Exciting news! I have been in contact with the Smart-Girl organization and will be attending the training sessions this weekend! I look forward to seeing what this experience has in store for me and others.
During our last Gender and Communication class, we began a discussion regarding verbal communication and the effects it has on ourselves and others. The discussion was incredibly interesting, particularly in light of the fact that I am currently taking an Anthropology of Language class where we are discussing how much language shapes culture. One of the most interesting highlights of these lectures has been that one can see how much a culture places importance on certain things by how many words it has or does not have to describe that thing. For instance, the Inuit have many different words to describe various types of snow (Anthropology of Language, Forgash), but I recently learned from a friend that Arabic has only one word to describe both snow and ice. What a fascinating discovery, especially since here in Colorado see snow and ice as two separate things! I suppose one may wonder why I am rambling on about snow and ice in a gender and communication blog. Well, this is why. I hope what I have just explained emphasizes how the words or symbols a culture maintains reflect where importance or status reside. Isn't it interesting then that it is only in recent years that the word "rape" and the descriptions for particular instances of the occurrence have emerged? This seems to indicate that this horrible crime of violation that should be prosecuted was not deemed to be of any real importance until recently. As Dr. McCarver explained yesterday, we can dismiss things when we have no words to identify them. "Language creates awareness and shapes meanings in culture" (Gender and Communication).
Gotta get ready for class! Signing out for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment