Wk 9.3 Culture and Language Style

Within the previous readings, there was information about language and culture, particularly the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, where language reflects our culture and our thoughts, behaviors and values (in other words, our culture) are affected by language. As Trenholm states, “if we think and remember linguistically, then it stands to reason that the nature of our language affects the nature of our thoughts” (75).

In line with this idea, the general concept of culture and language style is relevant and interesting. The different ways that we speak across cultures each emphasizes what is valued; if a particular thought or idea is important within a culture/community, then this idea will be linked to and easily represented by a word, especially if the culture attaches a particular connotation to that word. This is why learning different languages may be frustrating and hard since there may be certain words that are not easily translated from one language to another since meanings and connotations may not be easily translated. There are also specific words that exist in one language but not in another, such as the basic Spanish language where there are two words for fish, one specifically for eating and the other one for the general idea of fish. There is also the example from Trenholm with the Japanese word, amae, where it contains connotations and meanings that are more that its English “translation” of dependence; as stated within the text, “…it is a highly assumed, reciprocal relationship that blurs the distinction between…work and the interpersonal realm” (355).

There is also the fact that culture influences semantic content (words grammar, written and oral language) and pragmatic rules (the way we organize and present our words within different contexts, language styles, speech forms, what and how we speak, the meanings of different speech forms). Culture also affects the meaning of nonverbal language as well, as seen within past readings. Language contains a representation of their respective cultures, where it expresses their beliefs and shows the “filters” that these individual communities are looking and perceiving through.

Wk 9.2 Rationality, Perfectibility and Mutuality Premises

I can believe in rationality and mutability practice, but I think that rather than believing in the actual premise of perfectibility where people are innately evil at birth, I would think along the lines of being born neutral and doing good things and behaving with effort and control, we can be good or “redeem” ourselves for the bad things that we may have done.

In terms of social institutions and practices based on the three premises, for the perfectibility premise, with this belief that people are born evil but can redeem themselves by putting the effort and control, there is the idea of using community service as a part of a convicted sentence, equaling to a way to repay to society for one’s crime, creation and enforcement of laws (prohibitions, limits) and religion.

The social institutions and practices that are based on the rationality premise, the belief of the capability of discovering the truth through logical analysis include the areas of government, law and economics, as well as seen within free enterprise, investigative/enforcement services, individual rights that include the right to vote and free speech, and trials by jury.

The mutability premise states that human behavior is shaped by environmental factors, and the social institutions and practices that are based on this idea include the idea of universal education, child and social services, desire of universal health care, services from community service centers and such.

Wk 9.1 Creatures of Culture

I agree that we are “creatures of our culture” where one is shaped by one’s own learned culture. As one grows up, family, peers and society in general teach us what values should prized or not, how to behave within different situations, what meanings or expectations are derived from messages or from people, what is polite and what is considered rude or taboo, and other such things. Therefore, as we continue to repetitively continue our learned patterns from our culture, we tend to instinctively confine ourselves to our particular beliefs, habits and concept of reality and impossibility.

In order to break through the constrictive limits of our respective cultures, it is important to understand that there are vast and different yet acceptable and “right” ways to live and understand the world. Other vital points are that we must always be open-minded, non-judgmental, striving to learn more about what’s beyond our individual “world”, thereby learning how to interact in a way that is respectful to their culture and their identity, especially as we are likely to be in contact with various cultural communities.

Wk 7.3: Concept: Object Language

Object language, “all intentional and unintentional displays of material things…”, the implicit messages that one gets from the materials that one possesses. In a way, objects can send a message of who a person is, enforcing the idea that ‘We are what we have’. Clothing is a very known ideal of how materials can construct a particular interpretation. However, built environments and the elements of size, materials, linear perspective, lighting temperature, noise, and overall sensory stimulation are not exactly things that one immediately thinks of when thinking of nonverbal communication.

This is an interesting concept because when we think of nonverbal communication, the extent of object communication would be the clothes that one wears. However, considering the impressions gets from materials, for instance, built environments, the buildings that we see can influence how we think, whether about what we should wear, what services are within that building and if it is good, how to act, or even if we are the type of person that would be allowed in. Materials can give us the impressions of power, different types of feelings and atmospheres, and the people who may own these materials. Certain factors of materials can make people tense and uncomfortable, and relaxed and at ease.

Wk 7.2: Cultural Meanings and Nonverbal Messages

Languages within cultures vary, where meanings are determined differently between these different cultures. Nonverbal messages also follow suit as different values may determine certain acts as one thing or another, whether insulting or not. An example would be the “ok” open hand sign. Typically within the United States, this would signify agreement and is generally holds a positive meaning in this culture. However, within areas in South America, this is a derogatory gesture, interpreted as insulting and demeaning, something that one would not want to see in this part of the world. Another nonverbal message with different cultural meanings would be eye contact. In the United States, keeping eye contact is a sign of confidence, self-esteem, listening and understanding, generally a good thing to repeat and enforce. However, this same gesture may be deemed as arrogant and disrespectful in Asian cultures, such as Japan. There is no solid attached meaning to words and likewise, actions; nonverbal language and messages may be symbolic, with its meaning being shaped by culture and its ideology, values and way of life.

Wk 7.1 Nonverbal Messages: Did I Interpret That Correctly?

