Post Tagged with "UK"

Always evolving: some languages of the world and where they come from

This month’s collaborative post was inspired by a conversation between some of our contributors about languages and how much they ‘borrow’ words from one another. Malay has words from English, Turkish has words from French, English has words from Hindi, Spanish has words from Arabic. Not to mention the massive way in which European languages have influenced each other.

So here’s a look at the history and foreign influences of some of the languages spoken by PocketCultures contributors around the world.

It’s a long article, so if you’re interested in a particular country use these links: India, UK, France, Canada, Turkey, Spain, Argentina, Costa Rica, Portugal, Malaysia.

India: Hindi, English, Tamil, Marathi and many more!

Languages in India are as varied and complex as the country itself. The 2001 census estimated that there were 29 languages spoken by more than a million native speakers, 122 by more than 10,000!

We have 22 ‘official’ regional languages spoken across the country, but no ‘national language’. Hindi is often mistakenly referred to as the ‘national language’, but the constitution lists it as our ‘principal official language’. Where does Hindi come from? Well, it’s a language which evolved from a dialect spoken in northern India during the Mughal period, was influenced by Persian, and is closest to Urdu – the language today identified with Islam!

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The Royal Wedding and Britain’s north-south divide

Last Friday the UK celebrated the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, otherwise known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The day was designated as a special public holiday so most people had the day off work.

The happy couple

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Picture Postcards: Wedding Cake in the UK

This week’s image representing love around the world is of a special kind of wedding cake Liz at Pocketcultures saw in the UK. It’s made up of wheels of cheese! She says this may be a current trend in the UK. What about in your country?

More cake?
Australian Wedding Cake
Portuguese New Year Cake
Chinese Mooncakes

Portugal abroad: a historical journey through Europe

Today Portugal celebrates Our Lady of Conception’s Day. She was proclaimed the godmother and Queen of Portugal on March, 25, 1646, by the Portuguese King D. Joao IV, during the Independence Restoration wars (1640-1668) and after sixty years of Spanish rule (1580-1640). The kings of Portugal have never worn the Portuguese Crown again. The Portuguese monarchy ended in 1910.

In this post we’ll explore some historical traces of Portugal around Europe.

Zamora (Spain): birth of the Portuguese nation

The 5th of October 1143, in Zamora, in the Kingdom of Castilla y Leon (Castile and León) a treaty was signed between the King of León and Castile, Alfonso VII, and the King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. By this treaty, Portugal became an independent country and the oldest European nation. Last summer vacation, on my way to Portugal, I visited Zamora Cathedral, where the treaty was signed and my country, legally, was born. As you may guess, it was a very special moment for me.

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Picture Postcards: Bonfire night

This photo of a girl enjoying Bonfire Night on the 5th of November comes to us from Denise in the UK. Also known as Guy Fawkes Night, it is a festival that began after Guy Fawkes attempted, yet failed, to assinate King James I by blowing up the Parliament buildings. The occasion is marked by bonfires, sparklers and fireworks.

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Festivals from around the world

This month, we asked our contributors from around the world about festivals in their countries. Read on for festivals from Okinawa, Nigeria, Spain, England, USA and Argentina.

Okinawa (Japan)

By Mike Lynch, regional contributor for Japan (Okinawa)

The Island of Okinawa has too many festivals to cover in one article so I’ll list three that occur in Naha, the capitol city, which is also nearby an International Airport and convenient public transportation.

The Naha Festival
A three day event which takes place around the 10th of October each year, the main attraction is the Naha Great Tug-O-War. This event has its roots in celebration of the end of Summer and the hope for a plentiful harvest in the next season. Many villages throughout the Ryukyu (Okinawa) Island Chain celebrate with tug-o-wars but, Naha has the largest. It is a Guinness World Record rope that weighs over 40 tons and as many as 200,000 people may attend the event with 15,000 or more joining in on the tug.

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