Language and Culture in the Community - Essay Example

Language and Culture in the Community Name University Blue Rapid Bus Stop The surface meaning for a person who sees the name “Blue Rapid” will obviously think of the need for transport as the company is famous in Australia. However, Blue Rapid conjures a lot to an Australian citizen. For most people, the transport company means more than transport. The company serves comprehensive geographical locations, connecting people from one point to the other throughout Australia. The University being a national institution that brings people from different corners of the nation and the world would obviously need to identify with a company that serves such a national purpose. I was able to understand the luxurious feelings and a sense of comfort provided by the company’s buses. Simply, the administration may have gone ahead to note that the institution of higher learning would not need just services but went ahead to understand the aspirations and the common response from the University community who will use the services. There are many companies offering transport but having a Bus Stop with a name signifies choice. Seeing the billboard, one knows that it is there to show or sustain a meaning. Additionally, despite the fact that any other company can be contracted to offer similar transport needs, to Canberra students, such a company that offer services promotes fulfillment not only for them but also for people outside, relatives and significant others who acknowledge and use the same company services. The University promotes a sense of permanency for its community who connects at this spot to access services to their common needs. The students and other members connect when travelling to their common destination and that ensures that they make sense of collective services. The bus stop as a physical point extends some emotional and social sense of various people in the University. Students develop cultural and social ties, develop trust and form supportive networks when they travel together. The service is a means to encourage citizen and more so the students who travel together to be active and make the most of the time in their day and that way create a future community (Davis, 2011). The prior knowledge I used to guide in the interpretation was the knowledge of the status of the Blue Rapid Company. In turn, it gave appeared that the University took into considerations all those attributes to distinguish between various service provider. The company also differentiates Australian community from many others by showing the tendency to preserve some national identity. As Harrison (2009), legacy artifacts are taken with a lot of ease. In the current generation, while artifacts may not necessary mean some historical cultural objects, a company, brand or services attracts the current generation and makes opportunities for many to identify with significant others. In future, most students will remember how Blue Rapids served an important purpose bringing a sense of past and shared heritage. Such buses can be glue that holds generation of students together. The challenge I faced when interpreting this image was whether there is any inherent socio-cultural assumptions involved with the company. However, I noted that there must be a hidden message and cultural relevance with it. Rubbish bib in the University of Canberra village The rubbish bib in the University of Canberra village conjures the cultural norm of being responsible by keeping the environment clean. The village, an avenue where most students usually takes their snacks has to be clean regularly. The student reacts by being responsible, not littering around as that would add up to transgressing the common cultural norm. Someone would feel unease by deliberately throwing sachets or papers around. One feels surrounded by reactions from all over as it will simply be showing that by littering, one does not agree with the norm. According to Brown (1995), the norms of a culture are effective rules and members must abide or else risk rejection from the people around the culture. Similarly, students around the village have pre-conceptions that help them imagine and fear sanctions that would follow by failure to put the waste where required. The University population comprises of people who always want to associate with prestigious organizations and no wonder SITA, a leader in cleaning, collection and recycling services is contracted. The students are encouraged to participate in conserving the environment when they understand the commitments of the garbage collectors. As Samovar, Porter & McDaniel (2009) argues, symbols act as triggers reminding people the rules in the culture and act as shorthand way keeping the people around aligned. Obviously, I interpreted that the bin is prescribing the appropriate behavior; taking care of the environment. The interpretation follows the position in which the bin is laid. To a person taking snacks around, they expect to have a litterbin around. The phrase Maximum fill level also tells a lot that the users are regulated and the message it is simply understood and the purpose of the bin noted. As Simmons (2013) argues, when it comes to analysis of an image, a person has to understand that image is a snapshot frozen in time. The image may present the way people truly live today. Similarly, since I was a toddler, I grew seeing these litter bins all over. Most institutions, premises and towns use different kinds of litter bins. In turn, my understanding has been shaped and perception constructed through time. Of course the people who placed the litter bin did not have to put additional sign to show where to put the litters as it is possible to easily interpret what one is required to do with the bin. The challenge was obvious as from afar, the sticker on its side looks like as advert. It is an image of fine looking flowers with unique numbers on the top. It was until I came closer that I noted that SITA, a leading recycling and waste recovery company communicates its proud message as leaders providing reliable collection and recycling services. The University contracts such a prestigious company probably as a way of showing support to a team that shows commitment and utmost care of the environment. No Smoking Signs The No Smoking Signs and smoking area in University of Canberra village illustrates a place where one can point and know the place to smoke. According to Leeds-Hurwitz (2012), culture is embedded and transmitted through images and most of these symbols are all over around most organizations. The crucial and perhaps the first element shown by the image are the underlying social values. The values in the society reveal deeply embedded concerns of other people. A certain kind of people, smokers, will react to the sign and conform due to underlying strict attitudes towards smoking. The sign communicates that it is against the rules to smoke anywhere. The ban placed in various places shows where smoking is allowed and where it is restricted. As much as the society accept the personal choice in smoking, the same persons must respect others rights. Cigar smoke is not only harmful to smokers but its second-hand smoke pollutes the air and affects the health of non-smokers. As Vecco (2010) argues, the purpose of culturally meaningful images is to remind people of their identity as actors in an association or the rules that are upheld by the culture. The power of the sign is in guiding where and how smokers should smoke and the effect they have on other people in the organization. Nowadays signs are all over and it takes sometimes for people to interact with some to know their meanings. In fact it is a must to know most of these signs as they define what a person should behave in a certain place, context and how lack of response will be taken by significant others. According to Knapp, Hall, & Horgan (2013), signs are not only means of communication today but an authority. Any signs force someone to respond in a certain way even if there is a competing interest by knowing that enforcement; whether from fellow citizens or institution authority or even the government may penalize any action or inaction as required by the sign. The sign needed common knowledge of the signs to understand. Any circle with a horizontal black line inside means restriction. For instance, the same signs are common in places that restrict U-turn or show no packing in the town. Encircled letter S is easily interpreted as short form for Smoking. When I brought the common knowledge about signs, it was easier to know the meaning of the sign. To make it easy to interpret, the bin for putting the cigar butts is erected underneath the other side of the sign where smokers place them after smoking. The challenge to someone who is not used to stay in Canberra University is how the sign serve different purposes. At a closer look, one understands that the sign require the vehicles not to stop at that point and direct them to a nearby loading bay. However, for a constant visitor to the village, it is easy to conceptualize the double meanings the sign communicates. The person who uses the area often knows the meanings communicated. For a new visitor, the sign can be confusing and they can only understand one meaning at a time depending on the purpose they are doing around. References Brown, A. (1995). Organizational Culture, Pitman, London. Davis, P. (2011). Ecomuseums: a sense of place. A&C Black. Harrison, R. (2009). Excavating Second Life Cyber-Archaeologies, Heritage and Virtual Communities. Journal of Material Culture, 14(1), 75-106. Knapp, M., Hall, J., & Horgan, T. (2013). Nonverbal communication in human interaction. Cengage Learning. Leeds-Hurwitz, W. (2012). Semiotics and communication: Signs, codes, cultures. Routledge. Samovar, L., Porter, R., & McDaniel, E. (2009). Communication between cultures. Cengage Learning. Simmons, I. G. (2013). Interpreting nature: Cultural constructions of the environment. Routledge. Vecco, M. (2010). A definition of cultural heritage: From the tangible to the intangible. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 11(3), 321-324. Read More

