The fifth anniversary forum “Language, Culture, Communication”, has taken place with over 100 participants. “The flexible format of this event every year becomes a great opportunity to share ideas and discuss issues of concern. It is very important that in today’s world of complex events, there is room for language, culture and communication. I would like to thank the organisers of the forum – Renata Sedliorienė, Head of the Language Centre of the Faculty of Arts and Education, Dr. Inga Valentinienė, Head of the Academy of Arts of the Faculty of Arts and Education, Viktorija Navickiene, Head of the Department of Communication at the Kaunas University of Applied Sciences of Business and the moderator of the forum, Milda Rutkauskaite,” said Jolanta Bareikienė, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Education, as she announced the start of the forum.
Language codes
The forum was opened by Dr Rima Jasnauskaitė, Associate Professor at Kaunas University of Applied Sciences Language Centre, together with Asta Pukiene, Lecturer at the Language Centre, with a presentation “Cultural codes in language: to decode or ignore?”. Language, culture and communication are the elements that are inseparable from the modern person who wants to see the full picture of the world around them, which is constantly changing. “The interaction and indivisibility of language, culture and communication is of utmost importance for an educated person,” emphasised Dr. R. Jasnauskaitė. The presentation explained the different origins of cultural codes (allusions): historical (e.g.: he built the Berlin Wall between them), religious (e.g.: he behaves like a Good Samaritan), mythological (e.g.: why are you looking at me with the eyes of Argo?), cultural (e.g.: he became like Picasso), and introduced the functions of cultural codes – intertextuality, interpersonality, metatextuality, intertextuality, intratextuality, communication. “Is it possible to “crack” all cultural codes? Different social groups of people have their own arsenal of cultural codes, so it is impossible to know the codes of all groups. In addition, the geopolitical situation, scientific and artistic achievements encourage the emergence of new cultural codes, which is why they are constantly changing,” said Dr. R. Jasnauskaitė.
In her presentation, A. Pukienė asked whether cultural codes are often used in contemporary life? To find the answers, a research was carried out, the main aim of which was to find cultural codes in the articles of The Economist weekly, which were translated into Lithuanian and published in IQ Life magazine, to find out which solutions were available – direct translation, standardisation or localisation (adapting it to the language into which it is being translated), supplementation or clarification (expanding the cultural code being translated, explaining it and helping to better understand the context), substitution (when trying to find an equivalent in the native language) – the translator brings to the table when translating them. Language codes are very common, and the search for them is infectious, as the recognition and deciphering of codes is not only intellectually enriching but also gives positive emotions.
Communication of values
Forum programme continued with a presentation on “Communicating values in the new reality: is it worth it?” by Karolina Barišauskienė, a member of the Council of the Lithuanian Communication Association, founder and head of the social communication agency “Educative communication”, lecturer at Kaunas University of Applied Sciences. “What is value communication and how do we understand it? – rhetorically asked the lecturer of Kaunas University of Applied Sciences. – In the general field of communication, there are two periods: before and after the pandemic. Before the pandemic, the role of the manager in the organisation, to establish certain values, was very important. After the pandemic, when Russia started its war against Ukraine, the values of the organisation started to be dictated by society.” This has also influenced the rewriting of traditional communication rules and the development of new forms of communication. “It becomes important for organisations how their companies react to the current situation, which leads to a re-evaluation of values. Uniqueness, good value for money are no longer priorities. Organisations need to respect the values of their audiences, as ignoring them can have a negative impact on employee loyalty and lead to financial losses,” said K. Barišauskienė. But does values-based communication pay off, or should we return to value for money? According to the lecturer, the leaders of organisations are starting to look more deeply into values because they have seen that, especially in the case of war, there is no middle ground. In the context of war, an organisation has to take a strong values-based approach to both communication and customer relations.
Lithuanian language
Aurelija Baniulaitienė, the public relations representative of the State Lithuanian Language Commission (SLLC), presented a paper “Lithuanian is still in fashion”. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the status of the state language. “For the state language, is it a little or a lot? – A. Baniulaitienė asked the forum participants. – Lithuanian has had an interesting and bumpy road. It is archaic and complex, but at the same time, it is a modern world language, adapted to express all the issues of today.” Today’s people travel a lot, study or settle abroad, use technology, and this has an impact on the frequent use of English, resulting in the use of Anglicisms.