Nonverbal messages are ambiguous because of the possible contrast between our interpretations of the nonverbal message and the state of the person who is “sending” that message. Nonverbal messages are commonly used within each of our lives and in which many have encountered a form of misunderstanding due to misinterpretation. There was one time when a group of us were working together for a presentation, I asked a person about whether she would send her allotted part of the powerpoint presentation to me by a certain date, just for clarification. She was nodding her head and saying yes, but she did it in such a rushed and hurried manner that unfortunately, I interpreted as her being annoyed, mean, and someone who didn’t want to do her work. However this nonverbal message that I received was interpreted out of context, particularly of her situation. Summarily put, it seems that she had to be somewhere else really soon, thus she had to be in a hurry. I really did misinterpret her as being rude when she really was just focused on going somewhere and getting there as quick as she can.

In order to increase the accuracy of people’s interpretation of nonverbal messages, one should employ caution in interpreting this type of messages, since these are messages that are being sent, unintentional or intentional, based on a person’s circumstances/situation, personality and physical state, which may change the meaning of the message. It may be an unconscious action or habit instead of a deep and purposeful message, so it is important to understand that the message sent may not be as one interprets it, to not be conclusive after one receives the message as well as that all nonverbal message should not be read as something that has deep meaning each and every time this nonverbal message may be “sent”. One can employ strategies by becoming more aware, analyzing the person and the context of the situation to see whether it is caused by the immediate physical conditions or the person’s personality and situation, as well as employing the use of verbal clarification.

Wk 6.1: Perceiving without Judging?

It is impossible to perceive others without judging or categorizing them because this is a process that we unconsciously and consciously do in order to create an understanding of our world. As we continuously gain new experiences and information, we tend to create schemata to make the learnt information and knowledge become applicable to the new or incoming information. This, thereby, creates an integral “system” identification and organization, where we may tend to create unfair judgments and instant characterization without taking to account individual differences that changes our idealized representations of a certain kind of person (personal prototypes) and the characteristics that we habitually notice of others, partially due to appearance (personal constructs). We may also fall into acting upon scripts or representations of sequences of action, where we unthinkingly act upon routine, thus pushing us into “mindlessness and repetitive routines” (Trenholm, 51).

To counteract faulty perceptions, judgments and categorization, we must enact mindful processing; in other words, becoming more mindful of our actions, habits, and such, thus improving awareness, creating new understandings and creating more fair judgments. We can also improve our interpretation of the world, since our individual judgment is not the “right one”, rather it is important to understand that we can be confused about a message or misunderstand what someone is trying to communicate. Therefore, we should utilize a perception check to state our interpretation as well as ask and clarify what the other is trying to say, thus minimizing misunderstanding and problems that may occur due to faulty judgments and differences in understanding the message communicated.

Wk 6.2 Talking: Girls and Boys

Gender does play a role in how men and women use language and overall communicate differently. As we grow, we are influenced by the gender expectations that society has built and support, thus also affecting our use of language within different areas of our lives, from our socialization within groups, intimate interactions, and overall use of communication. As Trenholm points out, boys and girls have different patterns and manners of using language that generally fits what is expected from different genders: boys are supposed to be strong, authoritative, and “masculine”; women are to be nurturing, supportive, sensitive, encouraging and “feminine”. Thus language would often reflect these expectations.

For example, within a conversation between two women, there may be frequent verbal exchanges and conversations as well as an inclination for more intimate, close topics of conversation that encourages exposure of emotions, feelings and insecurities. In contrast, a conversation between men may be more limited in terms of explicit conversation/verbal exchanges as well as having less of a tendency to go into a conversation that deals with emotions and other “in-depth” topics, usually going for a wide breadth of public matters. When they do speak, there is a less likely chance that men will use “confirming verbal language” that indicates listening while the other is talking.

Another example would be when discussing a problem. If one discusses a problem with a girl, then the response would deal more with comforting and supporting the other person, dealing more with how the person is feeling, rather than the actual problem. Women would most likely use encouraging language while the other is talking, saying “right,” “sure,” “I know” and other little words that confirm that they are listening throughout the conversation. If that same problem was discussed with a guy, then the response would most likely be a more authoritative and straightforward answer, suggestion or stated solution for the problem that could be used, thus dealing with the literal meaning of the message.

Wk 6.3 Listening: Interpretation

Within the process of listening, one needs to determine what the person is saying, thus assigning meanings to the words, actions, tones, and sounds that the other person is making. Simply put, we are to interpret what the other is communicating. In determining meaning, we base our interpretation on our individual past knowledge, social understanding, and experience, which then determine what it means to us. Thus, one’s interpretation of a person, event or thing changes the value and meaning place onto a specific thing, depending on the individual’s mindset and circumstance. Interpretation is how one categorizes what one experiences, whether it is typical, good, bad, strange or such.

As Trenholm fully discusses, we structure and organize the sensory data and information into clear images and words. As we are continually exposed to this information, we then “impose stability on what we see”, thus understanding the existence and presence of what we see and hear, even if we do not physically see it during a moment in time. Lastly we give meaning to what we see, determining its characteristics, identity, value and what it “states”.

Although this process is regularly and unconsciously done in order to understand the world and live in it, this process involves complex organization to guide us within the world. Therefore we are able to make judgments about people, events and the general world, especially as we build upon our schemata or mental guidelines to “identify and organize incoming information”, based on shared social understanding, past experiences, and current knowledge (Trenholm, 50). Interpretation is important as it tells us how we, as individuals view the world, thus indicating that there are many different ways to view the world, therefore we must be mindful that people may interpret the same thing differently that we do.