The importance of language and culture to the growing Sino-Caribbean commercial relationship

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Zamor ◽  
Alicia D. Nicholls ◽  
Albert Christopher Lee
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
English Language ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Linguistic Understanding ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The 19Th Century

Language and culture play a critical role in international commercial relations. Since the 19th century, the English language has undeniably held the prominent position as the global lingua franca to facilitate communication between nations. However, China’s contemporary re-emergence as an economic superpower has expanded its global influence. Consequently, awareness of Chinese culture and language is becoming important not only globally, but also in the Caribbean, where China’s economic footprint has expanded considerably in recent years. This article conceptually explores the important role of language and culture within the growing Sino-Caribbean commercial relationship. Specifically, it discusses the potential impact of language on the trade and tourism sectors, which are two key industries that drive the economies of English-speaking Caribbean small island developing states. It does this by charting the development of the English and Chinese languages as dominant languages. It then briefly looks at the current level of Chinese engagement with the region in trade and, more contemporarily, the potential of greater Chinese tourism in the Caribbean. It discusses the value of deeper cultural and linguistic understanding in nurturing and expanding these relationships. Finally, the article concludes by providing meaningful recommendations on ways to mitigate cultural and linguistic barriers in order to promote deeper Sino-Caribbean trade and tourism.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Language and culture are two important factors in commercial relationships, especially trade and tourism.</li><br /><li>This article adds to the growing literature on budding Sino-Caribbean relations by exploring the importance of linguistic and cultural understanding to nurturing this relationship.</li><br /><li>It argues that Caribbean countries cannot take for granted that English will always be the lingua franca for Chinese-Caribbean relations given China’s expanding global footprint.</li><br /><li>The article makes recommendations on ways to mitigate linguistic and cultural barriers in order to deepen Sino-Caribbean commercial ties.</li></ul>

scholarly journals Culture and complexity through English as a lingua franca: rethinking competences and pedagogy in ELT

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Baker
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Meaningful Category

AbstractEnglish as a lingua franca (ELF) research highlights the complexity and fluidity of culture in intercultural communication through English. ELF users draw on, construct, and move between global, national, and local orientations towards cultural characterisations. Thus, the relationship between language and culture is best approached as situated and emergent. However, this has challenged previous representations of culture, particularly those centred predominantly on nation states, which are prevalent in English language teaching (ELT) practices and the associated conceptions of communicative and intercultural communicative competence. Two key questions which are then brought to the fore are: how are we to best understand such multifarious characterisations of culture in intercultural communication through ELF and what implications, if any, does this have for ELT and the teaching of culture in language teaching? In relation to the first question, this paper will discuss how complexity theory offers a framework for understanding culture as a constantly changing but nonetheless meaningful category in ELF research, whilst avoiding essentialism and reductionism. This underpins the response to the second question, whereby any formulations of intercultural competence offered as an aim in language pedagogy must also eschew these simplistic and essentialist cultural characterisations. Furthermore, the manner of simplification prevalent in approaches to culture in the ELT language classroom will be critically questioned. It will be argued that such simplification easily leads into essentialist representations of language and culture in ELT and an over representation of “Anglophone cultures.” The paper will conclude with a number of suggestions and examples for how such complex understandings of culture and language through ELF can be meaningfully incorporated into pedagogic practice.

Intercultural Challenges of Teaching in Multilingual/Multicultural Classrooms

2022 ◽  
pp. 481-499
Author(s):  
Éva Csillik
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Melting Pot ◽  
Global Citizens ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Multilingual Students ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Multilingual Classroom

Language and culture are inseparable entities forming an interdependent relationship within the multilingual classroom, which is both a melting pot of languages as well as a myriad of cultural backgrounds. In learning a common language, known as “lingua franca,” in the multilingual classroom, culture plays a critical role since the lingua franca makes communication possible between language teachers and multilingual students. Cultural connections and effective communication enables these students to engage in social and interactive activities and allows them to become active participants of the multilingual classroom. This chapter addresses some of the major intercultural challenges that both teachers and students of multilingual classrooms currently face within the “cultural jungle” of New York City. These multilingual students are simultaneously learning English as the lingua franca and participating in an intercultural educational experience in order to become linguistically and interculturally competent global citizens.

