Dinka of The Republic of South Sudan – The Voice of the New Nation

The memorable day of July 9, 2011 did not just mark the end of a violent fight of the millions who died just to attain South Sudan’s independence. It also loudly echoes to the world the rich culture and languages in this newly-recognized Republic. It did not just end the longest standing civil war in Africa, but it also serves to highlight the cluster of languages that will now be increasingly opened for interpretation and translation to the world.

Situated in East Africa, South Sudan differs starkly in contrast to its Muslim nearby neighbor, North Sudan. They are more inclined to practice their traditional religions with a few converts to Christianity. However, Sudan in its entirety initially had Literary Arabic and English for its official language on paper. But in practice, they have been engaging in speaking their own preferred dialect prior to the peace treaty for their freedom, which was signed in 2005. It was like their lifestyle for the last 22 years before their declared independence – South Sudan had been known for its most autonomous management of affairs and equally autonomous system of culture, society, and language preferences.

Complete Sovereignty or Globalization, a Language Issue

There are many different languages spoken in Malaysia. However, Article 152 of Malaysia’s Constitution states that Malay or Bahasa Malaysia is the country’s official language. This is the general medium of instruction employed by Malaysia’s educational system. Mandarin and Tamil are also taught in national-type schools because of the large population of Chinese and Indians in the country. English, on the other hand, is taught only in international schools.

However, in 2003, the PPSMI policy was implemented. It was initiated by Run Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the prime minister at that time. According to this policy, science and math subjects were to be taught in English. This was to ensure that future citizens of Malaysia will not be at a disadvantage compared to citizens of other countries in this era of intense globalization. The internet then was fast becoming an important tool for education, business, politics, etc. Therefore, English proficiency seemed essential.

Nepal, Close to the Heavens and Close to the Stars

Nepal. This South Asian country is landlocked by China in the north and India in the east, south and west. Found in the Himalayas, Nepal boasts of the highest point in the world, the Mount Everest. Eight of the tallest mountains on Earth are located in Nepal. The geography is diverse as it is breathtaking. With such rich geography, one can only expect a rich culture as well. The country is home to different races, tribes and ethnic groups, a veritable melting pot of cultures, traditions and language. Although Nepali is the official language, there are many other languages spoken in the country.

In the past many years, Nepal has been visited by a number of Hollywood stars for a variety of reasons and causes. The most popular visitor to Nepal is Richard Gere, the star of such films as Officer and A Gentleman, American Gigolo and Pretty Woman. When he first visited Nepal in 1978, Gere’s interest in Buddhism started. He has since made several other visits to Nepal raising awareness and lending his voice and popularity to causes close to both Nepal and Tibet. His latest visit was in 2010, the year before the country was set to kick off Nepal Tourism Year 2011. The Prime Minister of Nepal seriously took into consideration Gere’s tips on how to get more tourists into Nepal and even offered Gere to become the tourism ambassador of the country. True to his beliefs, Gere declined and said that he was there “to seek out people and their warmth, since in the west, men had turned into machines.” Today, he continues to practice Buddhism and remains an avid supporter and friend of the Dalai Lama as well as the Nepalese people.

A Gift from the Greek Gods, et al

... the far-reaching influence of the myths of ancient Greece

There are many mythologies in the world. Each culture has its own brand of mythology which helped explain the world around them.

Mythologies serve an important purpose. Apart from explaining why there’s rain, snow, thunder, volcanic eruptions and other occurrences, mythologies influenced how the people once lived. Of all the mythologies in the world, it is the Greek mythology that is probably closest to the people today. Why? Because Greek mythology is prominently felt in one of the most used and spoken language in the world – English.

Yes, Greek mythology is present in the English language. When you try to discover the origins of some English words, you might be surprised to find that they originated from the names of gods, goddesses, demi-gods and other characters in Greek mythology.

KORO: India’s Hidden Language

Although hard to believe, researchers are still able to discover new languages that only a few hundreds of people speak. Last year, Gregory Anderson, director and researcher for the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages unveiled a new language called Koro that belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family. Koro was discovered by the team lead by Anderson in a remote northeastern region of India in 2008.