Society characterization

The group mentioned in the case study is living in a hilly environment. Although the landscape is mostly flat, there are hilly areas in the town. The region is far from the ocean and the other big bodies of water. The lack of oceans in a culture focused on literature indicates that the area does not border the ocean. The region appears to have heavy showers, but there are no snows. The somewhat hilly landscape and the presence of rain indicate the presence of a favorable climate for the growth of grains and the care of domestic animals. Grains seem to be the staple food for society. There is rich vocabulary on cereal food products. Generally, the society seems to grow and consume cereal crops such as maize, barley, sorghum, and wheat. Nonetheless, wheat seems to be the key cereal crop thus making it to feature prominently in the community_x0092_s word bank.

The society values the family as the basic social unit. The community_x0092_s literature features mother, father and children. The community perceives children as the symbol of progress and stability. This explains why children are described as _x0091_small wise human beings_x0092_ and _x0091_young leaders_x0092_. Actually, the community asserts their belief and confidence in the young generation as the perfect heir to their rich culture full of wisdom, love, and success. Furthermore, the community seems to belief that all their people are leaders in different capacities. It explains why all words which translate to a leader only describe the word in its plural form.

The community believes in nurturing children to become responsible and wise adults. Consequently, they have up to several terms which describe the different stages of life that a child is expected to pass through before they reach puberty. On the other hand, there is only one term that describes the stage between puberty and death. Probably, the community set up several stages to help in monitoring the progress of kids as they grow up. The community further seems to value mentorship as an element of creating a peaceful society and responsible adults. Actually, puberty usually sets the stage for adulthood (Indabawa and Mpofu, 2006). There seems to be a belief in the community that after puberty, one becomes an adult. As such, there is little time to monitor and focus on their behaviors.

The society perceives sex mainly as a way of procreation. Whereas sex is also meant for pleasure aside from procreation, the society tends to understand and value sex mainly in the context of procreation. This explains why the term sex loosely translates to planting a wise one according to the community_x0092_s literature. The description of children as wise beings further asserts the fact that the community considers wisdom as an important element in life.

The community values parenthood to the extent that the word _x0093_woman_x0094_ translates to mean a mother and a wife. Similarly, the word _x0093_man_x0094_ is translated by the community to mean a father or a husband as far as the community_x0092_s language is concerned. This emphasizes the community_x0092_s belief in the family as the most essential social unit in the society. Actually, understanding and describing a man mainly in the context of being a husband and a father implies that the community places a lot of expectations on the man in connection to a number of issues such as the need for the man to provide for the family as well as offer protection and leadership to the wife and children (Lynn & Balber, 2007). On the same note, women are expected to love, care, and nurture their husbands and children.

The community values education as an important part of life. It is on this basis that there are up to twenty words which translate to the book. On the other hand, the absence of words which translates to war or violent conflict means that the community values peace.

The presence of up to nine words that describe artists shows that the community loves creativity, innovation, and arts. The strong belief in books and the presence of up to four teams that translates to theatre further demonstrates the community_x0092_s love for knowledge and creative application of the same.

The community values its wild life. As a result, it mainly believes in conservation of various animal species as opposed to viewing the animals as mere source of food. This explains why the community does not have words for mutton, pork, and beef but have words which describing the animals.

_x000c_References

Indabawa, S., & Mpofu, S. (2006). The social context of adult learning in Africa. Hamburg: UNESCO Inst. for Education. Top of Form

Lynn, B. D., & Balber, L. G. (2007). The journey to parenthood: Myths, reality and what really matters. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing.

Bottom of Form