WE- and ELF-informed classroom practices: proposals from a pre-service teacher education programme in Italy

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Vettorel
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
English Language ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Trainee Teachers

AbstractThe long-standing research in World Englishes (WE) and, more recently, in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has greatly contributed to problematizing several areas in connection to English Language Teaching, highlighting in particular the importance of teacher education as a first and fundamental step towards a more “inclusive” and “realistic” approach in ELT. A WE- and ELF-informed teacher education can indeed play a pivotal role in promoting awareness of the sociolinguistic and cultural changes brought about by the pluralization of English on the one hand, and of its function as a lingua franca on the other hand, and contribute to fostering a critical evaluation of ELT approaches, and materials, traditionally based on an Anglo-centric monolithic view of language and culture, taking account of different viewpoints in connection to the current modified reality of English. This paper will illustrate findings from an ongoing research study aimed at investigating trainee teachers’ beliefs concerning ELT pedagogic practices inclusive of the current pluralization of English. The study has been carried out with trainee teachers of English attending pre-service TFA (

scholarly journals Sound and vision in the opening titles of Māori-language television news: A multimodal analysis of cultural hybridity

Te Kaharoa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atakohu Middleton
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Television News ◽  
Cultural Hybridity ◽  
Dominant Culture ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
American Journalism ◽  
News Bulletin ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
The 19Th Century

Māori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. British settlers arrived in the 19th century with their tradition of the newspaper, and this led to a thriving Māori-language press. Today, news in te reo Māori, the Māori language, is delivered by television, radio and the internet, harnessing the conventions of Anglo-American journalism to tell stories of indigenous preoccupations (Fox 2002). The cultural hybridity that results (Grixti 2011) is particularly marked in the opening titles of Māori-language news. The musical and visual tropes of news-show mythmaking that present the news as sites of power, truth and authority are married to representations of Māori identity and beliefs to speak to a necessarily bicultural audience (A. Middleton 2020). In this paper, a multimodal approach is employed (Bignell 2002; Machin 2010; van Leeuwen 2012), which uses frame-by-frame analysis of speech, scripts, images and music to reveal the semiosis or sign processes in play in the opening titles of the country’s top-rated English-language news bulletin, 1 News, and those of the two Māori-language television news bulletins, Te Karere and Te Kāea. Analysis reveals that 1 News titles employ the sign systems common to their counterparts across Anglophone countries in the way they promote themselves as credible, all-seeing authorities. While the titles of Māori-language news opening titles retain many of the same tropes and signposts in order to be understood as a news show, they also weave in cultural references deeply embedded in Māori language and culture to represent themselves as news by and for Māori rather than the dominant culture. 

Intercultural Challenges of Teaching in Multilingual/Multicultural Classrooms

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éva Csillik
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Melting Pot ◽  
Global Citizens ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Multilingual Students ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Multilingual Classroom

Language and culture are inseparable entities forming an interdependent relationship within the multilingual classroom, which is both a melting pot of languages as well as a myriad of cultural backgrounds. In learning a common language, known as “lingua franca,” in the multilingual classroom, culture plays a critical role since the lingua franca makes communication possible between language teachers and multilingual students. Cultural connections and effective communication enables these students to engage in social and interactive activities and allows them to become active participants of the multilingual classroom. This chapter addresses some of the major intercultural challenges that both teachers and students of multilingual classrooms currently face within the “cultural jungle” of New York City. These multilingual students are simultaneously learning English as the lingua franca and participating in an intercultural educational experience in order to become linguistically and interculturally competent global citizens.

scholarly journals OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRANSFORMING INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN CARIBBEAN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Mycoo
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Structural Quality ◽  
Land Values ◽  
Small Island Developing States ◽  
Human Settlements ◽  
The Caribbean

Informal settlements are quite complex because they consist of economically disadvantaged, often landless households located on steep hillsides, floodplains and swamps, which contribute to their exclusion from accessing infrastructure. These challenges need not be constraints; rather they offer opportunities for transformation. Such communities are generally characterised by inadequate access to safe water; inadequate access to sanitation and other infrastructure; poor structural quality of housing; overcrowding and insecure residential status. This paper uses primary and secondary data to determine the drivers which impact on the burgeoning of informal settlements in the Caribbean and analyses their implications for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 which focuses on achieving safer, sustainable and resilient human settlements. The main findings of the paper are that housing shortages, delays in obtaining planning approvals, inflated land values and poverty contribute to the growth of informal settlements. However, such settlements occupy vulnerable sites where infrastructure is sometimes lacking and they help trigger environmental hazards which may be further exacerbated by climate change. Based on the key findings of the empirical evidence, the paper raises what is the critical role of engineering and engineering education in improving access by informal settlements to basic services that are fundamental in achieving sustainable, resilient human settlements and human well-being? These questions are answered within the Caribbean Small Island Developing States context and draws from a cross-section of case studies within the region.

