LANGUAGE Part 1
SPOKEN LANGUAGE – BODY LANGUAGE – ATTENTION SPAN
WHY DO WE STILL STRUGGLE WITH UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER, EVEN WHEN WE SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE?
Language is a very complex phenomenon that involves the mind, the brain and the body. Language can be defined as the ability to encode limitless combinations of ideas, thoughts, opinions, knowledge and instructions into highly structured sounds and words (spoken language), as well as meaningful gestures and facial expressions (body language), to communicate with other people.
At its best, even the most advanced, richest and sophisticated languages in the world are inadequate to express human mind. That is why we often hear, “I can’t find a word to express my feelings.”
There are other reasons as to why we struggle to understand each other, even when we speak the same language. One of the most common reasons for this is that we don’t listen carefully. To listen carefully, we must be able to clear our minds of every thought and pay full attention.
Studies done on attention span has shown that our automatic attention span has become much shorter. Attention span could simply be defined as the amount of time we could spend completely concentrating on the task at hand, without being distracted. Even though the attention span changes from person to person, a recent study by Microsoft shows that the average human automatic attention span has shortened from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. This coincides with the time when the Internet and social media have become a way of life, in all over the world. Social media companies always promoted instant expression and gratification with pictures, videos and emojis, without any thinking and, without paying much attention to the full details. Obviously if we don’t listen carefully, we would not be able to understand what the other person is trying to tell us.
Besides our automatic attention span, there is another type of attention span, called “ selective focused attention span” which ranges between 10 to 20 minutes. It is when we use our willpower to pay full attention at the task at hand. If a person is actively participating in the conversation or event, focused attention span could get much longer than that.
As we mentioned previously, before one talks to other people, there is a thinking phase, at which time brain creates decoded signals from our thoughts, and send certain motor signals to periphery, to the sound producing organs, as well as other organs for the expression of body language, in the form of fascial expression, gaze, gesture, posture and hand movements.
There must be a harmony between spoken language and body language. Studies have shown that people can lie with words but not with body language. If there is a discrepancy between these two languages, nobody believes in spoken words any longer. Our ancient ancestors, before even developed language skills, communicated with each other with body language and some primordial sounds. That is why body language is universal, it has no accent, and it is well understood in every culture of the world.
On the other hand, for a listener in order to understand spoken language very well, he or she with a clear and unbiased mind, must receive and coordinate all the sensory information through their auditory and visual senses, and send them to the specialized section of the brain for comprehension and cognition. Education level, culture and knowledge of a person are also crucial for proper understanding.
So, it appears that the spoken language and the body language are integral part of each other. They require very complex patterns of encoding and, sensory and motor signals transfer between people with unequal mind and intelligence. Therefore, misunderstanding or not understanding are commonly encountered occurrences, even when the same language is spoken.
