Lala Land

Blog Post: Language Experiment

Part 1: I picked my dad as my partner in conversation. We chose to discuss the topic of Donald Trump running for president. I found the assignment easy, but difficult to communicate effectively. I found that my partner did alter the way he communicated with me due to the fact that my responses were limited to only non- vocalized responses. For example, when he would ask me yes or no questions it was easy for me to answer with a nod, facial expression, or some sort of body language gesture. A look of excitement or a nod typically suggested a yes, and a shrug or grossed out face signaled a no. When he got into questions such as: what is your opinion of him as the possibility of being out president? it was hard for me to answer without words and found that our conversation had hit a dead end.

I found that my partner was in control of the conversation. Since he was the one able to speak with his words, he was able to initiate or direct the topic of conversation. My partner was the one able to ask the questions, and I was the one who mainly answered. The only way I was able to direct the conversation was if he asked me a question like: do you like Donald Trump? I won’t mention my answer, but in order to ask him the same question without words, I was able to put my arm out as though I was asking him the same question in return, and he understood and was able to answer. I only did the experiment with one person, so in this case I did not feel excluded. If I think of this conversation as an exchange of power, I would say my partner held the most power. The reason he had the most power was because he was able to lead the conversation where it needed to go. He was able to redirect questions from an open ended question to a closed ended question, which without vocalization it was easier to communicate with closed ended question.

When it comes to two different cultures, one with spoken language and one with without, the one with spoken language is able to better communicate within their population. They are able to do so better because they can explain in greater detail than the one without. Not only can they explain in detail but they can do so more efficiently because they are able to get their point across more quickly. The culture without the spoken language would have a harder time getting specific details across, because they would have to take the time to either get the point across with just body language, which can be confusing or they would have to draw out signs and symbols to get their point across, which also could be taken out of context more easily than if it was spoken. Take for example texting a friend. We live in a modern day culture that is consumed by the digital world. People spend more time communicating non verbally than they do verbally. Either we are emailing, texting, or communicating through various social media outlets. Talking face to face or on the phone is become a thing of the past.  Verbal communication is straight to the point and harder to take out of context than non-verbal communication. If I send my friend a message that has an exclamation point in it (!) it can either mean, I’m excited or I’m upset. If I am able to talk to my friend over the phone she can tell immediately if I am happy or unhappy about what were are talking about.

Part 2: First of all, I found it hard not to laugh during this part of the assignment. I am so used to communicating verbally and non-verbally at the same time. I like to make faces when I talk, squint my eyes, exaggerate with my hands, etc.…. It also didn’t help my partner was staring at me like a Robert! It was a lot more difficult for me to communicate with only my words. I think eliminating your tone of voice a lone can drastically change the vibe of the conversation. My partner felt like he could not tell if I was being sincere with my answers or not. When he would ask my opinion on how would I feel if Trump became president, he thought my answers seemed vague and monotone due to the lack of non-verbal communication.

I think our non-verbal techniques are extremely important with how we communicate, and seems crazy to think of communicating without either form of language. There is a saying that states, “the majority of the time it is not what you say, it is how you say it.” If I get in an argument with my friend and I apologize, my friend won’t think I am sincerely apologizing if all I say is, “I’m sorry.” My tone of voice would have to line up with being sympathetic, i.e.… a softer, quieter tone to ensure I am genuinely sorry. Not only that but maybe I reach out my hand to grab their hand so they know I am engaged in the apology and not trying to get it over with. I think people are more likely to understand emotions such as, happiness, anger, sadness, hurt, resentment, sincerity better when the spoken language is accompanied by the non-verbal language. If my arms are crossed I am more likely to come across shy, reserved, or even anger. If I’m smiling and moving my hands around while I talk, I am more likely to come across confident, or even happy.

The adaptive benefit for someone that is able to understand body language in order to survive can be recognized in many different ways. Take for example someone who is choking they will probably be gasping for air since they can’t talk, grabbing their next and so forth. That gesture is crucial in saving their life because those that are around them are able to see them in trouble and get them the help they need in order to live. I would imagine it would be hard to sexually reproduce if body language wasn’t involved. Just a simple look or grab of the hand can let someone know they are interested in you.

People who are blind are an example of not needing nonverbal communication to understand things as well. They are not able to see hand motions or shrugs of the shoulder or a wink even. They mainly have to go off verbal communication and tone of voice to understand what is being communicated to them.