Cross-cultural Communication: Arab and Welsh students’ use of Facebook
by Gwen Bouvier
Co-authored with Wail A. Barry, published in Journal of Arab and Muslim Media Research, 4(2-3): 159-178
This study focuses on the major sociocultural attributes of communication via Facebook in two different geographical... more
This study focuses on the major sociocultural attributes of communication via Facebook in two different geographical settings. It identifies cross-cultural differences among two different student cohorts in the UAE and the UK.
Sociocultural specificities were addressed by means of quantitative surveying complemented by qualitative interviewing. The social information processing (SIP) theory and Geert Hofstede theory of ‘cultural dimensions’ represented the
epistemological framework for the study.
The findings indicate that although the users shared similar responses in terms of their preferences and uses, the study shows that they differ in certain key points related to online behaviour and communication modes (e.g. preferences for contacting friends), conceptualization of Facebook (an extension to university life or a portal to the world) and issues of privacy (expressing oneself openly). These deviations reflect
essentially a cultural dissimilarity, which is a core point of the study.
Communication scholars are encouraged to study the research implications of new media, especially regarding differences in culture, as it represents a new avenue in the genre of media studies.
Download (.pdf) "Déofles Cræftum ond Dracan Fellum": Grendel’s "Glóf" and Early Welsh Tradition
Accepted for publication in "The Heroic Age."
Thought to derive from motifs in Scandinavian mythology, Grendel’s "glóf" (l. 2085b) is paralleled by a... more Thought to derive from motifs in Scandinavian mythology, Grendel’s "glóf" (l. 2085b) is paralleled by a similar object in the Middle Welsh "Mabinogion." Comparison with the function of magical vessels in Celtic tradition reveals the "glóf" as an object that tests kingly sovereignty.
Wales, Identity and Cultural Modernization
Contemporary Wales, Volume 18, Number 1, March 2006 , pp. 156-166(11)
William Housley
Abstract:
During the course of this article I explore the concept of cultural modernization and identity... more
Abstract:
During the course of this article I explore the concept of cultural modernization and identity as it relates to Wales. Culture has become central to policy and rhetoric associated with regeneration and renewal. Through the case example of the visual arts I argue that the process of cultural modernization is characterized by two principal tensions. The article outlines some of the characteristics of these tensions and considers the possibilities of overcoming these tensions in the future. The article argues that the shape and character of cultural modernization is crucial to forging and forming cultural identity and provides the 'raw materials' for the emerging cultural dimensions of citizenship in post-devolution Wales. The article concludes by arguing that 'publics' are key to promoting a form of cultural modernization and identity that is not only regenerative but also, in the last analysis, emancipatory and inclusive.
Welsh-language provision on party websites during the 2010 UK General Election
Cunliffe, D. Information Polity, 16 (2), 2011: 151-170
The internet is now an important element of most political parties' communication strategies during elections. While... more
The internet is now an important element of most political parties' communication strategies during elections. While online communication might be claimed to enable smaller parties and marginal voices to compete more effectively with major parties, it might also enable minority languages to challenge the existing dominance of majority languages in traditional political communication.
This paper explores Welsh-language provision on the websites of the 18 parties which fielded candidates in Wales during the 2010 UK General Election. Three websites making bilingual provision are examined in greater detail, considering the Welsh-language experience in terms of information seeking tasks, the use of web2.0 and resource generation.
Overall the provision of regional information relating to Wales and of Welsh-language material has remained remarkably static since the last General Election in 2005. It appears that only parties which regularly contest seats in Wales make regional provision and that Welsh-language provision is limited to those parties who have websites specifically orientated to Wales. The Welsh language does not appear to have been a priority in terms of online political communication for most of the parties campaigning in Wales during the General Election. Even on those sites making a bilingual provision, the quality, timeliness and extent of the Welsh-language experience varied considerably.
Keywords
Political parties, website, general election, Wales, language, Cymraeg
Mind Your P’s and Q’s: Revisiting the Insular Celtic hypothesis through working towards an original phonetic reconstruction of Insular Celtic
Senior Thesis in Linguistics at Swarthmore College.
This is the revised version of the thesis, following defenses and honors defenses.
