Shh, No speaking
When starting the conversation it was pretty easy, but as the conversation went on it me came more and more difficult to tell what the person is saying. However towards the end we started to make the symbols a little simpler for the other person to understand. At first the impression were very dramatic but as the conversation went on the impression were simplified and slowed down for the other to understand it more. If my partner and I were from different culture I believe the culture that speaks more through body language and gesture would be the one to be able to communicate complex ideas because they are relying on body language and they have to be more dramatic then the person who is speaking. How would the person that speaks look at the person that speaks through body language? There can be both positive and negative feedback; they can think that to something terribly wrong with the person or they can be fascinated and willing to learn and get an understanding. In our culture we have people that do not speak with a spoken language because they were born without the ability to hear or because they were born with a disability and they aren’t able to speak. Some are scared and don’t know how to act or respond, so they negatively (bullying, harass) there are some who react positively wanting to learn and understand.
Speaking Robot Like
No I was not able to last the whole 15 minutes; what made the experiment difficult was that they why we had to talk made the conversation very boring, also you found yourself having to constantly stop yourself from using facial expressions and hand gestures. My partners found it very difficult as well to talk long and with the limitations given. They were trying to fight back making an expression; as well they found it funny to have to speak this way and stay speaking this way for the whole time. By doing this I found that we rely so much on signs when we speak that it is very hard to speak and express what we want without them. No-speech language techniques play an important role for those who need to get their points across or for those who don’t have the ability to speak at all. Yes there are people who have a hard time reading body language but those who can read have the ability to understand what the person is saying or feel even if the person isn’t saying anything or are having a hard time expressing what they want. No I cannot think of a situation where it might be good not to be able to read body language at this time.
Hi Temperance,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog.You said that as time went by you started using simple symbols which made me think is it possible that language was developed as our culture became more complex? In the beginning using symbols may have been enough but as time went by and cultures advanced the need for words was a need. Just a thought i owe to you. Thank you
It wasn't clear from your description, but were both of you trying to communicate without symbolic language? I'm having trouble figuring out why you couldn't understand what your partner was saying since they were supposed to be speaking as they usually do. Perhaps this section could have been expanded and clarified to describe how your partner altered the way they communicated with you.
ReplyDelete"...I believe the culture that speaks more through body language and gesture would be the one to be able to communicate complex ideas..."
Make sure you understand what is meant by "complex ideas". Would you be able to explain Darwin's theory of natural selection using only body language? That was the issue, which culture would have the selective advantage in communicating ideas like this, not necessary between cultures but within their own culture?
From your description of Part 2, it does sound like you had your partners also follow the restrictions, which was not necessary and made this much more difficult than necessary. It also didn't offer your partner the opportunity to adjust to your limitations when they were dealing with their own limitations.
"Yes there are people who have a hard time reading body language..."
Can you identify a specific group of people who can't read body language?
For the last point: Are there any circumstances where body language might mislead you? Can it be misinterpreted? Do all cultures use the same system of body language?