in Gambian schools too...
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2006 : 20:10:17
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| Oh yes. in the gambia. You are punished by putting on symbols like a string of empty cans that you put around your neck even during break time. Sometimes it is the horns of an animal to make you embarassed. I went through it in Grade school and was very common. |
When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2006 : 22:04:53
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| Dreadful |
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serenata
Germany
1400 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2006 : 17:32:06
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| It is really terrible. Do you know if those methods are still practised? I forgot to ask children about this on my last trip to Gambia. |
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