The historic Philistines (Hebrew פְּלְשְׁתִּים, plishtim; Arabic: فلسطين Filasṭīn, Falasṭīn) (see "other uses" below) were a people who invaded the southern coast of Canaan around the time of the arrival of the Israelites, their territory being named Philistia in later contexts. Their origin has been debated among scholars, but modern archaeology has suggested early cultural links with the Mycenean world in mainland Greece. Though the Philistines adopted local Canaanite culture and language before leaving any written texts, an Indo-European origin has been suggested for a handful of known Philistine words (See Philistine language). There is basis to the claim that the etymology of this word can be based on the Semitic word plishah (פְּלִישָׁה, meaning invasion).
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Philistinism is a derogatory term used to describe a particular attitude or set of values. A person called a Philistine (in the relevant sense), is said to despise or undervalue art, beauty, intellectual content, and/or spiritual values. Philistines are also said to be materialistic, to favor conventional social values unthinkingly, and to favor forms of art that have a cheap and easy appeal (e.g. kitsch).Comment
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Kitsch /kɪtʃ/ is a term of German origin that has been used to categorize art that is considered an inferior copy of an existing style. The term is also used more loosely in referring to any art that is pretentious to the point of being in bad taste, and also commercially produced items that are considered trite or crass.Comment
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The German language (Deutsch, [dɔʏ̯tʃ] (help·info)) is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. German is closely related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 100 million native speakers and another 20 million non-native speakers, and Standard German is widely taught in schools and universities in Europe. Worldwide, German accounts for the most written translations into and from a language (Guinness Book of Records). German is the 3rd most commonly spoken language in U.S. homes. (2000 U.S. Census)Comment
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English is a West Germanic language originating in England, and the first language for most people in Australia, Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (also commonly known as the Anglosphere). It is used extensively as a second language and as an official language throughout the world, especially in Commonwealth countries such as India, Pakistan and South Africa, and in many international organisations.Comment
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An official language is a language that is given a unique legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. It is typically the language used in a nation's legislative bodies, though the law in many nations requires that government documents be produced in other languages as well.
Official languages are sometimes not the same as the medium of instruction and so, the two are not interchangeable.Comment
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Medium of instruction is the language that is used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the territory.
[edit] Mediums of instruction in different countries and regions are:Comment
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In Australia, most schools use English.Comment
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In Belarus, Russian is used since the government closed all Belarusian language high schools.
In Belgium, French and Dutch (and German in some parts of Brussels) are used.Comment
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In Canada, English (or French in Quebec) is the medium in most schools, but Inuit languages are used in the north. See French immersionComment
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