The Importance of Language

 Part 1:

- I definitely feel that we take language for granted and don't notice the importance of it until we lose it. In this first part of the experiment, we were asked to converse with another person but not use "symbolic language" or in other words, not being able to use our voice/sign language or write down our thoughts or responses. 

1: I feel that the answer for the first question can vary for different types of people and who their partner is. In my case, I had a "conversation" with my best friend who've I known for many many years now so some silence between us isn't awkward or frustrating. I let her know that I would be conducting an experiment and asked her to speak as she normally would, and she did. She talked about what her week has been like so far and what new shenanigans have been going on in her house and even though I was silent, nothing changed in how she spoke to me. We have a good enough relationship where we can understand each other without having to say words and even when she "asked" me questions like "can you believe that?!" a response from me wasn't needed for her to continue on with her story. This experiment is not far off from some conversations we've had in the past, the only difference this time is that I wasn't able to hum in approval or give little comments like "wow" which is why I don't think this portion of the experiment was as difficult to accomplish.

2: I'd say that the speaker had the power in the conversation because she had the "entire stage to herself" and could essentially talk about anything and everything and I wouldn't have been able to give my opinion in verbal or written form. This is one benefit of spoken language because, at any moment of the conversation I had with her I COULD have interrupted her and switch up the conversation to a different subject or I could have also shared a similar experience that happened to me and give my two cents. 

3: This question did make me a bit confused and I may have misunderstood the wording but what came to mind when I read it was that even if I didn't speak and represented that cultures that doesn't have this ability doesn't mean that there aren't other forms in which I can get my thoughts across. This then lead to the thought about our closest relatives in the animal kingdom and how they still function in a community without actually speaking and giving verbal commands. Sure, they may not communicate complex ideas but they still get things done with simple gestures. The colonist can talk and give orders to settle onto new land, fighting and forcing their way but primates also do the same just without the speaking part. I may have missed the nail with this question but this is simply my opinion on the matter. However, knowing were I come from and how I  function in a "speaking culture" those who don't use symbolic language can sometimes be looked down upon. I definitely feel that we live in an era where many people don't have the time to decipher unspoken messages and want everything to be said loud and clear, so being unable to speak can make many frustrated. To answer the last part of this question, many individuals who have difficulty with spoken language are usually separated from the rest of us who can speak like those with health conditions. In middle school there was a group of "special ed" kids who really couldn't speak and I don't know if it's because my middle school didn't have the greatest staff but I could see how frustrated the teacher and supervisors of that group were when dealing with the kids. I can definitely understand why it would be frustrating but those teachers genuinely didn't look like they wanted to be there. Thankfully, I didn't go through this experience when I conducted the experiment with my friend but I can imagine that I would have gotten a different and more awkward outcome if I had this "conversation" with an acquaintance instead.

Part 2:

- Communicating in a non-verbal manner like not being able to move your hands or change the tone of voice is also essential to language and being stripped of that can make expressing your thoughts very difficult and again, we take this aspect of language for granted since it's something we do subconsciously.

1: I finally had the chance to talk and vocalize my thoughts, but I was miserable! I found this portion of the experiment to be way harder than the last part because I am a very animated speaker. I raise my hands in the air and I increase my volume and change my tone many times in a conversation, I even pout when I talk in the case that where I'm frustrated! So no, I was not able to last 15 minutes using just speech to communicate. I did try and used methods like thinking about something sad and serious but having to think those thoughts while speaking and trying not to move my hands or face is all too inconvenient. Mentioned previously, this portion was difficult because I'm very animated when I speak but it was also difficult because some spoken language needs to be accompanied with tone of voice and raised eyebrows and some wild hand gestures in order to demonstrate the real meaning behind your words. I remember saying "I literally hate that," and I managed to say that in a very monotonous voice but it was missing my raised fists that were clenched and my funny strained voice to show that I don't actually hate that act.

2: Having tried my best to be as still in every way possible while speaking my friend did feel like something was missing. Yeah we shared some chuckles during the conversation because we both know I heavily use body language and tone changes in every sentence I say, but when I did manage to use none of that, my friend said I sounded so empty and void of life. My friend said that she wasn't uncomfortable per say, but she said that if I wasn't me and she was talking to a classmate of hers then maybe she would avoid talking to me since "it's too much energy to think about whether they like me or not."

3: Non-speech language is SO IMPORTANT in our conversations, especially when building relationships because they give off signs that implicitly show your emotions or thoughts. When I was doing this portion of the experiment I was thinking how having "signs" in our language makes English become similar to Mandarin Chinese. As someone who knows Mandarin Chinese, tones is very important because in order to say what you actually want to say, you need to know what tone is used for that specific word. In a sense, English kind of shares this because I could say "okay" but if I don't say it in the tone I want and with a certain facial feature, you might know that I'm asking it as a question or judging someone. If our body language doesn't match with what is being said, then we're giving out the wrong signal in how we want to say something. This "okay" can have many "definitions" depending in how I use my body and what tone I use. 

4: There are in fact people who can't decipher body language and tonal changes. Psychology is the study of the mind which is why it's important to learn about a group of people who have difficulty picking up these signs and are diagnosed with social-emotion agnosia. Just like my friend said to me, it can be hard for these people to socialize and it's also difficult for the other person to talk to people with this condition. As for the last part of this question, I'm having trouble thinking about an environmental condition where not having non-verbal language is considered a benefit. 

Part 3:

- It's crazy to think that if one day, we happen to lose our voice, then we can utilize written language to still be able to communicate. Others around the world may not have this benefit however, since I remember reading that there is a large amount of people who don't know how to read or write, limiting their communication abilities.

1: I do think having the ability to write during the first portion of the experiment would have been easier because I could have showed I was actively listening by writing down a question I had or by encouraging my friend to talk more about a certain topic. Recently, I had a customer come in while I was working and they were mute so they spoke using sign language. I unfortunately don't know the language so the customer had to type out what they wanted to ask me and I genuinely appreciate and respect them but it did take a while for them to write out what they wanted so I can see why writing as the primary way to speak can be slow.

2: One thing I love about written language is it's ability to record things. This is especially useful for anthropologists since they can find out a lot from what is written but it also greatly impacted that culture that uses written language. Reading ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics gives us great insights into their culture and how they value the dead and how in Ancient China, the great sages wrote down their insights and practices. Written form is a beautiful and puts detail in communicating, using descriptive words to really emphasize certain emotions that are just as impactful as verbal communication.

3: Written language has most certainly had a huge impact on globalization and can used in a positive and negative manner. A good example that was presented in the textbook was how "texting language" has spread far and wide, even to communities where the people don't know how to actually read. Additionally, words are used in various algorithms that give out content based on that specific word like the word "skinny" this can be a good thing like wanting to be in shape and live a healthy lifestyle, but for the most part, this word now has a negative connotation and can cause body dysmorphia. This leads to young girls getting the wrong idea from a word and searching more and more into the concept of "beauty".