“A different language is a different vision of life”- Federico Fellini. As someone who speaks more than one language, this quote really stands out to me. Learning Portuguese over 15 years, speaking with my family, going to the country, and really learning the culture and environment has really shaped me to be the person I am today. The mind, language, body, and communication all work together to create us as individuals. In “Arrival” we learn that we humans can learn a lot by knowing someone’s language. By learning their language, we can understand their mind, body language and how they choose to communicate with each other. In the episode Darmok, “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, we learned that the Tamarians language was composed of conceptual metaphors.
Starting with “Arrival”, “Arrival” is a movie that really made me think twice at the end. This film really teaches us how to think outside the box. Dr Louise Banks and her partner Ian work together and quickly realize that their language is by circular pictures that they create. Every circular pattern has a different meaning. Slowly throughout the movie, we start learning small details. We learn that their language is non-linear so when Louise learned the language, she now knows the future because of how their language is. Time is non- existing for them; they have no understanding of time. It took me awhile to fully understand the movie, but after I figured it out (wow). Louise and Ian are teaching Heptapod by using a white board, by doing the actual concept of the word. In one part of the film, Ian writes on the white board, “Ian walking” and then Ian begins walking in front of them. This shows how the physical body is an important role in communications. We need the mind, language, body, and communication to work as one to understand each other. I think it was fascinating as more the time she was with them, she was truly understanding her and building a bond with her. Louise seemed to start being worried about Abbot and Costello and made sure they were both present. Thinking of the voice thread, cognitive linguistics see language as “embedded in the… interactions with the world.” Louise and the heptapod placing their hands on the screen allow them to truly connect for the first time through their bodies. Allowing the heptapod to see her intentions were pure.
Lastly the episode Darmok was a bit harder to grasp for me. The one scene that helped me and I’m sure a lot of people was the comparison of Romeo and Juliet. Deanna states, “Juliet on her balcony”. Dr crusher states at the end that if you don’t know who Juliet is and what she was doing in the balcony than the image alone would not help them understand the meaning of that scene. They made a valid point when pointing that out. They felt like that towards the Tamarians. Embedded Cognition and were used in this episode. The idea that what language is being demonstrated to us is how we experience and feel. Since the Tamarians do not have a sense of individuality, to the point that there is no word “I” in their vocabulary. It makes it harder for them to understand each other. For example Temba says,”Temba, his arms wide”, to indicate his intent to give an item to Picard, and his motive of generosity and friendly helpfulness. We know that we use a lot of metaphors when speaking but with this episode, I think we can fully realize it.
The problem with not understanding someone’s language is that it can turn in unexpected and not wanted violence. Words and body language can become twisted and make a person believe something else that was not what the original idea was. With both “Arrival” and Darmok both could have ended with war and people dying, just because they had both different ways of communicating.
5 thoughts on “Mind, body, language, and communication”
Hi Glynis,
I love the quote that you begin this post with. While the strong version of the Saphir-Whorf hypothesis has been largely rejected, it seems clear that our linguistic and conceptual systems are actually part of the same system, reflecting and shaping each other. If we change our language, we alter the frames through which we are conceptualizing things. So, it is not quite that the heptapods don’t have a concept for time, but that they conceptualize time in a radically different way than we do. As we learned in the voicethread, we conceptual time as occurring on a linear path. But the heptapods perceive time not as linear, but simultaneous (similar to the structure of their language). The conceit of the film is that once Louise learns their language, she is also able to conceptualize time in these terms.
The point about the Tamarian’s not having a sense to individual identity is, I think, really important to understanding how their linguistic and conceptual systems are linked. In the example you provided, it doesn’t matter who Temba is as an individual. What is important is the concept that he anchors for his culture: giving and generosity.
Jessica Hautsch
Hi Glynis!
Your response was great, I liked it a lot. I’ve never read that quote by Federico Fellini, but I also relate to it a lot. I speak Spanish and even though I’m fluent in it, it isn’t my first language so sometimes I don’t understand the exact meaning of phrases. This is because in the Dominican Republic, where my family is from, the language is often changed or words and cut short. There is definitely a different vision of life because of language.
You pointed out how in the movie “Arrival” we learn little details as we watch and I thought this was a great feature for the movie. In the movie, the scientists don’t fully understand the Heptapods’ language and are trying to figure it out. The same way the scientists are learning in the film, viewers are learning too as the film progresses.
It also took me some time to grasp the Darmok episode, but in the end it turned out to be really insightful when showing the importance of language. Past experiences, social interactions, physical environments, and even bodily experiences all affect language.
alnunez
Hey Glynis!
I love your post and how you connected your own experience learning and speaking Portuguese. I only took french for like 6 years and even by in just that short period of time I saw how there are just so many differences and different words with same meanings and the opposite. I think your connection to embedded language in the Star-Trek episode is perfectly explained. It also helped me when they explained the metaphor of Juliet on the balcony. I also love your analysis of the movie “Arrival”. It was so odd trying to digest that the aliens didn’t have a concept of time and at that no concept of “linear time”. furthermore in my own post I discussed that I think this helped Louise heal with the loss of her daughter.
P.S
I love your title for this post it made me laugh.
Ceili Howland
Hi Ceili,
I think you’re absolutely right to point out that it can be really difficult to even imagine what it would be like to shift conceptual metaphors, because they are so enmeshed in our cognitive and conceptual system. It is hard to see outside of them. For example, Lakoff and Johnston ask us to think about how academic discourse might be different if instead of the metaphor ARGUMENT iS WAR, we operated under the conceptual metaphor ARGUMENT IS DANCE. I know that if we think about argument that way it will shift our approach to it. But I could not tell you what that would look like.
Jessica Hautsch
Hey Glynis!
I really love your post. Especially your connection to learning and speaking Portuguese. I took French for 6 years and even in just those 6 years I was never fluent but I realized how many differences there were between French and English. There are so many nuances that come naturally to a native speaker but it’s so different from other languages. I also love how you pointed out that the aliens in “Arrival” didn’t have a concept of time and furthermore no concept of “linear time”. I delved a little bit into that in my post and I found that this may have helped Louise deal with the loss of her daughter. I also said similar things to you about how in both pieces of media. The characters have to deal with the decision whether or not to take precautionary action in case the “other” wants to hurt them.
chowland