Taking part in this fifteen
minute experiment was hard. I had to try and have a conversation with people,
but not a verbal one. I know very little ASL, but I couldn’t even communicate
with sign language or have any type of written communication. Had I have been
able to communicate at least with writing that would have definitely made
things easier to communicate. It felt like a game of charades; trying to show
what I was trying to say, except I was not able to write or use ASL. I did this
experiment with my family so it made things a little easier because then it
just became a conversation amongst themselves while I just agreed or disagreed
for the last few minutes. There were some moments where my family would
purposely try and get me to slip up by talking, but I was able to communicate
what I wanted without actually speaking. If my family and I were representing
two separate cultures that were meeting for the first time, they would
definitely have the advantage of communicating complex ideas. Being able to
speak and use sign language is easier than not speaking at all. Different
cultures speak different languages so there might be a language barrier to
communicate, but sign language is a universal language. Communicating with signs is helpful and can
definitely help with showing what we mean to say instead of simply struggling
with the language barrier. The speaking culture could possibly find it very
difficult to try and communicate with a culture that does not use symbolic
language. Individuals of our culture that may have difficulty with spoken
language are the hearing impaired and those with some type of oral language disorder.
Sign language helps with communication between individuals that are not able to
speak with those that are.
This second experiment;
communicating without any physical embellishments, was very difficult for me.
Even though the amount of time spent was the same as the previous experiment,
it felt like it was way longer. Within the first two minutes of the experiment
I was already using my hands as I spoke and I noticed I move my eyebrows a lot
when I speak. It was hard to be able to make facial expressions or use my hands
as I spoke. It is a very hard habit to break. I did this experiment with my
best friend so she had a blast watching me struggle with trying to just use my
words and no type of body language. Had I done this experiment with someone I
barely knew I am sure they would have thought I was heartless or weird because
I basically had to show no emotion or action. This experiment says our use of “signs”
in our language is very important because we are able to understand each other
more with not just speaking, but expressions and actions. I do not believe
people have difficulty reading body language because our culture was taught to
speak in many forms and when we are sad, happy, mad our facial expressions,
posture explains what we feel. I cannot describe an environmental condition
where there might be a benefit to not reading body language because we
communicate with actions and not knowing what people are feeling or thinking is
not helpful.
If I had been permitted
to use written language for the first experiment I did first, that would of
made things easier because that is the same as speaking only it is on paper.
The people I spoke with knew how to read English so there would be no language
barrier for us. Also, I would have been able to say what I wanted to without it
being a guessing game for my family. There were moments where I could not
describe what I wanted to say with just hand movements. The written language has expanded worldwide.
The internet is a prime example of how we are able to communicate news and
information with everyone and anyone. We are able to communicate through emails,
text messages, and instant messaging. Communicating through writing is used
more than face to face interactions.
Good discussion and description of your part 1 experiment. You are one of the few students to try this with multiple people and it adds a new dynamic to the situation. Did you feel excluded from the conversation at all? Do you think you were less involved that you would have been if it had been a one-on-one conversation?
ReplyDeleteGood discussion on the issue of different cultures and how this relates to the issue of communicating with symbolic language.
In general, good description on your own experiences in the part 2 experiment, but I would have liked a little more detail on your partner's experience as this is often much more interesting. What did your friend's body language tell you about this part of the experiment?
Beyond expressing emotion and providing clarity, body language is also used by humans as a lie detector. If someone tells you something but their body language tells you something different, which do you believe, the words or the body language? We tend to not believe a person when their body belies their words, and think about how this helps people when interacting with others. This would help you figure out who to trust, who to work with, and who to avoid, very important pieces of information when living among others.
There are people who have difficulty reading body language. For example, individuals who are in the autism spectrum are unable to read body language, which creates many of the social complications they face. Additionally, those who are blind will have more difficulty reading body language, though they can still hear vocal intonation.
For the final question in Part 2, is this true across cultures? Do all cultures use the same system of body language? If you traveled to another country, would you be able to trust the information you "read" from the native body language, or might it give you false information until you learn what their body language means?
I agree that new technology has allowed for greater communication through written technology, but the question is, what is the benefit of that to human populations? How does being able to use written language benefit the human species? One way is by being able to record history in a relatively permanent format. Think about what this means. How does this impact the application of science, communication and dissemination of scientific ideas globally? Sharing and building upon gained information? Keeping records and validating facts and information through those records? Just think about how difficult it would have been for our population to not advance without the long-term benefits of written language.