“Translingualism is also an emerging issue. A development of a specific language of social networks”, listed the PR officer of the SLLC, underlining that the language spoken and written a hundred years ago and the one we use today are very different. Why is language changing so fast? Because it is determined by us – its users. “We are very creative. You can see this by looking at the Lithuanian New Words Database, which is constantly being updated. It records how the language is evolving, how new terms and concepts are being created,” said A. Baniulaitienė, noting that the words in the dictionary are not classified as standard lexis, but they show that there are no limits to human creativity.
The power of language
The forum programme continued with a presentation “Going through the Walls” by Ida Daiva Povilaitė, lecturer and practitioner in creative writing and communication, author of the novel “Homo Office”. Language as a tool”. “Language has the power to change society – to liberate it or to capture it, to expand it or to maintain it”, said the lecturer and practitioner. But for a language to gain this power, it must have an idea. “When people communicate, they create images in each other’s minds, i.e. further ideas to be implemented. With these ideas, we can ‘walk through walls’. This fact is confirmed by the strongest leaders, who have made excellent use of the phenomenon of language”, said I. D. Povilaitė. World leaders have been able to reach the masses with their speeches because their speeches all had one very important component – a reference to a better future. ” The speeches of the leaders are full of hope and inspiration, reflecting and creating a new reality. Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ or Winston Churchill’s ‘We Shall Never Surrender’ are perfect examples,” said Ms Povilaitė.
A tool that can change reality
Gytis Dovydaitis, PhD student and lecturer at Vytautas Magnus University, lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EAA), media specialist and researcher, introduced the participants of the forum to sigils (Latin: sigillium), memes, and what they have in common. Sigilism is one of the simplest and most effective forms of magic. Modern sigils, which are created by people, can have a physical or virtual form, or exist simply in the mind. The verbal method of creating sigils is one of the most popular, but the visual and mantric methods are not far behind. “The sigil acts as a key to the human subconscious. It is a symbol to which each of us can give our own meanings. The more attention a sigil attracts, the more powerful it becomes,” Dovydaitis explained, stressing that not only individuals but also groups of people can concentrate on one sigil.
Examples of sigils are memes, where the power of memes lies in the fact that anyone can fill them with their own thoughts. In linking memes to sigils, the media specialist and researcher used the example of Pepe the Frog, the much-copied, imitated, popular culture icon. “In the 2016 US presidential election, Pepe impersonated Donald Trump and became a symbol of hate with unexpected effects. Pepe can be interpreted as a manifestation of reality. It cannot be said that the frog led to Trump’s victory, but it certainly contributed to it. The face of a politician has become more important than what he says,” said Dovydaitis, “memes are a tool that can change reality. They create an effect and normalise the craziest ideas that are implanted and disseminated in societies in order to shift their thinking in a certain direction.”
A social initiative that has become a news portal
The anniversary forum was closed by Vaidas Pilkauskas, the founder and head of the portal “Kas vyksta Kaune” (What’s Happening in Kaunas), who gave a presentation on “The Most Popular Kaunas News Portal “What’s Happening in Kaunas” – How was this project born?”. “What’s Happening in Kaunas” is a social initiative that started on the Facebook platform and has grown into a portal that today reaches an audience of 30,000 readers in one hour. The most popular articles on the portal receive up to 100,000 views. Today, “What’s Happening in Kaunas” is among the 15 most popular portals in Lithuania. However, “What’s on in Kaunas” also faces some problems. “It is not easy to get information from governmental institutions, it is difficult to attract young, enthusiastic people to work on the portal, and our financial resources have limits”, – said V. Pilkauskas. But despite the difficulties, the portal remains popular and is proud to have received an award for its unpaid work for Kaunas.
We thank the speakers who provided insights that sparked curiosity and broadened the horizons of forum participants.
Organisers of the forum:
the Language Centre of the Faculty of Arts and Education of Kaunas University of Applied Sciences, the Academy of Arts of the Faculty of Arts and Education of Kaunas University of Applied Sciences, the Department of Communication of the Faculty of Business of Kaunas University of Applied Sciences.
