Section 1:
Introduction and
Disambiguation
My project aims to evaluate the importance of verbal communication
as a social vehicle – how deep are the effects of social
communication rooted on us as social creatures? This observational
study was incited by the notion that many pioneering observational
studies in the psychological field were made in the observation of
the dysfunctional human organism. Take the case study of H.M., a man
whose surgical removal of a brain section robbed him of the ability
to store new memories. (Adelson,2005) Research on his behaviors by
multiple psychologists resulted in important findings about the
nature of memory. The best insights into the nature of order is to
observe it in dysfunction. To that end, the observational section of
my project was of my own abstinence from verbal communication, and
the social consequences that would follow. Will I suffer or flourish
amongst my speech-capable peers? How will I fail or succeed in
communicating without my voice? And most importantly, why will these
consequences occur? Each of these questions will be explored as I
reflect upon my experience in speechlessness with the insights of
psychosocial studies to evaluate and explain the importance and
impact of speech as a social vehicle.
There is
perhaps no social vehicle more effective than speech. As a form of
communication carried by sound waves instead of visual reception, we
need not look, or even seek the attention, of those with which we
wish to communicate. With the marvelous invention of language, we
gain the ability to articulate beyond mere emotion and express
ourselves in complex ways with remarkable ease. It is these numerous
advantages that granted verbal communication its proud and dominant
place in the course of human development. As much as it has liberated
us, however, knowledge has limited us in equal ways. Language is our
preponderant communicator; as long as we can speak, we have no need
to use any other form of communication. Gestures and expressions are
important, of course, but in such an advanced society that we have
created for ourselves and acclimated to, these emotions often take
the backseat in favor of the more complex form of expression that
verbal communication offers - gestures and expressions, instead, help
to accentuate language. (Krauss, 131-143)
Humans
are social creatures. Without elaboration, this may seem a light
statement – all creatures are capable of communicating with one
another. However, our ability to form complex methods
of communication is influenced by our own biological preferences.
Chomsky's work introduced to us the idea of the language
acquisition device, a naturally
formed device which motivates our natural acquisition of the language
of our household. How else, Chomsky argues, do many languages of the
world share similar grammatical infrastructures? (Chomsky, 1959,87)
However,
it is important to not place too much stock on the ability of a
single perspective in determining and defining human behavior and
cognition. A study of Nicaraguan deaf children demonstrated that,
when faced with social pressures and individuals that can be related
with, the desire to socialize facilitated the creation of a unique
Nicaraguan sign language, with its own words and grammatical
structure. (Osbourne, 1999, Sandler et Al, 2005) The nature and
value of verbal communication can better be evaluated by viewing each
effect from multiple perspectives. The biopsychosocial
approach acknowledges the
inability of each perspective to reveal everything. Therefore, an
expansive analysis of each perspective is needed to properly evaluate
a concept and articulate its numerous determinant factors. It is with
this mentality that is absolutely essential to the spirit of my
project, as an open an receptive mind is the most receptive to new
insights.
\ Citations:
Adelson, R. (2005,September). Lessons from H.M. Monitor on Psychology, p. 59.
Chomsky, N. (1959). Review of B.F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior. Language, 35, 26-58.
Chomsky, N. (1987). Language in a psychological setting. Sophia Linguistic Working Papers in Liguistics, No. 22, Sophia university, Tokyo.
Osbourne, L. (1999, October 27). A linguistic big bang. New York Times Magazine (www.nytimes.com).
Sandler, W., Meir, I., Padden, C., & Aronoff, M. (2005). The emergence of grammar: Systemic structure in a new language. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 102, 2261-2265.
Adelson, R. (2005,September). Lessons from H.M. Monitor on Psychology, p. 59.
Chomsky, N. (1959). Review of B.F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior. Language, 35, 26-58.
Chomsky, N. (1987). Language in a psychological setting. Sophia Linguistic Working Papers in Liguistics, No. 22, Sophia university, Tokyo.
Osbourne, L. (1999, October 27). A linguistic big bang. New York Times Magazine (www.nytimes.com).
Sandler, W., Meir, I., Padden, C., & Aronoff, M. (2005). The emergence of grammar: Systemic structure in a new language. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 102, 2261-2265.
