Madison Burton

6/14/17 SP 120
Language: Barrier and Bridge

Language can be a powerful tool to bridge miscommunications, but can also be the
“source of many interpersonal problems. It is up to the communicators to know how to properly
send the messages they are outputting. “Every language is a collection of symbols governed by
a variety of rules: semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic.” Semantics are the meaning of a word,
phrase, etc. Semantic rules “reflect the ways in which users of a language assign meaning to a
particular linguistic symbol, usually a word.” Syntactic rules “govern the grammar of a language.”
Lastly, pragmatic rules, describe how the same words could differ drastically within their
meanings and intentions.
Some language habits, and conversational styles- such as confusing the seven fallacies,
or confusing facts with opinions, theories, etc- can lead to many interpersonal problems and
miscommunication.
These can extend to social differences such as ethnicity, culture, gender, etc. For
example, the ways that men and women speak can vary drastically. Content can differ within
conversation as well as conversational styles and reasons for communicating at all. However,
gender cannot account for all the difference in conversation between two or more
communicators. “Gender roles, occupation, social philosophy, and orientation toward problem
solving also influence people’s use of language.”
Choosing the right words when carrying your message through translation is vital, but
communicating the same message isn’t always easy. Some words don’t even exist in other
languages or can express alternate meanings. Some words/phrases mean multiple things in a
language, and can cause great confusion if unsure of which ones to use in certain contexts.
“Language also acknowledges or avoids the speaker’s acceptance of responsibility for
his or her thoughts and feelings.” For example, what in Japan is a sign of goodwill, in America,
the same phrase, “excuse me” or “I’m sorry,” is an act of accepting responsibility for what
happened. This can cause many miscommunications when crossing the language barrier.
Languages often reflect, as well as shape, the views and ideas of a culture. Some
culture value formality, where others value their informality. “Beyond these differences, there is
evidence to support linguistic relativism—the notion that language exerts a strong influence on
the worldview of the people who speak it.”
At my high school, New Technology High, it is very common to be paired with an
individual who speaks only one language, most commonly Spanish. It is very interesting to see
how language barriers can impact our communication, but how the messaging through
nonverbals carries over almost identically. This is an example of how languages, and their
cultures, can impact messaging/communication and how we process it. Another example of how
culture and communication play hand in hand is that, in our society, members of similar or the
same demographics tend to stick together and limit their communication with people who are
not members of those demographics. It is very common to see, whether intentional or not, how
members of the same gender, ethnicity, etc tend to limit their groups of friends and otherwise to
strictly those demographics.