Language.
One of the greatest assets that mankind does posses is the ability to communicate. This is not just limited to speech. Movement and expressions are very useful ways of indicating feelings and emotions.
Even talking to other creatures such as horses and dogs can have amazing results as the tone of voice can do wonders to bridge the gap of understanding each other. Some chimpanzees have been taught sign language and whales have a distinctive song that can travel miles underwater.
How people write and talk are clear signs of education and standards but sometimes the very point of language can be lost. I remember an experiment where a group of people were asked to give their opinion on several different styles of writing. The result was amazing as the level ranged from very straightforward to academic excellence. The majority picked the wordy, highly educated work as the best. When asked to explain the content and meaning of the work they all had to admit they did not have a clue what it was about despite having chosen it as their winner.
In a similar way a very highly qualified scientist became frustrated at his, in his opinion, idiot students who were not able to understand any of his lessons. To him it was perfectly clear using difficult technical words was the only way to fully understand the complexity of the subject.
Without language how could we express our feelings of love on Valentine's Day or express our loss and sorrow for those that have moved on in the cycle of being?
Poetry for me is an ever present form of enjoyment. From Daisy who really wasn't crazy but was far too lazy to ever quietly close a door, To light that is white conceals so many colours shining bright. From a sheet of white paper can spring a torrent of words that can lift the spirit and spark the imagination.
The spoken word can have a dramatic effect not just in timing but intonation. An incident occurred at a rare time when my Father and family had visited a pub. We were in the family section when all of a sudden some rapacious revellers burst in. It was an overwhelming situation, my Father was not in appearance heavy built or physically one prone to outweighing an opponent. Although short in stature he possessed an amazingly powerfully voice that barked a command and could halt a man at a distance. Simply the volume and force of his tone froze the arm and body of the nearest reveller who had been intent on getting better acquainted with my Mother. After a few more chosen words they departed back to the main bar and the incident came to a non-violent end.
Would Shakespeare's plays have the same impact if the correct vocal emphases is not included in dramatic scenes? An interesting idea from the film Meet the Parents involved Robert De Niro's character not using baby language as a means of talking to young children and phrases using any childish speech such as Here Comes the Choo Choo were totally banned as he thought they would delay and even could stunt his grandson's development. Who would refuse a Robert De Niro in mid-flow when it comes to the trial and tribulations of vocabulary, not his would be Son-In-Law in the film anyway and he opted to simply say the word train to the impressionable child instead, well in front of the Father-In-Law anyhow!
Language can be an art form but most importantly it must be clear in expressing the meaning intended. It can be about staying true to heritage, moving with the times or combining them both, but language is in itself a subject that can teach us much about who uses it, how they do and what is meant by what is the spoken and written word.
Even talking to other creatures such as horses and dogs can have amazing results as the tone of voice can do wonders to bridge the gap of understanding each other. Some chimpanzees have been taught sign language and whales have a distinctive song that can travel miles underwater.
How people write and talk are clear signs of education and standards but sometimes the very point of language can be lost. I remember an experiment where a group of people were asked to give their opinion on several different styles of writing. The result was amazing as the level ranged from very straightforward to academic excellence. The majority picked the wordy, highly educated work as the best. When asked to explain the content and meaning of the work they all had to admit they did not have a clue what it was about despite having chosen it as their winner.
In a similar way a very highly qualified scientist became frustrated at his, in his opinion, idiot students who were not able to understand any of his lessons. To him it was perfectly clear using difficult technical words was the only way to fully understand the complexity of the subject.
Without language how could we express our feelings of love on Valentine's Day or express our loss and sorrow for those that have moved on in the cycle of being?
Poetry for me is an ever present form of enjoyment. From Daisy who really wasn't crazy but was far too lazy to ever quietly close a door, To light that is white conceals so many colours shining bright. From a sheet of white paper can spring a torrent of words that can lift the spirit and spark the imagination.
The spoken word can have a dramatic effect not just in timing but intonation. An incident occurred at a rare time when my Father and family had visited a pub. We were in the family section when all of a sudden some rapacious revellers burst in. It was an overwhelming situation, my Father was not in appearance heavy built or physically one prone to outweighing an opponent. Although short in stature he possessed an amazingly powerfully voice that barked a command and could halt a man at a distance. Simply the volume and force of his tone froze the arm and body of the nearest reveller who had been intent on getting better acquainted with my Mother. After a few more chosen words they departed back to the main bar and the incident came to a non-violent end.
Would Shakespeare's plays have the same impact if the correct vocal emphases is not included in dramatic scenes? An interesting idea from the film Meet the Parents involved Robert De Niro's character not using baby language as a means of talking to young children and phrases using any childish speech such as Here Comes the Choo Choo were totally banned as he thought they would delay and even could stunt his grandson's development. Who would refuse a Robert De Niro in mid-flow when it comes to the trial and tribulations of vocabulary, not his would be Son-In-Law in the film anyway and he opted to simply say the word train to the impressionable child instead, well in front of the Father-In-Law anyhow!
Language can be an art form but most importantly it must be clear in expressing the meaning intended. It can be about staying true to heritage, moving with the times or combining them both, but language is in itself a subject that can teach us much about who uses it, how they do and what is meant by what is the spoken and written word.
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