Language

Part 1:

My attempt to engage in a conversation with my sister for 15 minutes without using symbolic language was unsuccessful to say the least. I found it very difficult because I communicate on a day to day basis with speech.  

My sister had absolutely no idea what I was trying to say. She stared at me with the most confused face I have ever seen. I'm not sure if that means she isn’t the brightest light bulb in the room or if I looked like an untamed chimpanzee. It was difficult to stay in character and not say a word because we both kept laughing. There was a few occasions where I would shout a sentence out of frustration and she would respond, "That's nothing close to what you gestured!" . I don't think I am the only person who had difficulties with this form of communication because society in general is used to talking all the time, even if it's excessive.

If we had been two different cultures meeting for the first time, I would think the person who lives in an environment that required them to adapt to communicating without symbolic language would have an advantage.

The people who use symbolic language most likely look down on the people who do not use symbolic language. I say that because symbolic language is so common in this day and age, it's like breathing. So someone who is unable to communicate using symbolic language could be absolutely shocking and unbelievable to most people.

Nail salons are a prime example of communication difficulty among individuals. Most employees at nail salons have came over seas and only speak Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc. A description of a typical nail salon customer is a Caucasian female who speaks only English. I have seen many instances where customers get irritated with the employees because they do not understand the specifications of what type of service they would like. On the other hand, employees at these salons get frustrated trying to explain themselves to their customers and normally give up on their attempt and do whatever the customer wants.

Part 2:

My attempt to communicate with my sister only using speech was almost as difficult as not being able to use any speech. I am partially Italian and if you know anything about Italians you know they're loud and use hand gestures for everything.

            I'm almost certain my sister thought I was wearing a strap attaching my arms to my waist. Standing completely still made my voice go monotone and I felt like a statue. As a result my sister was completely bored with the conversation and felt it was bland.

I believe the use of  "signs" and non-speech language techniques in our language is very important because it adds animation and life to the topic that is being discussed.

There are people who have difficulty reading body language because they're not use to or don't understand it. The ability to read another person's body language is helpful because you could establish if the person is being truthful or not. For example, when I say, "Hey let's go to the gym!" and my sister says, "Ok"  while dragging her feet, I know she doesn't really want to go. But if she says, "Ok" and shoots out of her chair, I know she wants to go.

I feel the best situation to be incapable of reading a person's body language is in a hospital. Seeing a person in pain is not a pretty sight. It's sad, depressing, and would make me feel bad for not being able to do anything in that second to relieve them from their pain.