Social Science: Greeting. Research Paper Sample.

The greeting is an act that has been used by people from way back, greeting a person can either be formal or informal. Either way, a greeting is one of the social aspects that bring people together. The greeting is the genesis of all the happenings in human lives; it starts with a greeting before anything else follow. The greeting is a form of respect between people. In the 19th century, the greeting was used as a symbol of respect and that people who greet each other are in peace and harmony, therefore, we can judge that greeting is a sign of peace. In the 21st century, the greeting is still used as a symbol of peace and harmony; it is important to note that there is not a way that enemies will greet each other unless under duress from the third party. Analyzing and examining greeting from various societies and cultures, we find that the act is a symbol of peace and harmony in almost all the cultures globally.

Greeting of the 21st century has been accompanied by the success for many things; this is because people formalize and engage in business with a single greeting, ideas are shared when one greets the other, people tend to socialize and interact more when they are beginning the conversation with a greeting. Indeed greeting has been used to shape the society in the sense that it has brought people together, it has enhanced the levels of interaction, and it has also resulted in people living in peace with others. The greeting has formed a culture that every human being has become accustomed to such that it has resulted to coexistence among people.

According to Christian context, a greeting is considered a Christian act; this is because it leads to more conversation. Take for example the English version of greeting Hello or how are you? These words are a symbol of caring and concern especially according to Christian context. The same case applies to any society under any religion, they have different forms of greeting, and each society acknowledges their form of greeting. There is the greeting from elders to the young, and there is greeting from young to the elder. An analysis of different articles that depicts the importance of greeting and how it is perceived in society will help to understand the topic. These have been written with regards to how greetings have resulted to the current relation among people and business.

Walker, G., & Noda, M. (2000). Remembering the future: Compiling knowledge of another culture. Reflecting on the Past to Shape the Future, 187-212.Studying language is a wide aspect that requires the patience and time of the researcher. Language is one of communication tools that have enabled people to exist on this earth. Every society, nation or tribe has its language. However, there are common languages that people must master how to enhance the act of interaction diversely. Take for example English, which is a common language among different nations, English has almost been termed as the international language because it has enhanced communication among nations. Each nationality has its national language, but English has been used widely to complete the cycle of communication. The author elaborates on how language is the genesis for any discussion that takes place. It is emphasized that language is the basis for understanding and this will result in interaction, and the result will be a developed relation, be it business or social.

In regards to social science, it is important to understand how it has been used to shape human life. Social science involves the knowledge on peoples culture, language religion, beliefs, race and political opinions. All these factors shape the way in which people exist and relate to one another. The author term greeting as one of the social science aspects that relate to culture and language. Greeting carries heavy weight regarding interaction and reaching out to people, a language, on the other hand, enhances greetings. For example, the author highlights the issues that shape society, one of them being the language and how people respond to each other. A society that bears a common language will always have the same understanding of things that revolve around that particular society. Either way, the author also points out how language can divide people especially in regards to tribal background.

The author integrates how culture and greeting have been used as the basis for enhancing communication and relation in most parts of the world. The case study on students in Germany reflects on how immigrants learn the culture through involving themselves in the things that form and shapes the culture. The first steps towards learning people's culture are by identifying and mastering their form of greetings. Especially the formal greeting, this is essential as the author highlights it as the basis of getting to know and learn deeper into the language and hence the culture. The article asserts how greeting has connected many people especially those people who are exposed to the different set of cultures.

Duranti, A. (1997). Universal and Culture Specific Properties of Greetings. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 7(1), 63-97.

The greeting has its literature review where it gives an insight on how people came to acknowledge the act of greeting. It is expected of society to raise people to value aspects that shape them. One of these aspects is the greeting, the article gives and insight on the literature behind greeting, the author asserts on the many aspects that constitute a greeting. You find that in many societies, the form of greeting differs in the sense that each society has acknowledged certain words to be used during a greeting. The article analyses the different types of greeting across four cultures; this is where the mode of greeting, the words used and the expressions were examined to come up with the relation of a greeting towards people of certain society. From the results, the author asserts that greetings vary according to the mode, language used and the expressions that accompany. For example, one culture uses the mode of greeting through shakings hands while others use it through formal hugs. Greeting through word of mouth is acknowledged, however, it depends on the distance. Also, greeting varies with age as from the article; the young have their mode of greeting as compared to the old. The words used during reception also change with age, social status, educational background and the situation in which a greeting is used.

According to the author, addresses can be used to symbolize various social acts, hello for example is a symbol of greeting used globally, it has been used for the past years, it is accepted and understood by almost all cultures across the world as a greeting. The 21st-century form of address that is also acknowledged by most societies is the use of hi'.These two types of addresses are used globally. In the article, the author elaborates on how expressions would be employed together with greetings. When a greeting is accompanied with speech, either facial or bodily, it simplifies the fact that the people involved in the greeting share a secure attachment.

Ekman, P. (2004). Emotional and conversational nonverbal signals. In Language, knowledge, and representation (pp. 39-50). Springer Netherlands. According to research, some body movements are interpreted to be a form of greeting among cultures. The author of this article gives an insight on how the body movement is used by cultures globally to understand types of address and emotion. Take for example waving hands, in the European and African cultures, the wave of hands is the first sign language of a greeting; it has been used by most people, especially those who meet for the first time and are not sure about the handshake. They wave hands to greet each other. Nodding the head up and down is also another body movement that simplifies greeting accepted, and it is reciprocated back. The use of emotions and body movement has been associated with the disabled, especially the deaf and the blind.

The article reflects on the most commonly used sign language and how they relate to greetings. In response to any form of address, the article examines the body expressions that refer to greeting. Also, the article gives an insight on the importance of learning the body responses and how to interpret them for the better communication. There are different cultures that have different backgrounds on how certain things are perceived, greeting being the most important aspect of any society, the authors also highlights the various approaches to greeting and their meaning.