Save the Ainu language

Brief Background
Region: Asia
Country: Japan
Speakers: 15 in Japan
Ethnic population: 15,000 in Japan

People and Culture
This language is one of the dialects spoken in Hokkaido, one of the islands of Japan. It is one of the nineteen dialects spoken on the same island. It is classified as an isolated language and it is not as if people are dying who speak it. Over time people who spoke the language in it's pure form are old and dying since it originated in 1897. But the language itself isn't disappearing it is just being adopted into regular Japanese. Over time it has evolved to become more and more like Japanese and it evolving to be the same as the main language. The dialects are not needed anymore since people find it easier to get from island to mainland and need to be able to communicate.
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ain

Why save the Ainu language?
They write in Katakana script which is very important to understand for the people of Japan and the islands. It is true to Japanese culture, and all of  the historical documents and ancient sources are written in Katakana. It is still being taught in schools but more people are finding a simpler writing system and learning different languages such as english and mandarin for business and trading purposes.
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ain
https://www.google.com/search?q=katakana+script&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=SmdXT47YJ8Ls0gG2sqDlDw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CA0Q_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=667

Image
This is an example of the Katakana language that they are taught how to use when writing their names.

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=fwO5DMW6LYwvOM:&imgrefurl=http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/feb/06/learn-japanese-script-katakana&docid=KrJUYhhxw6ekBM&imgurl=http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Travel/Pix/countries/2010/2/3/1265213511042/Japanese-script-table-kat-001.jpg&w=460&h=521&ei=UGdXT-r4Debn0QGcis3WDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=375&vpy=134&dur=3916&hovh=239&hovw=211&tx=108&ty=127&sig=107986745431102092791&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=126&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0


http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=_Z23anxeErwlFM:&imgrefurl=http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japanmaps/l/blmap.htm&docid=OUsULQU4tW2cMM&imgurl=http://0.tqn.com/d/gojapan/1/0/e/D/japanmap.gif&w=332&h=340&ei=f2pXT73DNKrL0QGA0MHhDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=345&vpy=171&dur=6365&hovh=227&hovw=222&tx=156&ty=66&sig=107986745431102092791&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=130&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0



  http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=VGK-zxjzOYnK1M:&imgrefurl=http://www.geosymbols.org/World/Hokkaido/Flag&docid=UZSrQQ4yvUNIpM&imgurl=http://www.geobop.org/images/GS/flags/world/eur/jpn/300/hok.png&w=300&h=200&ei=tmpXT7DuCsbv0gG7gtTfDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=927&vpy=202&dur=405&hovh=160&hovw=240&tx=63&ty=76&sig=107986745431102092791&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=173&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0

Symbols in Language

1. What is(are) the cultural origin(s) of the symbol? 
2. Describe the knowledge portrayed by the symbol.
3. Is the symbol emotive, ambiguous or vague? 
4. What are the problems of knowledge you identify for the symbol?

1) This symbol originates from ancient Egypt, is a symbol that represented the goddess of life and death who was known as Hathor. It was said she used it to create life. Is sometimes known as the key to the Nile. 

2)  The symbol represents a goddess  of life but later on in Egypt it became associated with the Pharaoh's physician Imkotep who died and was made a god of medicine, so it is also associated with medicine in Egypt. It means healing or life. Today is is associated with pharmaceutics companies.

3)The symbol is ambiguous because it once represented both life an death, but it is also emotive since it can be taken in a very positive, or a very negative way.   

4)Problems of knowledge could be not knowing what the symbol meant. Or it could be assuming that since the symbol is also called the "Key of the Nile" that it represents the river instead of medicine or the goddess Hathor. 

Thought and language

Is it possible to think without language?  How does language facilitate, extend, direct or limit thinking?

It is not possible to have a conscious organized thought without language but it is possible to think or at least it is possible to make connections between things. Babies are the best example of this because babies are able to learn although there is no evidence and no way that they can actually be born already speaking and understanding one language. Thought is a very complicated thing and I think that language is required in order to have a complex thought like “I am hungry I think I will have dinner now what do I need to do in order to find food?”  but before language was created the human species did survive without it instead of thinking he complex phrase above they might have seen food, felt hunger and eaten it. They were able to make the connection between their feelings of hunger and the food that would make it go away without thinking about it. I think that language does facilitate more thoughts and it definitely helps direct and organize thought. How well you are able to speak a language is related to how complicated and direct your thoughts will become. When I am speaking English and thinking in English I can be deep and complicated and have organized thought processes. But when I am in French or Latin class I find myself speaking in more simple phrases and even thinking more simplistically. I think that as the complexity of language increased the mental capacity of our species also expanded.
wors count: 242

Exploring Counter claims

The article I chose was the article about the three strikes law in California about repeat offenders. One counter claim that could be made is that people all deserve a second chance and people make mistakes, but the same argument could be made for a serial killer or a terrorist. If you don’t want to go to prison then don’t commit the crime. “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime”. Another argument that can be made in defense of the criminals is that they were addicted to drugs and they did it to feed their addiction. People don’t need to commit crimes, I am sure that there are people who had problems with drugs that never had to revert to illegal extracurricular activities, it is an addiction but if you had to steal to feed it then the addiction isn’t worth it. Besides a drug addict isn’t forced to take the drug, they made the decision or choice to use drugs either without considering the consequences or they knew what would happen and they are just reaping what they sow, but ignorance and disregard for their personal welfare are not justifiable excuses for violating another citizens constitutional rights. In America every single citizen has the right to life, property, and the pursuit of happiness, someone who violates that is breaking the law and should be punished. If they do it once a normal punishment is acceptable I guess but if they do it again and again it is wrong to let them go, it wasn’t their things they stole they had no right to those things but they took them any way.   

Reasons as a way of knowing: Logical Fallacies

Appeal to Pity:
When a person attempts to create pity for teh argument instead of adding another claim. Pity does not serve as evidence for a claim. "1+1=46 because I'm dying."
Slippery Slope:
When a person says something must happen after the first event without any evidence and they continue making concluding claims that do not inevitably follow the first claim even though they are presented to be supportive. "You have to get an A+ on your report card or you'll be working at McDonalds for the rest of your life and be miserable."
Appeal to authority:
This is when something is assumed to be true just because the person making the claim is supposed to be an expert. "Sara knows all about fashion therefore if she is wearing socks and sandals they must be in fashion."
Appeal to fear:
When someone makes a claim intended to induce fear then makes a supporting claim that must be true because it is generally related. "You had better admit that God is real, if you do not then you will suffer in Hell."
Red Herring:
A.K.A wild goose chase, smoke screen. This is when another topic is introduced into the discussion in order to distract away from the original claim, it is a way to win by redirecting the course of the discussion with a red herring. ""We admit that this measure is popular but we urge you to note that there are so many bond issues on this ballot that the whole thing is getting ridicules.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc:
A.K.A False cause, questionable cause.An argument saying that because something happened first then the thing that happened after it was because of that thing even if the two are not related. "I first kissed James in first grade, now I'm pregnant with Cory's baby in 12th grade."
Upload the link(I hope I did this right)
Obama Ad Seven:
This is an example of the fallacy appealing to pity or appealing to fear. They are saying because John McCaine has seven houses that he will not be able to do anything about the housing crisis. They make you feel bad for the young child living in a small house then blame John McCaine even though the two aren't really related, they also introduce fear in order to make people afraid for their belongings in order to make people more willing to listen to their claims and under supported conclusion.
http://www.fallacydetective.com/news/read/fallacies-from-obama-and-mccain