Such buses can be glue that holds generation of students together. The challenge I faced when interpreting this image was whether there is any inherent socio-cultural assumptions involved with the company. However, I noted that there must be a hidden message and cultural relevance with it. Rubbish bib in the University of Canberra village The rubbish bib in the University of Canberra village conjures the cultural norm of being responsible by keeping the environment clean. The village, an avenue where most students usually takes their snacks has to be clean regularly.

The student reacts by being responsible, not littering around as that would add up to transgressing the common cultural norm. Someone would feel unease by deliberately throwing sachets or papers around. One feels surrounded by reactions from all over as it will simply be showing that by littering, one does not agree with the norm. According to Brown (1995), the norms of a culture are effective rules and members must abide or else risk rejection from the people around the culture. Similarly, students around the village have pre-conceptions that help them imagine and fear sanctions that would follow by failure to put the waste where required.

The University population comprises of people who always want to associate with prestigious organizations and no wonder SITA, a leader in cleaning, collection and recycling services is contracted. The students are encouraged to participate in conserving the environment when they understand the commitments of the garbage collectors. As Samovar, Porter & McDaniel (2009) argues, symbols act as triggers reminding people the rules in the culture and act as shorthand way keeping the people around aligned.

Obviously, I interpreted that the bin is prescribing the appropriate behavior; taking care of the environment. The interpretation follows the position in which the bin is laid. To a person taking snacks around, they expect to have a litterbin around. The phrase Maximum fill level also tells a lot that the users are regulated and the message it is simply understood and the purpose of the bin noted. As Simmons (2013) argues, when it comes to analysis of an image, a person has to understand that image is a snapshot frozen in time.

The image may present the way people truly live today. Similarly, since I was a toddler, I grew seeing these litter bins all over. Most institutions, premises and towns use different kinds of litter bins. In turn, my understanding has been shaped and perception constructed through time. Of course the people who placed the litter bin did not have to put additional sign to show where to put the litters as it is possible to easily interpret what one is required to do with the bin. The challenge was obvious as from afar, the sticker on its side looks like as advert.

It is an image of fine looking flowers with unique numbers on the top. It was until I came closer that I noted that SITA, a leading recycling and waste recovery company communicates its proud message as leaders providing reliable collection and recycling services. The University contracts such a prestigious company probably as a way of showing support to a team that shows commitment and utmost care of the environment. No Smoking Signs The No Smoking Signs and smoking area in University of Canberra village illustrates a place where one can point and know the place to smoke.

According to Leeds-Hurwitz (2012), culture is embedded and transmitted through images and most of these symbols are all over around most organizations. The crucial and perhaps the first element shown by the image are the underlying social values. The values in the society reveal deeply embedded concerns of other people. A certain kind of people, smokers, will react to the sign and conform due to underlying strict attitudes towards smoking. The sign communicates that it is against the rules to smoke anywhere.

The ban placed in various places shows where smoking is allowed and where it is restricted.

Read More