Some Thoughts

The post for the last day of this program "Spread the word, feel the world" is about what we have learned in these amazing days discussing how language works, conforms reality and helps us to set connections with others. 

Noam Chomsky,  american linguist and philosopher, defines language as the crucial property that distinguishes humans from animals and the reason for creativity of the humankind.

"More generally, I think that the long-range significance of the study of language lies in the fact that in this study it is possible to give a relatively sharp and clear formulation of some of the central questions of reality and to bring a mass of evidence to bear on them. What is more, the study of language is, for the moment, unique in the combination it affords of richness of data and susceptibility to sharp formulation of basic issues". Noam Chomsky, from his lecture "Language and mind", 1968.

Steven Pinker, canadian linguist and psychologist remarks the ability of "shaping events in the brain of others, with great accuracy". "Everyone can reliably cause precise new combinations of ideas in the mind of the other. It's such a natural skill that we tend to forget how amazing it is" in his own words.

Words and Rules, refers to a model Pinker believes best represents how words are represented in the mind. He writes that words are either stored directly with their associated meanings, in a "mental dictionary", or constructed using morphological rules.


Nonverbal communication: Gestures.

Gestures are a form of nonverbal communication in which visible bodily actions are used to communicate important messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with spoken words. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body.

Physical non-verbal communication such as purely expressive displays, proxemics, or displays of joint attention differ from gestures, which communicate specific messages.
Chironomia refers to the use of gestures to support oratory.
Gestures are culture-specific and can convey very different meanings in different social or cultural settings.  Gesture is distinct from sign language.
Although some gestures, such as the ubiquitous act of pointing, differ little from one place to another, most gestures do not have invariable or universal meanings but connote specific meanings in particular cultures. A single emblematic gesture can have very different significance in different cultural contexts, ranging from complimentary to highly offensive.

 Some examples:

• A-ok or Okay, made by connecting the thumb and forefinger in a circle and holding the other fingers straight, may signal the word okay; especially as a diving signal. It is considered obscene in Latin America.
• Beckoning sign. In North America or Northern Europe a beckoning sign is made with the index finger sticking out of the clenched fist, palm facing the gesturer. The finger moves repeatedly towards the gesturer (in a hook) as to draw something nearer. It has the general meaning of "come here." In Northern Africa (Maghreb), calling someone is done using the full hand. In several Asian and European countries, a beckoning sign is made with a scratching motion with all four fingers and with the palm down. In Japan, the palm faces the recipient with the hand at head's height.
• Moutza is a traditional insult gesture in Greece made by extending all five fingers toward the person being insulted.
• Nod, tilting the head up and down that usually indicates assent in Western Europe, North America, and the Indian subcontinent, among other places but a nod also means the opposite in other places, such as Bulgaria.
• Shrug, lifting both shoulders indicates lack of knowledge or concern.
• Shush, the index finger of one hand is extended and placed vertically in front of the lips, with the remaining fingers curled toward the palm with the thumb forming a fist; used to demand or request silence from those to whom it is directed.