2. What did medieval linguist Antonio de Nebrija mean when he told Queen Isabella that: “language is the perfect instrument of empire?” How has language contributed to colonial power? Focus on a specific example.


"Language is the perfect instrument of empire" Antonio de Nebrija, medieval linguist told Queen Isabella. But what is the deeper meaning behind this quote. The quote is trying to say how people really do underestimate the power of language alone. Too many, think language is just a means of communication but in reality you could say language is the glue that holds an "empire" together. Language imperialism, refers to "the transfer of a dominant language to other people". The transfer is essentially a demonstration of power, traditionally, military power but also, in the modern world, economic power and aspects of the dominant culture are usually transferred along with the language. If you think of it language has enough power to rule the world. Imagine how powerful a country would be if everyone in the world spoke their language. The possibilities would be infinite. Language has a lot more power than we think, and people are slowly starting to recognize this. Most likely linked with the great lose of the unknown or very understated languages.

Comments

  1. Jess. H16 January 2017 at 09:15

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jess. H16 January 2017 at 09:17

    Hi Tiara, I really enjoyed reading your blog post, I definitely agree with your statement "language is the glue that holds an empire together". Like stated in the documentary, children in tribal boarding schools are forbidden to speak their tribal language. I believe that they have forbidden this because they want to teach the children new developing language that many people around the world are using to communicate. Yes, I agree with how language is not only to do with communicating but I feel because of the LEDC's where some of the smaller languages are situated, I believe that this is the most likely answer as "if they were caught, they were to be punished". Language is our identity, and apart of who we are as people, why do you think they try to limit children from different tribes to use their tribal language with others?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Language shapes our identity but doesn’t define who we are” This statement has been questioned for hundreds of years. The problem is that there is more to it than only language and thoughts. Culture plays a major role in this. Depending on the people you surround yourself with and interact with, culture, traditions and lifestyle habits are just a few things you can pick up. Language can be expressed in many different ways. It allows us to identify the little things about us. Language does shape our identity, it is a way of expressing the truest version of yourself. However only you have the power to choose whether you will let your language define you and who you are as a person. There are many difficulties people come across when learning language, expecially for foreign speakers. Unlike the English language, foreign languages provide a wider variety of vocabulary to express different ideas. This is explained in the article ‘Why do writers abandon their native language?
Read more
Do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people? I think that advertising agencies should consider the possibility of stereotyping in both commercials or print advertisements because there is always the case that I may have a certain impact not always a good way on a certain audience. Advertisements that may contain stereotypes apart of very touchy subject such as racism, sexism could potentially cater to a very sensitive audience and arguments and fights could arise from this. When an advertisement is trying to sell product but in return only offends the customer obviously they company will now have less sales and less customers viewing the ads and products due to the offensive language and actions that may be used. Stereotypes can definitely drive away a huge audience and cause your product to not sell or at least not to a large demographic who finds the ad offensive. A lot of companies really do not realize how much adding small stereotypes into
Read more
Image
The advertisement is aimed to people who have a major interest in soccer. Or may just be the younger generation who may know who this public figure is. In general I would say that the targeted audience would be people with interest in sport or watching sport.  Ethos: They are using a very famous public figure, Messi the soccer player for Barcelona.  Pathos: Makes you feel as if you'll be strong, refreshed, happy. Logos: Logos has been used where it say “#10 Messi” As the number ten is at the back of Messi’s Barcelona shirt.
Read more