Mac, mac, mac, mab, mab, mab- all mean ‘son’, inis, innis, hinjey, enez, ynys, enys - all mean ‘island.’ Anyone can... more Mac, mac, mac, mab, mab, mab- all mean ‘son’, inis, innis, hinjey, enez, ynys, enys - all mean ‘island.’ Anyone can see the similarities within these two cognate sets from orthographic similarity alone. This is because Irish, Scottish, Manx, Breton, Welsh, and Cornish are related. As the six remaining Celtic languages, they unsurprisingly share similarities in their phonetics, phonology, semantics, morphology, and syntax. However, the exact relationship between these languages and their predecessors has long been disputed in Celtic linguistics. Even today, the battle continues between two firmly-entrenched camps of scholars- those who favor the traditional P-Celtic and Q-Celtic divisions of the Celtic family tree, and those who support the unification of the Brythonic and Goidelic branches of the tree under Insular Celtic, with this latter idea being the Insular Celtic hypothesis. While much reconstructive work has been done, and much evidence has been brought forth, both for and against the existence of Insular Celtic, no one scholar has attempted a phonetic reconstruction of this hypothesized proto-language from its six modern descendents. In the pages that follow, I will introduce you to the Celtic languages; explore the controversy surrounding the structure of the Celtic family tree; and present a partial phonetic reconstruction of Insular Celtic through the application of the comparative method as outlined by Lyle Campbell (2006) to self-collected data from the summers of 2009 and 2010 in my efforts to offer you a novel perspective on an on-going debate in the field of historical Celtic linguistics.
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How Narrow is Narrowcasting? Are regional dialects standardised for national TV?
by Dave Sayers
This paper is about the representation of minorities in mass media, and the tension between fully representing the... more This paper is about the representation of minorities in mass media, and the tension between fully representing the diversity of that group and remaining accessible to the widest possible audience. The case study is the Welsh-language soap opera Pobol Y Cwm, and whether the regional dialects of Welsh are ‘toned down’ to ensure comprehensibility for all Welsh speakers. The first aim of the article is to bring language into the discussion of how minorities are represented in Public Service Broadcasting (PSB). A second and more general aim is to open up a frame for further research into the tensions that arise in representing local diversity and harnessing national/group identity. As a contribution to the sociology of globalisation, this article will be looking for a middle ground between the totalising ‘McDonaldisation’ thesis – where all cultural diversity is eradicated – and equally strong counterclaims about the vigorous reassertion of diversity (e.g. Katz and Liebes, 1990). I argue that neither is correct, and that we are facing a much more gradual and incipient erosion of cultural diversity as local minority cultures are packaged in global media forms; and that this must be understood as a constant ongoing process with a historical trajectory, not an end point that is ever ‘reached’ – either by total homogenisation or by persistent diversity. The case of local dialects in PSB therefore serves as an exemplar of the limitations in showcasing diversity within minorities in mass media.
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UK Devolution and Constituency Association Adaptation in Scotland and Wales
by Royce Koop
Published in `Representation'
The constituency associations of the UK’s national parties have played important roles in those parties’... more The constituency associations of the UK’s national parties have played important roles in those parties’ organisational adaptations to devolution in Scotland and Wales. What we lack, however, is an analytical framework to describe and account for the development of these associations in multi-level contexts. This paper presents such a framework. I develop a continuum of constituency associations that ranges between unitary and separated archetypes, with associations’ placements determined by national-regional linkages through structures, personnel, resources, and activities. The paper concludes by outlining the organisational, political, and institutional influences that shape constituency associations’ adaptation to devolution.
Promoting minority-language use in a bilingual online community
Cunliffe, D. and Harries, R. The New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia, 11 (2), 2005: 157-179.
This paper explores the potential for creating online environments for bilingual communities in which... more This paper explores the potential for creating online environments for bilingual communities in which minority-language use is supported and actively encouraged. It discusses the language behaviour and attitudes of Welsh-English bilingual users in Pen i Ben, a pilot online community of practice for Head Teachers in Wales. The patterns of language use and the functional roles served by the languages are described. Despite the creation of a bilingual environment and the implementation of specific strategies to encourage Welsh use, the trend indicates increasing use of English. However, it is suggested that a wider set of supporting strategies might be successful in maintaining a truly bilingual online community.
