Week 3 Language

   I performed this experiment with the help of my significant other, who I conducted a conversation with for 15 minutes without the use of speaking, writing or ASL. This conversation was extremely difficult, and my girlfriend could hardly understand anything I was trying to communicate to her. One of the most significant complications to be noted from my partner was that she was trying to use ASL with me, as that is our way of communicating whenever we are in a quiet place where we cannot use spoken language. Being that we both understand ASL hand signals to a certain extent, it was very difficult to alter the hand movements that I would traditionally use with her in a way that she could comprehend, as a result of studying ASL and assigning hand movements with certain meaning. If we were to represent two cultures meeting for the first time, my lack of ability to use common hand signals and the expression of my voice, or even writing would likely prevent me from being able to effectively communicate a complex idea whatsoever. This puts my girlfriend, or in this experiment, the representation of a culture that has adopted a symbolic language with the overall advantage due to her lack of limitation when asking questions or trying to respond to my unclear attempt to communicate with her. An example of people in our culture who have difficulty using symbolic language are people who have disabilities involving motor skills like people with ALS or Parkinson's disease, both of which tend to affect and deteriorate not only people's brain function, but their motor skills and their way of effectively communicating. This would not only be difficult for someone who is attempting to communicate with this subject, as their ability to give a communicable explanation as to what they need or want can be very confusing and sometimes impossible to interpret, that is if they aren't given medical devices that can aid in this sort of matter. This would also be difficult for the person with the disability who is trying to communicate, as their lack of motor skills and effective communication would prevent them from getting what they want/need. 

   Unfortunately I was not able to last for 15 whole minutes during this experiment, if I'm being honest this might of lasted around 20 seconds straight after attempting the experiment for around 30 minutes. The most important thing to note about the lack of facial expression during a conversation is that not only is it really strange and disturbing, but really hilarious. Something I learned while I was taking my ASL class is that one of the most important things to do when you are signing to someone is raise or lower the eyebrows, or change the width of the mouth, as this is something we naturally adopt when speaking a language and using emphasis. When we are describing something awful, we usually don't smile, but instead we scrunch our eyebrows and make a face that is recognizable of that of one who is experiencing disgust. Additionally, speaking monotone makes you sound like a robot, but even Siri, the IPhone assistant uses a change in tone when speaking. This is something that we probably don't think about very often, as it is sort of default when we are using our spoken language, however, when I was learning ASL, sometimes it was hard to remember to use the correct facial expressions. With that being said, my girlfriend reacted by laughing hysterically at me, and even when she attempted to prevent her laughter, she continued and had to leave the room so that she could regain her confidence in giving the experiment another try. Physical embellishments are extremely vital when trying to effectively communicate. All words carry emotion, that is why I mentioned that it's not common, and often unnerving if someone explains something awful while smiling. According to my research, people with autism often have a difficult time comprehending body language. I know this from experience, because I have had friends with autism who misinterpreted some of the things I said, whether it was sarcasm, or even something as simple as a compliment or a hand gesture, to be something that they weren't intended to be. I cannot think of an environment where reading body language wouldn't benefit you, because whether you are simply trying to speak to someone, or do your job, or ask for directions from a stranger, the interpretation of body language is more than necessary. 

   I believe that the first experiment would've been immensely easier if I could write, or draw common symbols sort of like Pictionary, the game where people guess what you are drawing. This form of communication would also serve as a universal form of communication because it is strictly symbolic, obviously not in regards to people who lack sight, but across cultures and different languages. Written language benefits cultures who adopt it because they can make record of current events, as well as communicate with people when they aren't physically present. In terms of communication across different languages, we could convert written language into symbols that they recognize to help them understand us. The impact that written language has had on globalization is limitless, because we can connect to foreign cultures with the help of anthropologists and help spread things like religion, philosophy, science and even music, art and reading. Overall, communication is beautiful and wonderful and we are lucky to be able to express ourselves in so many different ways.