Language is argued to be the key to thought. The theory is that linguistics and maybe an alien language, can think differently than us. Language comes from what we are taught and know. If aliens speak differently and derived from elsewhere then maybe they think differently as well. “Arrival” makes you question this theory. They hire Louise who studied languages and symbols dating back to Mayans. The Heptapods we learn, the written and spoken do not correlate to each other the same way as human language. Throughout the film she is trying to communicate with these Heptapods. The scene where Louise is placed in this army tent just piecing together this language. Although she is intelligent and it is a movie I have an argument. I feel that it would be needed to be solved within maybe months or years and not so quickly. Her knowledge in the movie makes her the protagonist. We can determine that there can be consequences without having clear communication. What I found interesting as well was when we see the bird used by scientists to test the shells. Humans will often use an animal for testing to see if there are harmful gasses inside to explore it. If the bird dies then there was probably toxins inside. We can assume that we believe aliens are more intelligent than humans. Our brains as humans are curious about the unknown and cautious. Overall great Scifi film!
In the episode entitled “Darmok,” the Enterprise is on-route to the El-Adrel system to make contact with a race called the Children of Tama. They realize the do not know the language making it difficult to communicate. On the bridge Picard asks the offices “But are they truly incomprehensible? In my experience, communication is a matter of patience, imagination. I would like to believe that these are qualities that we have in sufficient measure.” The constant struggle leads them to almost destroying eachother because they cannot understand eachother. They come to a moment of clarity when the Tamarian captain see Picard cold that night on El-Adrel surface. Seeing him struggle he gives Picard a branch and lights it for warmth. As a peace offering he says “Temba, his arms wide.” figuring out that it can be give and take and there is no war.
The important lesson I learned was how important understanding others and language really are. Maybe we can stop and actually listen and understand what others say before jumping to conclusions. Maybe there would be more peace in the world!
One thought on “BUT WHY IS LANGUAGE SO IMPORTANT?”
Hi Elizabeth,
I think that you’re absolutely right that if we were ever to encounter an alien species, they would think in ways that are very different from us—in ways that we might not even recognize as cognition at all. Not only would their language be different, but likely their bodies, culture, and environments would as well, and these are all elements that play an important role in our conceptual and linguistic systems.
I am so glad that you brought up the fact that unlike all earth languages, the heptapods’ written language system is not based on their spoken. This made me think of some of the work being done on gestures—which is another of our cognitive, communication systems. Empirical research demonstrates that one of the ways that we think through and with our bodies is through gestures. Gestures are not just illustrative but constitutive of thought. But they are also an important aspect of our communication. They aren’t based on spoken language, but add to it. The heptapod’s writing system is far more, well, systematic, than our gestures (very few of our gestures have a codified, stable meaning), but I am super interested in connections we might make there. (Sorry, gestures are something I’ve been researching lately, and your observation gave me an opportunity to share my excitement about this research.
You also make a really interesting point about how non-human animals are routinely devalued. This actually connects to what you are learning about the mind! The human/animal binary and hierarchy is based, in part, on the idea that human’s reason elevates us above animals—who rely on bodily instinct. But what happens if we understand our reasoning as something that cannot be separated from our bodies?
Jessica Hautsch