Party political web sites and minority languages: some initial observations from Wales
Cunliffe, D. In: proceedings of the 5th international conference on Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication (CATaC 2006), F. Sudweeks, H. Hrachovec and C Ess (Eds.), Tartu, Estonia, 2006: 696-701.
In a bilingual society, such as that in Wales, web sites may act as a positive influence for the maintenance and... more In a bilingual society, such as that in Wales, web sites may act as a positive influence for the maintenance and revitalisation of the minority language, or may serve to exclude and marginalise that language. This paper examines the extent to which a Welsh language provision was made on the web sites of political parties contesting Welsh seats in the 2005 General Election. Despite some Welsh language provision, the overall conclusion is that the Welsh language was highly marginalised, even on those sites targeted specifically at voters in Wales.
The Blogiadur - a community of Welsh-language bloggers
Cunliffe, D. and Honeycutt, C. In: proceedings of the 6th international conference on Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication (CATaC 2008), F. Sudweeks, H. Hrachovec and C Ess (Eds.), Nimes, France, 2008: 230-244.
The internet provides opportunities for the emergence of online minority language communities. These communities can... more The internet provides opportunities for the emergence of online minority language communities. These communities can provide minority language speakers with a regular source of minority language content, but can also empower speakers to become active producers of such content. This paper presents findings from a study of the Blogiadur – a Welsh-language blog aggregator – its history, the blogs it aggregates and the people who write them. The data gathered includes demographic data about the bloggers; general characteristics about the blogs; and blog activity. The paper considers whether there is evidence for the existence of a community of Welsh-language bloggers within the Blogiadur and beyond.
Welsh-language provision on party web sites during the 2007 Welsh Assembly election
Cunliffe, D. Aslib Proceedings, 60 (3), 2008: 199-215.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of Welsh-language provision on the websites of political... more
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of Welsh-language provision on the websites of political parties contesting the 2007 Welsh Assembly elections.
Design/methodology/approach – Expert inspection was carried out on the websites of 18 of the 19 parties contesting the election. Goal-directed walkthroughs were conducted on four websites judged to be making a bilingual provision.
Findings – Overall the Welsh language was highly marginalised. While Welsh-language elements were identified on 10 of the 18 websites, only four websites attempted to make a bilingual provision. On three of these, a user intending to interact with the website through the medium of Welsh would still encounter English language content and/or navigation. Only one website offered a fully Welsh-language experience.
Research limitations/implications – This paper only considers the websites of political parties and presents only a high level analysis. It does not consider the impact of Welsh-language provision on the electorate.
Originality/value – This is the first paper to systematically examine Welsh-language provision on party websites during elections for the National Assembly for Wales. In contrast to many studies of election-related Internet activity in the UK, it considers a regional election rather than a UK general election.
Keywords National Assembly for Wales, Elections, Welsh, Worldwide Web, Political parties, Internet
Paper type Research paper
The use of the Welsh language on Facebook: an initial investigation
Honeycutt, C. and Cunliffe, D. Information, Communication and Society, 13 (2), 2010: 226-248.
The existence of many minority languages is threatened by language shift, whereby the community of speakers moves to... more
The existence of many minority languages is threatened by language shift, whereby the community of speakers moves to using the majority language in place of the minority language. Social network sites such as Facebook might be important environments for minority language maintenance, as networks of strong ties may help speakers resist pressures towards language shift. However, to date, there has been little research that investigates this aspect of minority languages' online presence. This paper presents an initial examination of the current use of the Welsh language on Facebook.
The paper introduces a method for sampling the network of groups being used by a language community, based on the 'Related Groups' information within Facebook group profiles. Basic information is presented about the use of Welsh in Facebook groups, including membership numbers, the range of topics, and the levels of activity. Visualizations of the network reveal a small number of popular central groups playing a significant role in connecting the community. The successive removal of central groups results in a relatively sparsely connected network and reveals a number of geographical neighbourhood and topic-specific sub-networks. The use of Welsh on personal profiles is also examined, as are the demographics of Welsh speakers on Facebook.
The results of this examination provide evidence that suggests that the use of the Welsh language has been normalized to some extent within Facebook and that the language has established an active presence on Facebook groups and profiles.
Keywords: social network sites; language; bilingual; Facebook; Welsh; Cymraeg