Language

Part 1:  You were asked to engage in a conversation for 15 minutes where you were not allowed to use
any version of a symbolic language (no speaking, writing, or ASL).

1. Did you find this experiment difficult or easy?  Explain. (5 pts)
• Over all I found this assignment difficult. Any questions requiring more than a yes or no, I attempted to act out and was mostly unsuccessful. I found that I rely heavily on speech with facial expressions and hand gestures are normally only used for emphasis.
2. What were the impressions of partners in the conversation?  Did they alter their way of communicating with you because of your absence of symbolic communication? Describe. (5 pts)
• No, my partner did not change their way of communicating with me. My partner mostly found the experiment humorous, but helped as much as possible to keep the project going.
3. Imagine that you and your partners in the conversation represent two different cultures meeting for the first time.  Which culture has the advantage in communicating complex ideas?  What attitudes might the speaking culture have toward the culture that does not use symbolic language?  Identify individuals in our culture that have difficulty communicating with spoken language and explore how that affects how those who do speak interact with those individuals. (5 pts)
• I think the non-speaking culture would be at an advantage over the speaking. The non-speaking people are used to being able to communicate without language, whereas the speaking culture would be at a loss of words. I think it would be very frustrating for the speaking culture, you are used to being about to communicate freely and easily. I think young children have a difficulty communicating with in our culture, their language skills are not fully developed. Children often get frustrated and cry or act out to try to communicate their needs. An example is a child going through their "terrible twos", at this age they can't form sentences and often throw tantrums and cry or scream to get what they want or need.

Part 2:  You were asked to spend 15 minutes communicating without any physical embellishments, i.e., 

no hand signals, not vocal intonation, not head, facial, or body movements.

1. Were you able to last for the full 15 minutes of using only speech for communicating?  What made this experiment difficult for you? (5 pts)
• My main difficulty was not using vocal intonation. I did not last the 15 minutes straight, multiple time I attempted to repeat myself without changing the tone of my voice. The assignment was to have a conversation, it was nearly impossible for me to ask a question without changing pitch at the end of the sentence.
2. How were your partners in this part of the experiment affected by your communication limitations?  Explain.  (5 pts)
• Again my partner found my efforts amusing, and was constantly correctly me. 
3. What does this experiment say about our use of “signs” in our language, i.e., how important is non-speech language techniques in our ability to communicate effectively?  (5 pts)
• It would be impossible for me to tell a story and apply any sort of emotion when trying to speak in the manner. You can't describe something as exciting without appearing excited.
4. Are there people who have difficulty reading body language?  Describe the adaptive benefit to possessing the ability to read body language. Can you describe environmental conditions where there might be a benefit to not reading body language? (5 pts)
• Yes, there are people who have difficulty reading body language. Being able to tell when someone is feeling aggressive, confused or comfortable is a valuable skill when trying to communicate with someone. The only example I can think of is if you managed to get yourself into a kill or be killed situation, in which case bonding or reading an emotion in your advisory might lesson your chances of survival.

Part 3:  There is a third component of language which we did not test in this experiment, and that is the 

importance of written language.

1. Do you think your experiment in Part 1 would have been easier if you had been permitted to use written language?  Why or why not?  Explain.  (5 pts)
• Yes, my partner in the experiment can read English. Even if I could only draw it would have been easier to communicate.
2. What advantage does written language provide to the culture that develops and uses it?  (5 pts)
• Being able to record our conversations, history, books are all great advantages for our culture. We can read, communicate, learn and educate 
3. What impact has written language had on “globalization”, or the spread of ideas around the world?  (5 pts)
• Texts and literature can be easily translated, read and learned by most cultures around the word. Now with the availability of the internet endless amounts of information is available anytime.