fandomhigh | Language Classes, 12/20

Projects may be left in the comments here or emailed to Dream@fandomhigh.net. Hope to see you next term.

Projects may be left in the comments here or emailed to Dream@fandomhigh.net. Hope to see you (in human form) next term.

Got a question for Dream? It might not be too late to get an answer.

Paige hands in her project and takes a chocolate. "thank you sir."

Ancient Egypt and Their Worship of Cats

Cats in today’s society seem to think they should adored and get there own way whenever they say so. I believe the main reason for this is that in ancient Egypt cats were worshiped and this memory has been passed down to cats from their descendants.

One of the main reasons cats were worshiped in Egypt was for their hunting abilities, as Egypt’s economy and everyday life was based around grain it was vitally important that this grain be kept safe from vermin. This meant cats were a critical part of the Egyptian household and as such were treated very well as they protected their livelihoods, so much so that in was a crime punishable by death to kill a cat and when a cat did die they were often mummified and buried by temples.

There was also Bast or Bastet, a goddess of protection, love and life with the head of a cat, the cat was her symbol and her subjects would made statues of the animal to honor her. The black cat was also used as a symbol by doctors to heal patients. It is believed cats were chosen as the symbol for Bast due to their natural instincts to protect their kittens and to hunt, hence being associated with a goddess of protection of love.

Attached to the report is A drawing of Bast (http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/krb/images/Bast.jpg)

In our modern age of an increasingly smaller global community, there arises a need to communicate with others who often come from a different cultural background and speak another language. In the latter half of the last century, English has been widely accepted as a medium of international communication. With the proliferation of American corporations globally, and arguably its political and cultural imperialism, this seems to be a natural progression.

However, before English was adopted as a universal language, French was the language of diplomacy. It is also the official language of several influential International bodies such as the UN, EU, UNESCO, The Red Cross, and The International Olympic Committee, and is spoken in more than forty countries. Being fluent in the French language is still an important tool for any diplomat. In Paris in 1996, French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette once said to Warren Christopher that he would have "a lot of time to intensify his knowledge of the French language, which is greater than you expect," upon his retirement. Madeleine Albright, who sometimes amused herself during U.N. debates listening to the foreign language channels on her headset, speaks fluent French and had no such difficulties with foreign leaders.

There are also thousands of important historical documents and works of literature and philosophy written in French, and being able to read the language is necessary for many people pursuing higher levels of academia.

~~And in conclusion, blah blah blah French kicks ass, and their porn is often way better than ours. But Spanish porn is even better. The end.~~

Though some people, in some kind of misguided attempt at patriotic fervour, might feel it appropriate to eschew any association with the people, languages, and culture of enemy combatant countries, it has been my personal experience that knowing such things is innately useful, particularly for a member of the military service. One never knows when one might be called upon to engage in operations that involve infiltrating enemy camps or meeting with enemy officers under temporary truce, and therefore I would submit that the ability to communicate effectively with them is a highly useful one.

On this note, there are certain tactical advantages to speaking an enemy combatant's language fluently. For one, it becomes more difficult for an enemy communique to employ underhanded games of rhetoric, the more familiar one is with the nuances of the language. In addition, fluency allows one to present a certain air of, if not superiority, equality; one does not wish to present an appearance of incompetent fumbling if one is to maintain a psychological edge.

Tangentially, one's accent can be either a help or a hindrance, and knowing the cultural implications thereof is a useful tool; for instance, one could pose as an ambassador from a neutral nation rather than a native speaker, if one's accent is simply not up to the latter task.

"Look at our tango dancers - they are addicted. There are few of them, but they do it with heart. Tango is life for them. I am tango, tango is me. It looks like Tango is a dangerous thing. It offers the real world of human relations in contrast to fake world of books, ads, media, TV, actors acting like politicians and politicians whose best strategy is acting like clowns," Says Igor Polk, tango and flamenco dancer, on the obsession that is Spanish dance. The two dances are often confused with each other by those outside Spanish culture, but in truth, they are very different.

According to Polk, Flamenco originated from "Greek psalms, Mozarabic dirges, Persian melodies, Gregorian chants, Castillian ballads, Jewish laments, African rhythms", and gypsy (they came from India) dances and music. Tango developed upon Spanish culture, spiced by Italian melodies, German Waltz, African rhythms again, and some American Indian influences.

Flamenco means "Peasant without Land". This is related to the huge amount of Ethnic Andalusians who decided to stay and mix with the Gypsy newcomers in Spain in the eighth century instead of abandoning their lands because of their religious beliefs. It was in this socially and economically difficult situation that the musical cultures of the Moors, Jews and Gitanos started to form the basics of flamenco music: a Moorish singing style expressing their hard life in Andalusia, the different compas (rhythm styles), rhythmic hand clapping and basic dance movements.

Tango, by comparison, originated in Buenos Aires during the late 19th century. The music derived from the fusion of music from Europe, the South American Milonga, and African rhythms. The word Tango seems to have first been used in connection with the dance in the 1890s. Initially it was just one of the many dances, but it soon became popular throughout society, as theatres and street barrel organs spread it from the suburbs to the working-class slums, which were packed with hundreds of thousands of European immigrants. English Tango evolved mainly as a highly competitive competitive dance, while the American Tango evolved as an unjudged social dance with an emphasis on leading and following skills. This has led to some principal distinctions in basic technique and style.

So, both dances developed among working and lower classes, and became national and cultural icons within a few decades. Tango is a lead-follow, action-reaction dance, a conversation between pursuer and pursued; flamenco is a single-person show-dance, of steps and rhythm, challenging the audience. Similarities in outlook would be expected, since they have roots in the same music, and the same kinds of sources-- but the dances have very different purposes as means of expression. Just as languages evolve pidgins and creoles, music and dance within a culture also evolve with distance and time.

