The Importance of Language

Language Experiment

Part 1

     The first part of the experiment was to participate in a "conversation" with someone else. However, for this part, we were not allowed to talk, write, or use any form of official sign language (i.e ASL). In order to conduct the first part of the experiment, my partner and I had to choose a subject we would discuss about. Due to how busy my day had been, I was going to try to explain in detail what I did throughout that day. Normally, this conversation is bound to come up on a daily basis of ones life. One always tells a person how their day went and what they did. However, I never imagined how hard it could possibly be if we couldn't talk or write. At first, I spent a few minutes contemplating how to express what I wanted to say. Eventually, we started used a "charades"-type technique to talk to each other. Then, I would also try drawing what I did if it was too hard to express via hand movements and gestures. After I got the hang of it after the first 5-8 minutes and the conversation seemed to flow a little better. However, I highly doubt I would be able to do this on a daily basis. The first 10 minutes of this part of the experiment were pretty frustrating for my partner. He found a hard time trying to understand what exactly I was trying to say. Instead of comprehending what I want to say, sometimes he would just laugh at how ridiculous I must have looked. However, once I began drawing some things I wanted to say, it became a little easier. 
          From an outside perspective, it is easy to say that the culture that uses symbolic language would have an advantage in communicating ideas. However, that might be a little ethnocentric from a anthropologists perspective. Although that other culture may not have the common symbolic language, they might have developed another type of culture which could be just as efficient, or maybe even more. Nevertheless, this experiment can be quite hard for those of us that have never attempted anything like this. In our culture, there still are people that might have to live their lives with different ways of communicating. For instance, people with disabilities, such as a hearing impairment or being mute, might have to communicate another way, the most common would be sign language.

Part 2

       This part of the experiment allowed us to use only spoken language. When first reading the description of this part of this experiment, one immediately thinks that it would be simple. However, being limited to only spoken language, it also becomes a little hard to express ourselves in a more detailed manner. Although this part wasn't as hard for me as the first part was, I struggled to express myself like I normally do. Most of us don't notice how much we move or how our facial expressions change as we talk. I believe that these movements or facial expressions help us add more detail and emotion to what we are trying to communicate. When I did this part of the experiment, I felt that I might have been a bit monotone and humorless. Without all of these movements and expressions, I feel like our conversations would be a bit bland and flavorless. Nevertheless, I was still able to conduct this part of the experiment for the full 15 minutes. With some of the things I said, my partner wasn't sure if I was being completely serious or sarcastic. I feel that all of those extra movements add an extra spice to the spoken language. In real life, there are people who have to communicate without "non-speech language techniques". The majority of these people, in my opinion, are those who are blind.

Part 3

       I believe that written language is just as important as spoken language. If we had been able to write in part one of this experiment, I think it would have been just as easy. The scenario of part one would have been the same as passing notes in a high school classroom, easily communicated. Although we would not be able to add the extra detail spoken language provides, we would have been able to communicate just as easy. I feel that the written language is very important because it can be a way to reach many people around the world. For example, books, by writing one copy, everyone around the world can read the same. In my opinion, the written language has taken a big part in "globalization." For instance, written language can be used to record what was said in spoken language, and therefore ideas can spread fast. All in all, all components of language (spoken, written, visual, etc) play an important role in today's society. It can provide barriers amongst people as well as tear them down.