SEOUL: For members of an Indonesian tribe visiting Seoul for the first time, the winter cold was beyond belief, the high-tech gadgets seemed to come from another world yet the language was eerily similar. London Fletcher Jersey . Seoul city Mayor Oh Se-hoon and visiting students from the Indonesian Cia-Cia tribe look at Korean characters written in a language called Hangeul at The History of King Sejong pavilion in Seoul yesterday. [Agencies] South Korea had been a distant country, home to Samsung TVs for the 60,000 members of the Cia-Cia tribe until earlier this year when a Korean woman with a love for her countrys writing system convinced them to adapt the Korean script. The tribe, looking to preserve a fading language that had been passed down orally but not through writing, agreed and since then the tribe has won its way into the hearts of South Koreans, who have rewarded it with teachers, text books and aid. The odd linkage has been a linguistic coup for South Koreans, who celebrate the written language called Hangeul with a national holiday and see it as a defining element of a culture that has been for centuries in the shadow of neighbors China and Japan. Several tribe members arrived in Seoul this week for a tour of cultural sights, a brief introduction into the history of Hangeul and a session with mayor of the South Korean capital, Oh Se-hoon, where he pledged exchanges with the people living in and around a town called Bau Bau on the island of Buton. Its a little uncomfortable being here. I can read whats written but I cant understand it, Samsir, a teenage boy who began using Hangeul to study the Cia-Cia language a few months ago, said at the event with Mayor Oh. Something like parental pride filled the room at the event when Cia-Cia teenager Fitriana was called on to read a line in Korean. Middle-aged Korean men in suits mouthed the words as she read and broke into applause when she finished the sentence. Simple and elegant Hangeul, a simple yet elegant phonetic alphabet devised by Korean King Sejong about 600 years ago, in theory can be used to write words in almost any language but its limited number of vowel and consonant sounds can often lead to written words being only an approximation of another languages spoken words. The sounds of Cia-Cia language appear to work well with sounds that can be represented in Hangeul, linguists said. Lee Ho-young, a Seoul National University linguistics professor helped put together a Hangeul textbook that would help students in the tribe write their language. The reading part contains topics from the culture and history of the Cia-Cia and Bau Bau City. This is the first time there has been any written history in the language of the Cia-Cia, Lee said. The project to have the young write their language has met with some resistance from older Cia-Cia who feel it diminishes the tradition of handing down the language orally. Critics also see a bit of cultural imperialism. The South Korean government has tried to steer clear of funding the Cia-Cia due to these concerns. But that has not stopped writers on government websites proclaiming the Cia-Cia tribes move as a victory for Hangeul. The marriage between the Cia Cia and Hangeul was arranged in large part by Lee Ki-nam, who helped start a institute to celebrate Hangeul and says she is a direct descendant of the ancient king who invented the script. A professor at the institute told her many tribes in Indonesia do not have written languages and might be persuaded to use Hangeul. She was introduced to the Cia-Cia by the mayor of Bau Bau and went there last year and later worked out an agreement where the tribe would use the Korean text, she said. I felt that my mission to help them was to give them a written language, Lee said. Reuters Julio Jones Womens Jersey . Pierrick Martel scored twice as the Cataractes exploded for five third-period goals in under seven minutes on Saturday for a 7-3 victory over Drummondville. Clay Matthews Jersey. They also activated left-hander Jonny Venters from the DL and added right-hander Randall Delgado from Triple-A Gwinnett before Saturdays day-night doubleheader against Washington. London Fletcher Jersey .ca! Hey Darren, As a huge Oilers fan for a very long time, I have been patient and rather enjoyed watching this rebuild take shape. Michael Floyd Youth Jersey . Emery took full responsibilty for missing his second practice in a month on Monday, claiming to have gone to the wrong rink. Roddy White Jersey .Then, he waited for the results.Not so much for his time on the scoreboard — that was secondary. The real test came the following day when he climbed out of bed.DURHAM, N.C. — Joe Torre is returning to the dugout next year — to manage the United States at the World Baseball Classic. Torre, who turns 72 next month, guided the New York Yankees to four World Series championships and managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008-10. He is now Major League Baseballs Executive Vice-President for Baseball Operations. “I have been fortunate to have many different experiences throughout my career, but being a part of Team USA will be a first, and I am very excited about it,” Torre said in a statement released by USA Baseball on Thursday. The tournament begins with qualifiers in September and November of 2012, with the U.S. team starting up in March. Buck Martinez managed a U.S. team full of All-Stars to a sixth-place finish in the first WBC in 2006 and Davey Johnson led the U.S. squad into the semifinals in 2009. Johnson later returned to the majors to manage the Washington Nationals. Torre, who spent 29 managing in the big leagues, said he has no desire to follow Johnsons lead. “I dont miss it,” he said on a conference call. Donald Penn Jersey. . “I have no ambition to audition for another job.” Torre said he will keep his duties at MLB during the WBC. Part of Torres current job involves dealing with umpires. “Im going to have to be careful when I argue with umpires,” he kidded. “May have to bring them a drink of water.” Torre said he expected the U.S. roster to be a mix of veterans and younger players, without mentioning any players by name. Asked whether hed try to coax Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter into playing for him, Torre said, “Obviously, Derek is special.” Along with trying to win the tournament, Torre said he wanted to take all steps to prevent injuries. Some teams have been hesitant to let their stars participate in the WBC, worrying they could get hurt at a time when theyd normally be in spring training. “I was always skeptical when my players left me,” he said. Torre said his goal was to have the U.S. team players return to their clubs “in better shape” than when they exited. ‘ ‘ ‘
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