The Important Roles of Matrix Metalloproteinases in the Pathophysiology of Obesity

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 1481-1484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radu Mihail Mirica ◽  
Mihai Ionescu ◽  
Alexandra Mirica ◽  
Octav Ginghina ◽  
Razvan Iosifescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinases ◽  
English Language ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Animal Experiments ◽  
Hdl Cholesterol ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Basement Membranes ◽  
Body Weight Reduction

Obesity involves the growth of adipose tissue cells (adipocytes and preadipocytes), as well as microvascular endothelial cells. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are relevant ezymes for the modulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and adipocyte and preadipocytes differentiation. They are elevated in obese patients, generating abnormal ECM metabolism.[1]. This article proposes a thorough study of literature with focus on the important roles of matrix metalloproteinases in the pathophysiology of obesity. The article represents a narrative review based on an English-language PubMed research of the medical literature regardind important aspects of the proposed aim. MMP-2 activity was signi�cantly higher than MMP-9, both activities were detectable. MMP-9 was strongly correlated with body weight parameters before surgery, as well as after significant body weight reduction as a result of bariatric surgery. Concerning MMP-2 and MMP-9 they are also involved in the turnover of basement membranes both those of adipose tissue and endothelial. MMP-9 levels were moderately correlated with HDL cholesterol levels. Taken together, the present data suggest that changes in ECM through MMP-mediated degradation might play a critical role in the adipocyte differentiation process. These findings are detected both in clinical trials and in laboratory animal experiments. It is then tempting to speculate that the adipocyte-derived MMPs might represent a new pharmacological target for the inhibition of adipose tissue growth by inhibiting adipose differentiation as well as angiogenic process.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 897-898
Author(s):  
Fabiana Ribeiro ◽  
Ana Carolina Teixeira-Santos ◽  
Anja Leist
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
English Language ◽  
Prevalence Data ◽  
Gender And Education ◽  
Precise Diagnosis ◽  
Normal Ageing ◽  
The Caribbean

Abstract Background. The population of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is ageing rapidly, presenting the highest prevalence rates of dementia in the world. In this context, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate condition between normal ageing and dementia. However, very few studies verified the prevalence of MCI in LAC countries; earlier global systematic reviews only considered prevalence reports published in English language. Method. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the prevalence of MCI in LAC countries and to explore the factors associated with MCI (i.e., age, gender, and education). A database search was conducted in February 2020 using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs, SciELO, and EMBASE, for population-or community-based studies with MCI data for countries in LAC, published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese language. From k=2,168 identified and k=1,684 screened studies, only articles were selected that included subjects with a precise diagnosis of MCI. The studies were qualitatively assessed using the JBI critical appraisal checklist for studies reporting prevalence data tool. Results. A total of nine studies met the criteria, published between 2007 and 2019, including a total of 17,812 participants in nine countries Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Costa Rica. Estimates for MCI prevalence ranged from 1.2% to 34%, with most estimates between 1.2% and 6.45%. Estimates differed by age group, gender, and educational level. Discussion. This is the first systematic review of the prevalence of MCI in LAC countries, considering only high-quality studies adopting rigorous diagnostic criteria.

Education of undergraduate: Epistemic and cultural beliefs as obstacles to technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 002072092098431
Author(s):  
Fahad SS Alfallaj ◽  
Ahmed AH Al-Ma'amari ◽  
Fahad IA Aldhali
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Language Curriculum

This study aims to identify the epistemological and cultural beliefs that act as barriers in English learning by Saudi undergraduate learners. English is a compulsory component of education from the early school years in Saudi Arabia, and the Ministry of Education invests a great deal of workforce and financial resources in this sector in a concerted effort to ensure that Saudi students attain language proficiency. The study employed a mixed-method research design and was conducted with 85 undergraduate learners at Qassim University. It used a questionnaire and interviews to obtain insight into the factors that inhibit the English learning experience. Results revealed that the respondents' resistance to the learning of others' culture stems mainly from the epistemic and cultural barriers embedded in English language learning. Implications of the study will provide the basis to policymakers, educationists, institutions, and learners for contextualizing the English language curriculum of Saudi Arabia.

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