Language Blog

In part 1 of my assignment. I was asked to engage in a conversation for 15 minutes where I was not allowed to use any version of symbolic language, which means I couldn't speak, write or use sign language. This was a very difficult task for me. I like to talk a lot in general so having to not speak for 15 minutes was hard enough. But what was difficult about this is that I couldn't use words it was almost as if I was playing charades. My partners seemed to not alter their ways of communicating to me but rather they made their communication to me more detailed. I think they started doing this so that I would be able to communicate back easier without having to speak. They started to get frustrated, and I know it must have been difficult because they were trying to understand what I was telling them, while not knowing if they were right or wrong. If  both me and my partners where two different cultures, who just met for the first time, I think that the speaking culture has the advantage in communicating complex ideas rather then the one who can’t speak.  The attitude that the speaking culture may have towards the culture who doesn't use symbolic language is that they may feel that they are more intelligent and better off. People in our culture who have a difficulty communication with spoken language may be people who are def, mental ill, or even mute. This has a huge affect on interaction with others because it puts a sense of difficulty in communication, but most of the time while it may be difficult to understand usually you are able to still interact or if needed find a solution.

In Part 2 of my assignment, I was asked to spend 15 minutes communication without any physical embellishments which means no hand signals, not vocal intonation, not head, facial, or body movements. I found this even more difficult then the first part of this assignment. When I speak I always talk at different tones of voice, and use a lot of hand signals. Some would say this is because of my Italian Culture and that is part of who I am. Which is very possible. My partner was affected a lot in this experiment because first off she is not used to me speaking that way, and second off it was as if I had no emotion or feeling involved at all. This experiment shows how much some or most people depend on the use of “signs” in our communication. Being able to use non-speech ways of communication is very important because it shows meaning, emotion, and is easier to understand because it has those traits. There are many people who struggle with the difficulty of reading body language correctly. Some may take certain body language the wrong way and because of that their communication with that person may be affected largely. In general being able to read body language effectively is a great benefit to have. By doing this you can understand the person more and how they are trying to communicate with others. A benefit of not being able to read body language is that you are solely only focused on what they are saying and that’s it.  

Overall this was a great experiment and I learned a lot from it. You really don't understand how symbolic language and physical language are very important to being able to communicate with others