Five words to describe the Nacirema culture.

  

Language Experiment

Over the weekend, I ventured into a partnered experiment where I had two 15-minute conversations.  The first conversation would consist of my partner being allowed to speak normally, while I, in turn, would only be able to respond using body gestures.  The second part of the experiment would again enable my partner to speak normally.  However, while I could also talk, I would not be allowed to use vocal inflection or body gestures for exaggeration (no speaking, writing, or ASL).

  This is how the experiment went.    

  My partner for this experiment was my wife.  We discussed baseball-related topics, specifically the Dodgers.  

  Converting what I wanted to add to the conversation was extremely difficult, considering much of the discussion required in-depth terminology that was almost impossible to convey without using spoken language.

  From my wife's perspective, it was easy for her to convey what she wanted to express, but she felt she was more lecturing me than having a give-and-take discussion and often could not match my gestures with my given intent.  A specific "power" may be felt between individuals or cultures interacting in this manner—in other words, a dominance between one or more entities/cultures. 

  In this case, we both felt that she had the "power" of the conversation.

  Having traveled to many places around the world and been immersed in various cultures for extended periods, I can personally attest to feeling like the culture I was immersed in had the "power" regarding communication.  

  

  Interestingly, we both figured that since we know each other very well and have had numerous conversations over the years, this experiment would be more straightforward than it was.  I have not yet experienced a culture that does not use symbolic language.  When I attempted a conversation with someone of a different culture, we both resorted to using hand and body gestures to reinforce the words we were trying to use as symbols of the thing we wanted to express.  I can only imagine that a culture that did not use symbolic language would be considered primitive.

  The most apparent type of person in our culture who cannot use spoken language is someone who is mute.  Without the advent of ASL, and even then, trying to communicate with someone who does not know ASL would be highly frustrating.  This example exactly mirrors this part of the language experiment.  The "power' would reside with the person who can use spoken language.

  The following is the second part of the experiment, in which I was allowed to speak but not use vocal inflection or bodily gestures while I spoke.  Were we able to communicate in this manner for 15 minutes, and was this difficult in the process?   

  Yes, we completed the 15 minutes of this experiment.  The difficulty of this part of the experiment was realizing how much voice inflection adds to the intent of your words.  We could see the potential for miscommunication because much of the context is lost without vocal inflection, much like texting can miscommunicate the context of the message.

  My wife said the conversation felt "artificial" and "creepy."  She could not reasonably determine whether my answers to specific questions or responses to certain statements necessarily answered or conveyed my intent because my responses lacked her ability to determine whether I was happy, sad, excited, or blasé.   

  It shows that hand, shoulder, head, and other gestures are essential for elaborating, emphasizing, and reaffirming our words while speaking.  They also allow us to express sincerity and enthusiasm. 

  Is body language important?  Are there people who have difficulty reading body language?  Is there an environmental condition in which not reading body language might be beneficial?  These are some of the questions raised by this experiment.

  Body language helps us understand what another person is trying to communicate and fully understand what they are saying.  It also allows us to interpret moods, emotions, and the context of what the other is trying to communicate.  Body language also enables us to understand what we say and how we say it.

  The only environment in which using bodily language would not be beneficial is if you are trying to be deceptive.  For example, a polygrapher does not necessarily rely on the polygraph machine to detect deception.  The polygrapher uses the polygraph machine to examine the subject's body language to detect deception.   

  Would the use of written language have made this experiment easier?

  Using written language in Part 1 of the language experiment would have made communication much more effortless.  Written language allows for complex expressions of thought, inquiry, and instruction without speech. 

  What advantage does written language provide to the culture that develops and uses it? 

  Written language allows precise articulation of facts, thoughts, intent, historical data, instruction, etc., to be provided to the reader for immediate and/or future dissemination.

  How has written language impacted "globalization" or spreading ideas worldwide?  

  We have observed in real time that thoughts, ideas, ideologies, etc., can be disseminated worldwide through written language.  The advent of the Internet and social media drastically advanced this dissemination.