Language Blog

Part One:
I found this experiment to be somewhat difficult, but not impossible to accomplish a conversation and get a statement across.  I found that the partners of this conversation, found it to be almost exhausting.  It was like playing a game of charades for every sentence and they were loosing their patience. Soon I found them altering their questions to ones that were easier for me to answer. For example; yes and no questions.  It made it easier for me because everyone understands what a head shake up and down or left to right means yes or no.  I think the speaking culture has an advantage over the culture who uses symbolic language. I feel that people, especially in this time and day, are very impatient and don't have the time to spend and concentrate on those who are dependent on symbolic language. When we use our words we can express ourselves quickly.  Individuals who have difficulty communicating with spoken language are those in the deaf communities.  I have learned and appreciated the art of symbolic language using sign language because my sister had taken it just as an elective in high school, and turned out she was really good at it and enjoyed learning it as a second language.  Those who are fluent in sign language can communicate just as fast as those who speak when they are communicating with those who are knowledgable in sign language.  They use a lot of expression in their faces and the force of their hand movements since they do not have the inflection in their voices like those who can speak do.

Part Two:
I found this experiment very difficult; I kept trying to resist laughter as my partners and myself were speaking, one could say, monotonously.  It was confusing because you could not get a good understanding on whether someone was trying to be serious, funny, sarcastic, or was sad.  My partners were not affected because we only did the experiment for 15 minutes, but I believe that if we had to continuous for a much longer time, it could become frustrating to not be able to express yourself.  I think non-speech language techniques in our ability to communicate effectively is very important in our culture. We use it to fully understand what someone is saying, to see what we aren't saying, and to understand underlying sub-conscience feelings.  I know they use people who can read peoples actions to emotions in court rooms, it helps them try and understand if a person may be lying to the court.  Yes I believe people who are not very good in social settings are those who have difficulty reading body language.  The benefit to reading body language is to understand more than what someone is saying, we don't always say what we feel, but sometimes we show it without knowing. It helps us know when we should speak up or bite our tongues.  An environmental condition where there might be a benefit to not reading body language would be in situations in customer service. I have personal experience in this, sometimes customers and people are not the easiest to work with. As a person who is supposed to provide great customer service, you have to work really hard to not express when you are mad or frustrated. I think this would be a great place to not be able to read body language and only the outer happy expression we are supposed to show.