"Professor?" Parker stops by after class, looking awkward. "I just wanted to thank you for all the help you've been out of class, as well as inside it. I think I've learned a lot this semester."

((Um. How long does the final presentation have to be?))

"200 words, Miss Hopeless-Savage."

[OOC: Not that I'm going to actually count them.]

"Thank you, Miss Parker. I hope to see you next semester."

Thank you, Professor. Just double-checkin'.

((If you will excuse the mun, she must now pull two hundred words from that creative space known as 'her ass'))

"I look forward to reading your work."

[OOC: *giggle.* If that's uncomfoprtable, the creative space known as the Holy Duo of Google and Wikipedia would also work -- plaigiarism is completely okay on this one.]

French has always been a romantic language. Speak a few choice words of the Gallic tongue into the ear of your loved one, and they will immediately melt into your arms. This is not to say that French should be used as a weapon to make helpless the masses. My God, we must fight against the tyranny of those who would use such a beautiful language to pacify their captives! Fight fight fight!

Still, if you trust someone, and I have only ever trusted one person in my life -- my darling Wednesday -- you may croon this at them. There is a certain aural quality that makes it quite the aphrodisiac. Perhaps it is the almost lazy quality of the vowels, or the leering, lustful nature of the consonants. Whatever the cause, you may be sure that any use of French may increase romantic relations between yourself and your beloved. You may even get farther along in your carnal ministrations.

When they call French a Romance language, they truly mean it. France as a nation has always been a lover, not a fighter, willing to surrender all in the name of love. Perhaps this is what tinges their words with that intangible magical quality. I could not rightly say.

French cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity. It is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical and provincial styles. Many of the world's greatest chefs, such as Taillevent, La Varenne, Carême, Escoffier, or Bocuse were masters of French cuisine. Additionally, French cooking techniques have been a major influence on virtually all Western cuisines, and almost all culinary schools use French cuisine as the basis for all other forms of Western cooking. French wine and French cheese are an integral part of French cuisine, both as ingredients and accompaniments. France is known for its large ranges of wines and cheeses.

Much influence on Spanish cuisine has come from the Jewish and Moorish traditions. The Moors were a strong influence in Spain for many centuries and some of their food is still eaten in Spain today. However, pork is popular and for centuries eating pork was also a statement of ethnical limpieza de sangre. Several products of the Americas were introduced in Europe through Spain, and a modern Spanish cook couldn't do without potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or beans. These are some of the primary influences that have differentiated Spanish cuisine from Mediterranean cuisine, of which Spanish cuisine shares many techniques.

((No, see, Zero's supposed to be drawing on her practical experience as a ca--OH MY GOD WORD JUST ATE IT COME BACK COME BACK.))

The Piteous Mew: A Case Study

There are many ways in which the common house cat, Felinus cattus, alters its mannerisms in order to make its wishes known to humans. These methods of communication are not regularly used while the cat is in communication with its fellow cats, and illustrate the cat’s grasp of human emotions and behaviors, as well as its ability to manipulate these to suit its own needs.

One of the most common mannerisms cats use in communication with humans is the ‘Piteous Mew.’ Typically used to express the cat’s needs to its human, in the Piteous Mew the cat looks up at the human and mews. Piteously, as the name of the gesture implies. This is notable, because other cats do not respond to the Piteous Mew. Cats do not have any impression of what it is to be ‘pitiful’ and feel only disdain for those who truly qualify for this status. However, they are not above pretending to be pitiful if it suits their needs.

The Piteous Mew is clearly meant as a method of manipulating the human by making them feel sorry for their four-footed master, so the human will fill the cat’s water or food dish, open a door for the cat, or perform some other mundane task the cat cannot fulfill for itself. It is a classic example of cats’ altering their behaviors to manipulate humans.

((Inspired by my own cat.))

Although many French people trace their lineage from the original Gaulish inhabitants of France, the modern French language truly has its origin in the Vulgar Latin imported by the invading Roman armies mixing with the Germanic language of the Frankish people who immigrated there from the third century onwards. Medieval France had three main dialects: langue d'oil (which had a good deal of Frankish influence), langue d'oc (which had little Frankish influence), and Franco-Provençal (a middle ground between the two other dialects).

As langue d'oil was spoken in the Northern parts of the country where the royal court and French officials were established, it came to be the main language of royal business. As authors began developing langue d'oc-french into a literary langue with works describing the paladins of Charlemagne and the heroes of the Crusades, in began to win out over the langue d'oc dialect. The establishment of the Académie française to enforce standard language usage made the Middle French derivative of langue d'oil official as the French known and taught to people worldwide. Langue d'oc derivatives still exist, but in a much limited form. The language Provençal is a direct descendant of this dialect, and is still spoken by a minority of speakers in southern France.

Language Classes, 12/20

Languages of Europe, 12/20

Cat, 12/20

Office Hours, 12/20

Re: Cat, 12/20

Re: Languages of Europe, 12/20

Re: Languages of Europe, 12/20

Re: Cat, 12/20

Re: Office Hours, 12/20

Re: Office Hours, 12/20

Re: Office Hours, 12/20

Re: Office Hours, 12/20

Re: Office Hours, 12/20

Re: Office Hours, 12/20

Re: Languages of Europe, 12/20

Re: Languages of Europe, 12/20

Re: Office Hours, 12/20

Re: Cat, 12/20

Re: Languages of Europe, 12/20