Language Blog
Part 1: You were asked to engage in a conversation for 15 minutes where you were not allowed to use
any version of a symbolic language (no speaking, writing, or ASL).
This passed weekend, I sat down with my mom and explained this experiment to her. She understood what was going on, but that did not stop her from asking me so many questions throughout the experiment. This would have been a lot easier if the questions during the experiment involved more "yes" or "no" answers. Since at this point in the experiment we were not allowed to use language (spoken or written) nodding "yes" or "no" to questions is a lot easier. None the less I would have to say this part was not too difficult. A conversation for 15 minutes was possible.
My mom seemed to be unamused, at first. As stated before she was asking so many questions that were not easy to answer. Also during this time she would take breaks and think about what to say next. I answered all her questions which I personally thought were good answers, for someone who could only use hand signs, body language, and non-verbal vocalization. After about 6 minutes into the experiment she did alter her way of communicating with me because of my absence of symbolic communication. She began to understand that it was easier to carry the conversation with questions that I could nod "yes" or "no." Also she began to read my face a lot more and understand when I was confused on what she was saying. I knew she knew because she would rephrase it. Also she began to understand when I was agreeing or disagreeing to something she was saying.
From this experiment, I personally believe the culture that has the advantage would be the non-speaking culture. Between my mother and I, the person that had to alter their way of communicating was her. I understood everything she was saying. I understood how she felt about certain things and I understood what she was expecting of me. On the other hand, it was not as easy for her to understand what I was trying to say. It took some time before she could hold onto a conversation with me. Although it did take some time, it was not long before we could have a decent conversation. The speaking culture could get frustrated with the culture that does not use symbolic language. All together the speaking culture could push away the other culture and globally that could cause some harm to the non-speaking culture.
Although ASL is a form of communication, it is still difficult for those who use it to have a conversation with people who are unaware of ASL and use verbal communication. I am first hand on this because I work with people that use ASL and sometimes it is hard to carry on a conversation.
Part 2: You were asked to spend 15 minutes communicating without any physical embellishments, i.e., no hand signals, not vocal intonation, not head, facial, or body movements.
The second part of this experiment was to hold on to a 15 minute conversation with the use of language, but without physical embellishments. I would say this part of the experiment was more difficult than the first part. Without actually realizing it, the use of physical embellishments (hand signals, body movements, etc) are so important to me when it comes to having a conversation. I thought this part would be easier than part 1 because here I was able to use verbal communication. First of all, I was not able to carry on a full 15 minute conversation with my mom without messing up and using either my hands and especially my eyebrows (facial expressions) while speaking. This experiment was difficult because the need to use my body was always there. The use of body language allows more emphasis on what you are trying to say. Without being able to do this, the conversation was turning into a boring, dull one.
In this part of the experiment my mom was affected by my communication limitations. It was hard to tell what type of emotion I was trying to convey. At one point, something my mom said was funny, but I tried to hold that emotion in and therefore instead it looked as if I were upset or did not find the joke entertaining. Other than using hand gestures or face expression, the need to change my tone voice was a necessity. It sounded like I was upset the entire time. Although my mom knew what the rules were for the experiment, she still did not find it entertaining that I looked mad or sounded mad.
It is very important to incorporate non-speech language techniques in order to communicate effectively. Sometimes the use of our bodies can having a full on conversation, as proven in part 1. Being able to use gestures gives the person whom you are speaking to a second chance to understand what you are trying to say to them. Language can sometimes not be enough, sometimes that point to the object in which you are talking about, is necessary. Not everyone you come across will have the same spoken language as you. It is very important to have a way to communicate with someone even if it may be some what difficult. Gestures, especially when someone is not verbal, can give you an answer to what they need or want. An example I have, is in my job. Other than co-workers who use ASL, I work with taking care of special need adults. All these adults do not have verbal communications. Some of these individuals rely on gestures, such as when it is time for lunch, you point to the fridge and their food.
I would say there are people who have difficulty reading body language. There are people that pass right by it. Since our world has evolved to online, social media, it can be difficult to understand how someone else is actually feeling. Although, I believe this is true, I also say that being able to use body language and being able to read body language is superior (at times) than spoken language. For the most part everyone understands gestures, hand signs, and facial expressions. This is more international than the English language or any other language for that matter and therefore this is an adaptive benefit.
