Week 2: Tōku reo tōku ohooho
·
‘Second language, second soul’
·
Different words for the colour spectrum in each language
- Goluboy & siniy as the different shades of blue in the Russian language
- Goluboy & siniy as the different shades of blue in the Russian language
·
‘Linguistic boundaries’ & categorical change
·
Access to number words and what this means in terms of a new
cognitive realm
·
‘Big’, ‘deep’, ‘early’, ‘broad’, ‘weighty’ as the describing
words of how language shapes the way we think
·
Linguistic diversity – 7000 linguistic universes in the world
·
‘Why do we think the way we do?’
·
‘What thoughts do I wish to create?’
·
What linguistic boundaries in the English language are
stopping me from making alternative thoughts?
Resource 2) Read "Tatauing
the postcolonial body" by Albert Wendt.
Wendt peels back the language of tatau in Samoa to show the deep
connection between the words and cultural practices and beliefs.
·
Telenoa or telefua: concept of nakedness
·
‘Fair skin always been considered as ideal for tatau because
of black on white contrast’
·
Ta: to strike
·
Tau: to ‘anchor’
·
Tata: to strike repeatedly
·
Tatau: to wring the wetness out of you
·
Malu: to be shaded/protected, to soften
·
‘Va’: the space between or the ‘betweeness’, that gives
meaning to things
·
‘The wearer of the tatau must protect and nourish his
immediate family’
·
Missionaries condemned as ‘mark of the savage’
·
Re-connecting blood to earth, re-affirming you as earth
·
Post-colonial: ‘body becoming’
·
Loto: spirit/courage
·
Agaga: soul
Resource 3) Read this excerpt
from Robert MacFarlane. McFarlane
focuses on changes to English language, specifically in the British context.
·
Hebrides language lost
·
‘Blandscape’
·
‘Blasé’
·
Loss incalculable
·
Disenchantment
·
Restore wonder
·
Once a landscape goes undescribed, unregarded
·
Unnamed
·
Unseen
Write two short poems that take
examples from your list of words…
Tatau
To strike
To anchor
Some say
A mark of the savage
Re-connection
Body becoming
Tatau
The Language of Nature
Unnamed and therefore unseen
The loss of a language
To re-enchant
To restore wonder
Allow it to talk
What thoughts does it wish to
create?
Task 3
Choose one SDG, click on it, to
find out more about why it is on the list and the aims to address it.
Sustainable
Development Goal two to ‘end hunger, achieve food security and
improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture’ reflects a strong
change in development thinking since the Millennium Development Goals.
Previously, hunger and poverty were linked as one goal however now that the
value of proper nutrition has changed, world leaders have recognised not every
poor person is hungry but that every hungry person is poor (The Hunger Project, 2014) . This is an important distinction in
development thinking as an improvement in poverty levels does not necessarily
correlate to a change in world hunger and by splitting up the two, the UN can
maintain a stronger focus on each goal separately. The goal to eliminate hunger
is imperative as 795 million people in the world still go hungry (Food Aid
Foundation, 2018) .
Another key strength of this SDG is its aim to address the “nutritional needs
of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons” (United Nations,
2018) .
The focus on girls and enough healthy food to support pregnant women
demonstrates their commitment to global equality. Lastly, the UN also aims to
“ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient
agricultural practices… that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity
for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other
disasters” by 2030. Given the current climate conditions, the UN’s focus on
sustainable forms of food production is a critical step in the right direction.
However, the goal to end world hunger is ambitious.
795 million people are still
estimated to be chronically undernourished since 2014 (United Nations, 2018) . If we are to
overcome extreme hunger in the world, a wealth of resources and funding will be
needed to overcome this. Furthermore, the goal to implement
resilient agricultural practices by 2030 is too late to mitigate against
dangerous climate change events. The recent IPCC
report on “Global Warming of 1.5°C”
indicated we have to make serious changes right now if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts. Lastly,
to achieve this goal the UN aims to “double the agricultural productivity and incomes
of small-scale food producers” as well as “increase investment, including through
enhanced international cooperation”. Doubling the
amount of food made is not necessarily an appropriate fix given the amount of
food that is currently over-produced
and wasted in the developed world. Instead, the UN should potentially focus of
the distribution of resources. Their goal to increase production also
contradicts their goal to create sustainable food production systems if these
systems are only focused on producing as much food as possible without
considering the environmental or social benefits.
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