What does local mean and has its meaning changed?
             The word local is arguably quite difficult to define. Therefore the question of whether its meaning has changed is one that must be researched considerably. There are many things that we must consider before the question can be accurately answered if indeed it can be. It is possible that the meaning of local has changed over time for reasons I will discuss over the course of this essay. I will use the information I have gathered from other sources and endeavour to interpose with opinions formed concerning the subject in order to answer the question at hand.
             Perhaps to begin I should attempt to define the word local. The Oxford English dictionary defines local as, "Of or belonging to the neighbourhood" This I do not believe can fully explain what local is however. More realistic perhaps is the definition "only to be encountered in a particular place or places." Locality is something all people are aware of, or have an opinion on no matter what culture they come from, although it isn't easy to put into words. On putting the question to several people, words such as 'home' 'neighbourhood,' 'community' and 'native' were frequent. 'Home town' 'place of birth' and 'dwelling' were also common. One person quoted confidently that local was 'whatever is down the road, round the corner, or up the street.' People can often be misled when it comes to labelling the term locality. Indeed it can initially be defined in geographical terms. However, when looking deeper we can become aware that local is not just a sense of a place. Taking an anthropological perspective and by exploring the way that other cultures live, it can be said that locality is belonging to a confined group in which beliefs and practises are centralised in order to enable a community to function as a collective. Loca...