Language is a social construct. It unites the individuals of a given community through a code that is understood by those who use it, ranging from street slang to the prescribed usage of grammar by an elite. This program examines language in a historical context and as a political tool. Since the advent of the printing press and, most recently, the Internet, English has become the universal language, replacing French. This has in turn meant the loss of many languages. Today only 6,000 are still spoken, and it is estimated that by the end of the 21st century, 90 percent of these will have disappeared. (53 minutes)

Tell a Friend! Your Name: Your Email: Your Friend's Email: Your Message: We respect your privacy and will not use your friend's address without permission. Item#: BVL10177 Copyright date: ©1999 VHS ISBN 978-0-7365-1384-5 DVD ISBN 978-1-4213-0610-0

Part of the Series : The Art of Communicating | Behold Humanity! A Sociological Perspective

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		Effective Listening Skills: Listening to What You Hear This important lesson discusses habits and traits that keep us from being good listeners and teaches improved listening skills with the D.R.I.V.E. process. Students learn the benefits of listening and master the skill by Deciding to listen, Reading a...(more details)		VHS $89.95 DVD $89.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $134.93 3-Year Streaming $89.95
		Images in Media The pictures in our heads that define who we are and help us neatly categorize others are increasingly shaped by the newspaper, magazine, film, and TV images that bombard our senses. To convey a message quickly, these images often rely on stereotypes...(more details)		VHS $99.95 DVD $99.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $149.93 3-Year Streaming $99.95
		Comedy Comedy is the complement of tragedy, and tragedy is one of the oldest forms of ritual in the Western world. However, while tragedy is linked to the sacred, comedy is often linked to the profane and sometimes even the sacrilegious. This program explor...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		Writing This program traces the evolution of writing from its pictograph and hieroglyph antecedents. Recent discoveries have revealed that the earliest alphabet was corrupted shorthand for Egyptian hieroglyphs, developed by Semitic mercenaries. As the Roman ...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		Modern Myths All communities embrace organizing principles that are indispensable to their cohesion, imposing order on chaos and allowing individuals to function in groups. Many of these principles are related through myths. In this program, the transformation of...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95

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