Part 3: There is a third component of language which we did not test in this experiment, and that is the importance of written language.
I do think that the experiment in part 1 would have been easier if I had been permitted to use written language. In many ways, written language and verbal language are very similar and since we were allowed to use gestures in part 1, things would have been interpreted better. There would have been less confusion on what I was trying to say to my mom. My mom would have a better understanding to my answers to her questions. Also there could have been a more complex conversation, rather than small talk, which I felt my mother and I did in the first part. Written language allows for a "forever." In other words, you may say something now, but change your words later. If you write something on paper, it is permanent and there is not a need to rephrase it, it will be right in front of you word for word. So I say the advantage of written language has to culture is that it can stand for a very long time, for years to come. With that being said, because of the ability to write things down we have history. We know what happened plenty of years ago and that is an impact written language had on the spread of ideas. There was a time when stories were passed down verbally and in the future years, those stories were told differently. Now we do not have to worry about that since words can be written into a book and read straight from it.
This passed weekend, I sat down with my mom and explained this experiment to her. She understood what was going on, but that did not stop her from asking me so many questions throughout the experiment. This would have been a lot easier if the questions during the experiment involved more "yes" or "no" answers. Since at this point in the experiment we were not allowed to use language (spoken or written) nodding "yes" or "no" to questions is a lot easier. None the less I would have to say this part was not too difficult. A conversation for 15 minutes was possible.
My mom seemed to be unamused, at first. As stated before she was asking so many questions that were not easy to answer. Also during this time she would take breaks and think about what to say next. I answered all her questions which I personally thought were good answers, for someone who could only use hand signs, body language, and non-verbal vocalization. After about 6 minutes into the experiment she did alter her way of communicating with me because of my absence of symbolic communication. She began to understand that it was easier to carry the conversation with questions that I could nod "yes" or "no." Also she began to read my face a lot more and understand when I was confused on what she was saying. I knew she knew because she would rephrase it. Also she began to understand when I was agreeing or disagreeing to something she was saying.
From this experiment, I personally believe the culture that has the advantage would be the non-speaking culture. Between my mother and I, the person that had to alter their way of communicating was her. I understood everything she was saying. I understood how she felt about certain things and I understood what she was expecting of me. On the other hand, it was not as easy for her to understand what I was trying to say. It took some time before she could hold onto a conversation with me. Although it did take some time, it was not long before we could have a decent conversation. The speaking culture could get frustrated with the culture that does not use symbolic language. All together the speaking culture could push away the other culture and globally that could cause some harm to the non-speaking culture.
Although ASL is a form of communication, it is still difficult for those who use it to have a conversation with people who are unaware of ASL and use verbal communication. I am first hand on this because I work with people that use ASL and sometimes it is hard to carry on a conversation.
Part 2: You were asked to spend 15 minutes communicating without any physical embellishments, i.e., no hand signals, not vocal intonation, not head, facial, or body movements.
The second part of this experiment was to hold on to a 15 minute conversation with the use of language, but without physical embellishments. I would say this part of the experiment was more difficult than the first part. Without actually realizing it, the use of physical embellishments (hand signals, body movements, etc) are so important to me when it comes to having a conversation. I thought this part would be easier than part 1 because here I was able to use verbal communication. First of all, I was not able to carry on a full 15 minute conversation with my mom without messing up and using either my hands and especially my eyebrows (facial expressions) while speaking. This experiment was difficult because the need to use my body was always there. The use of body language allows more emphasis on what you are trying to say. Without being able to do this, the conversation was turning into a boring, dull one.
In this part of the experiment my mom was affected by my communication limitations. It was hard to tell what type of emotion I was trying to convey. At one point, something my mom said was funny, but I tried to hold that emotion in and therefore instead it looked as if I were upset or did not find the joke entertaining. Other than using hand gestures or face expression, the need to change my tone voice was a necessity. It sounded like I was upset the entire time. Although my mom knew what the rules were for the experiment, she still did not find it entertaining that I looked mad or sounded mad.
It is very important to incorporate non-speech language techniques in order to communicate effectively. Sometimes the use of our bodies can having a full on conversation, as proven in part 1. Being able to use gestures gives the person whom you are speaking to a second chance to understand what you are trying to say to them. Language can sometimes not be enough, sometimes that point to the object in which you are talking about, is necessary. Not everyone you come across will have the same spoken language as you. It is very important to have a way to communicate with someone even if it may be some what difficult. Gestures, especially when someone is not verbal, can give you an answer to what they need or want. An example I have, is in my job. Other than co-workers who use ASL, I work with taking care of special need adults. All these adults do not have verbal communications. Some of these individuals rely on gestures, such as when it is time for lunch, you point to the fridge and their food.
