Language Blog

Pt 1

I found the experiment to be pretty difficult. Even though I am pretty good at charades, there was a lot of awkward silence because I had to spend time contemplating exactly how I would get my point across without the use of spoken words. My girlfriend did alter the way she communicated, but only slightly. She is very in tune with eyes, emotion, tone, and body language, so it wasn’t that hard for her to understand by listening to my body language and physical symbolism. I found it very hard to convey complex ideas, however it was easy to convey simple messages. This was because my physical body language and gestures could communicate general concepts, however, it was very hard to paint a complex image. And even when I was able to do such, the meaning that was understood was misinterpreted.
I definitely believe those that use symbolic language have much more of an advantage when communicating complex ideas. I do believe that language is a product of evolution, and gives us a means of better communication. The speaking culture would most likely believe that the culture that does not use symbolic language is either primitive or barbaric, or even immature. Individuals in our society that have trouble with spoken language are either infants, or those that are disabled or handicapped in some way. Those who speak with those type of individuals typically speak “down” to them, slow things down, speak on simpler terms. In one way or another, they are discriminated against for being lesser.

Pt 2

I was able to last the full 15 minutes, but only after 5 restarts. I never realized how much I use my body to communicate. It was only natural for me to use my arms, and gestures to convey my messages. It was basically involuntary. I had to kind of detatch myself from the conversation to be able to use only spoken language. It felt disconnected and monotone, and I was unable to really get involved in the conversation, when I forced myself to only use speech to communicate. My partner was able to understand, but I did notice that she was getting more easily distracted by other things, such as the television in the background, or the conversation going on in the other room. It is interesting to think that when people communicate without spoken word, they have to be much more involved to understand each other. When we use just words to communicate, sometimes we tune out. Although the description is more specific and accurate, it seems that sometimes messages are still not completely understood. Using both body language and symbolic language seems to a very ideal means of communication. By using words to describe, and body language to connect, we can communicate on more than one level, and thus paint a more vibrant, relatable picture.
There are definitely people who have difficulty reading body language. And communication is a little harder for them. An example would be, if a manager asks an employee if they are willing to do overtime. Even if the employee really does not want to do overtime work, they may say yes because of the pressures they feel economically, or socially. A good manager would notice the body language, and not force overtime on an unwilling employee, even though they said the word “yes”.
An example of an environment where it may be beneficial to not read body language would be any deceptive circumstances. For example, rival teammates in sports may use body language to intimidate or deceive opponents. Perhaps also sales people, such as car salesmen, or timeshare salesmen, neglect the body language of their customers, and continually go in for the sale, or the kill.