Language Experiment

Body Language Only

For 15 minutes  I spent listening to a conversation between my siblings by responding only with hand gestures, facial expressions, and head movement, such as tilting my head to the side.

This part of the experiment was quite easy to do since I can express myself in any way I wanted, as long as it was not with verbal or written language.

And it was especially easy, as I was with two people, so they carried most of the conversation. They did look at me constantly though to gauge my reaction at their nonsense (my siblings are very inclined towards memes and we stood by the piano so my brother and I watched as our younger sister rickrolled us and played the Undertale Sans Fighting Theme).

For the most part, I don't think my mode of communication in any way altered the way they communicated. They continued talking and playing music to make each other laugh (and to try to make me laugh, but I used silent laughter as well as amused and betrayed expressions to convey my feelings).

The one most in control of the conversation was my sister, as she was the pianist and the joker. She usually does and says funny things to get a reaction out of me, and not my brother (usually because they're fighting, but this conversation, in particular, was civil and fun). So perhaps it was partially in my control as well, since she looked for my reactions to guide her into her next joke. But I don't think either of my siblings actually realized I wasn't talking. I seemed to be actively participating in the conversation, even without words. It was a strange mix of equal balance between the three of us, and I may use this method later when I don't feel like talking but can still express myself.

If this mode of conversation were between two persons of different cultural boundaries or languages, I suppose it would mimic that of language barrier conversations that have persisted throughout history before the two cultures found ways to communicate with one another, until they reached a verbal understanding as well.

As long as they had universal symbols and gestures to convey emotions or needs, it would be fine. But if such a conversation were lacking in one culture, because of a lack of symbol sharing, I believe there would be a struggle until the two individuals (or many) find a way to communicate. Maybe they will point at objects they need, or want to talk about.

The only modern instance of this I can think of is Meme Culture. The adults and kids that are most attuned to the strange language of memes are those who grew up with the internet and had it constantly at their side enough for the humor to evolve with them so only they could understand it. This Meme Culture compared to any generation before it, or with people in their own generations that just don't use the internet much or still struggle to understand millennial and gen z humor are at a loss of how to communicate with memers.

Memers use memes (specifically reaction photos that may or may not have an alternate connection that adds even more meaning to it) to express emotions in a way I feel mimics the way I used body language to participate in the conversation with my siblings. They use code words, videos (ex: Vines), and images that a large enough section of the internet shar, reference, and use to relate to one another enough to become a part of their language.

It's how something like this: (something that becomes parodied later)

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Can become this: 

And then into variations of different memes/versions: (because it was shared often and parodied even more that it became a universal symbol/code for a few million people)

Until, finally, it becomes something that would seem to be a little strange in context (or in the case of other memes, completely unreadable):

And this is only the tamest and least varied meme I could find quickly that was widely spread.

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Voice Only

This was a really hard one to do. It was hard to stick to a singular, monotone voice with no facial or body expressions. I broke many times and had to turn away from my brother (since my sister left to eat, but she occasionally spoke with us). 

For the first minute or so, he couldn't tell I had started talking, or that I was talking rather strangely and stoically. But as soon as I kept responding to the conversation, he began to express concern, asking what was happening, and fleeing because he really couldn't grasp any context of why I wasn't expressing myself, and therefore too blank of a page to read.

The fact that he was so unnerved really drove the importance of even the smallest hand gestures and minuscule facial expressions into me. I've been on the receiving end of a stoic face, tone, and gesture before. I was just as unnerved as my brother. I also fled from the conversation, because I couldn't figure out my place in it, and whether or not the speaker even wanted to continue talking to me. It feels a little less discouraging (though it still is), and more alarmed, unsettled, and flustered.

But from that observation, I surely see a benefit to using such a mode of language. I can imagine that if I am ever later annoyed by someone's persistence to invade my privacy or space, I should forego any irritated expressions and head straight to an expressionless, monotonous mask. It would be intimidating and unsettling. If I react with irritation or displeasure though, the person may recognize my cues and ignore them, and keep talking or invading space. By just using verbal language, and an unexpressive voice instead, I can send warnings sparking in their head, and leave them confused and unnerved when they unconsciously search for any change in body gesture or expression. That'll surely drive them off.

But I also see that without gesture and expressions, humans would not be able to communicate their intentions, feelings, insecurities, and their needs. We would not have the society we have today without those connections to others. Even the smallest twitch in facial expression, or the leaning direction of their body, can clue us in on how they feel. Hand gestures like pointing are crucial to understanding the what, how, where, why, and who of almost anything.

There is a great possibility of the existence of people who have difficulty reading body language, or just don't understand the nonverbal language of another culture. That difficulty just becomes another form of a language barrier, since nonverbal communication is so integral to our way of conveyance.