Language Experiment

Tamara Sales White
Anthropology
May 19, 2013
Language Experiment

 

Part one of the experiment was probably the most difficult part of the whole experiment. It was hard because I was the outcast, I tried to talk to my friends but I felt like during the whole fifteen minute conversation I was playing charades with them when were suppose to be having a conversation. It is already bad as it is that my friends talk fast and I already try to say my opinion after they talk, but when we were having our conversation while I was using just hand movements my friends tried to interpret what I was saying and it slowed the conversation down.

            One of my friends didn’t want to even turn to me at first to see what I was trying to say until I started to wave my hands and get their attention. Overall my friends did try to understand me and slow down their talking so I could show them in hand movements what I was trying to say, which I thought was really nice and supportive instead of ignoring me or act like I wasn’t there.

We choose two cultures that we think might work together to talk to each other and that was Asian and American.  We choose these cultures because when we go out, where we live, there are Chinese restaurants owned my Asians, stores run by Asians, and nail salons as well. When I attend one of these stores or restaurants, I have to speak more openly and slowly most of the time even if have a full conversation with that person. It does seem pretty hard for them to interpret what I say then me interpreting them, but we do get over it and usually they are longer conversations of course but they are worth it.  

There are people in our own culture that do have the same problem of not being able to talk and they are considered Mute. Those who are able to speak and not speak are able to speak to each other through some type of communication as in sign language or now a days a special device.

In part two of this experiment it wasn’t as hard as I thought It would be, but it was pretty weird to speak in one tone with no hand movements, face expressions, or body movements. I lasted probably about eight minutes. It did get harder later in the conversation because you don’t really know anyone expression. For example if someone got offended in the conversation we couldn’t tell, if someone became sad, over joyed, or just wanted to show a little sass, it couldn’t be shown.  I believe that was the most difficult part for all of us because everything is one way and one way only. My partners also found it very difficult because it was too hard to stay in one tone and one of my friends always uses hand gestures and that was the worst part for him.

I believe it is very important that non-speech techniques are very effective for those who cannot speak to talk to those who can. It helps to have full conversations with someone and it helps those who cannot speak to mouth out what we say. I believe there are people who can’t read body language but at the same time I think it’s something that’s common for most people. Reading body language helps us interpret what we all say and know if someone is being sarcastic, happy, sad, angry, and etc. It helps determine if someone doesn’t want to be bothered as well. Body language actually tells a lot about a person, my mother always says. I honestly can’t think of an environmental condition where body language couldn’t be used.