Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Language.
First things first, please pardon the vulgar language being used in the commercial above! =x (Disclaimer: If you know me, I am not a vulgar person at all! All for the purposes of illustrating my point only!)
Thanks to my internet-savvy brother, I first viewed this commercial a few years back and was initially rather irked by the concept being used in the advertisement. While surfing the net recently, I was surprised to see it still around on YouTube (even ganering one of the highest viewer hits today!). This time around however, the commercial somehow prompted me to recognise how vital language is in our human communication today.
No one can deny that everyday we need to use language to converse our thoughts and feelings to the people around us. The spoken language is used as a medium for verbal communication with others. Even in our subconcious minds, we use language to verbalise our thoughts and aid us in storing our memories.
The spoken language or "speech" has been the dividing line between humans and animals and has given us a leg-up in communicating to one another.
And just as the commercial above has shown, although language has been useful in making communication effective, it has also created barriers among people - more commonly between groups of people (rather than individuals). How so?
There are millions of languages present in our world today - some recognised and some not so commonly used among people. In this context, language not only serves the purpose of conveying our thoughts and ideas to others, but also has created a exclusionary group of people with its unique culture and traditions. This has created a limit to human to human communication with what we call "language barriers".
Going beyond the boundaries of different languages, limits in comunication arise even within the same language, people tend to create their own set of "lingo" to set themselves apart from the crowd. Sort of like a defining trait. Just like how the younger generation today have a set of language like "LOL", "emo" and "imba" to say just a few. These expressions or words do not actually exist in the English language, but most youngsters in Singapore would be able to understand the meaning of the words if they were used along with our English language. Such "lingo" or better known as "slang", help people within the same group relate easily to one another, as well as segregate people that do not belong to the group (in this case, it may be adults/parents).
Such variations to language in addition to the vast number of languages applied by humans today have added on to additional barriers and possible miscommunications among people, as much as it has helped us communication today. What kind of roles do you think language plays in our communication and has it aided in making our human communication more effecient?
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A well written article!
ReplyDeleteYou have raised a valid point hrough this advertisement. Language barriers have existed from the very beginning due to cultural differences,polarisation,use of slangs and jargons etc. Yet, it is an essential part of our life as we can't live without communicating with one another.It has certainly made human life easier.The best part is that language barriers can be overcome with the use of language only.
Due to globalisation, people from different parts of the world are interacting with one another through language.Even though, it has some flaws and barriers, I certainly feel that it is the most effective medium of communication.
great post! indeed language is something far more than mere letters and words, outlining also our culture and habits in communication amongst our social circle.
ReplyDeleteYou probably missed out one of the highest level means of communication; Body language. The fact that visual leaves a stronger impression compared to verbal proves itself that people can communicate without the use of verbal language.
ReplyDeleteA flick of the finger could well probably mean more than a page of rantings.
Sruti: Thanks! (: I think due to globalisation, many of us are picking up more languages too! and not only do they help us overcome language barriers, they also help us in understanding other cultures.
ReplyDeleteAndrew: Thank you! :D that is very true lor..like us Singaporeans having our own set of Singlish. Don't playplay ah! Exclusionary language helps people within the same group to relate easily to one another. (:
Daryl: Yes, i think you raised a valid point over there. Although we may lack in language proficiency, there are also a set of non-verbal cues that can actually aid us or entirely replace our need for verbal communication! That's what we always do when we go overseas for a tour..pointing at pictures and hand gestures. We can't do without either, i guess! (:
Ah, I think what Daryl raised a substantial point there! Although language has brought much advantages to human civilisation, it has also brought along with it its limitations. Actions (or you call them non-verbal cues) on the other hands can go beyond nationalities, language, cultures...but of course I'm saying all these only to a certain generic extent. Because even in different countries and cultures, a simple hand gesture can convey meanings that are worlds apart! :)
ReplyDeleteLanguages make cultures more colourful. Our Singlish makes us unique, so who's complaining? [Maybe the govt....]
ReplyDeleteI think this world would be extremely boring without the diversity of language. Though it's origins may have stemmed from the infamous Tower of Babel incident, it still does not discount the fact that it helps us want to learn more about another culture. How many times have we watched our favourite Korean/Jap drama and said to ourselves: "man, I so wanna learn that language!"
And yes I totally agree with Daryl. If you have time, watch the movie Wall-E and observe, a movie with hardly any verbal cues. You'll understand what I mean...
haha Wall-E. sad to say, i didn't get to catch it!! somemore they used robots and not humans in the movie!! Good illustration haha.
ReplyDeleteactually come to think of it, language does not just define cultures..it also creates social statuses! like how we will look down on Chinese nationals who are unable to speak English properly. Or how we view French as sophisticated and of a higher class compared to speaking African or something. Not being racist or what..but hope you get my point. Like being able to speak/write English well will usually reflect the education level of a person!
haha this just occured to me.