I would say there are people who have difficulty reading body language. There are people that pass right by it. Since our world has evolved to online, social media, it can be difficult to understand how someone else is actually feeling. Although, I believe this is true, I also say that being able to use body language and being able to read body language is superior (at times) than spoken language. For the most part everyone understands gestures, hand signs, and facial expressions. This is more international than the English language or any other language for that matter and therefore this is an adaptive benefit.
Part 3: There is a third component of language which we did not test in this experiment, and that is the importance of written language.
I do think that the experiment in part 1 would have been easier if I had been permitted to use written language. In many ways, written language and verbal language are very similar and since we were allowed to use gestures in part 1, things would have been interpreted better. There would have been less confusion on what I was trying to say to my mom. My mom would have a better understanding to my answers to her questions. Also there could have been a more complex conversation, rather than small talk, which I felt my mother and I did in the first part. Written language allows for a "forever." In other words, you may say something now, but change your words later. If you write something on paper, it is permanent and there is not a need to rephrase it, it will be right in front of you word for word. So I say the advantage of written language has to culture is that it can stand for a very long time, for years to come. With that being said, because of the ability to write things down we have history. We know what happened plenty of years ago and that is an impact written language had on the spread of ideas. There was a time when stories were passed down verbally and in the future years, those stories were told differently. Now we do not have to worry about that since words can be written into a book and read straight from it.
Part 1: Good description of your experience and your mother's. I notice that your conversation was mostly questions from her. Were you able to ask questions? Change topics? Who had control and power in the conversation? What does this say about the importance of symbolic language in communication?
ReplyDelete"From this experiment, I personally believe the culture that has the advantage would be the non-speaking culture."
Really? The question was about communicating complex ideas. Could you, without speaking, discuss racism? Explain Einstein's theory of relativity?
I agree with your conclusion regarding the attitude of the speaking to the non-speaking culture. Good example of the ASL community that mirrors this experiment.
Part 2: Good opening descriptions of your experience with part 2 and your mom's response.
I don't disagree with your conclusions regarding the importance of body language, but you are only considering the situation where body language matches and supports the information you receive from spoken language. What does it tell you when the body language doesn't match the spoken language? Humans tend to use body language as a type of lie detector. If spoken words don't match with the body language, we are more inclined to believe the body language and doubt the words. Think about how being able to detect liars might help an individual's ability to survive and reproduce.
Like all human traits, there is normal variation in expression, and the ability to read body language is no different. That is what you are describing here, though I agree it is an interesting social situation. But beyond that, there are groups of people who have great difficulty or an outright inability to read body language due to physical or mental disability, such as those who are in the autism spectrum or those who are blind (though they can read vocal intonation).
" This is more international than the English language or any other language for that matter and therefore this is an adaptive benefit. "
Not really. Body language is different across cultures, just as spoken language is. This actually applies to the last question in this section, regarding situations where you would not want to read body language. When might body language of others mislead you and it would be better to ignore it? Do all cultures use the same system of body language? If you travel to another country, can you trust the information you get from their body language?
Part 3: I love your discussion on how this benefits the history of a culture. Well done.
You don't address the final point on how this impacts globalization. How does written language help spread ideas and thoughts and news? In particular, in this day of the internet, what role does written language play? Is it all beneficial or is there a down side?
Great detail that you go into with the experiment. Similar to mine the people at first thought it would be an easy game but realized how hard it actually is to understand someone who only uses their body language to speak or with out any physical cues to give away what we are truly feeling. So great job but I noticed that a part of you blog is missing. I would like to see what your thoughts are on the global aspect.
ReplyDeleteHi there! I really enjoyed reading your post and noticed that you struggled with some of the same things I did. I think it was extremely hard to communicate without a voice because my body language, signals, and hand movements may have meant something to me, but to my partner they were completely on a separate page. I like how your mom actually improvised and decided to ask questions, that may have made things a little easier. Through this experiment i also realized without one or the other, conversations became very vague and it was hard to form connections and tie things together. Overall very well done!
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