Arrival
In the movie Arrival, Dr. Banks gets the idea to use a white board for visual communication, in order to find some understanding of the alien’s language. The aliens responded to this by providing their own visual aid, using their own system of symbols.
Dr. Banks explains the breakdown of language and finding out if the aliens are capable of understanding a question but how it’s important to learn what they understand before they can ask questions and understand their answers.
My particular favorite interaction is when they’re learning the names of the different aliens based on what they showed them. They assigned them the names Abbott and Costello. During this scene, Dr. Louise Banks also takes off her hazmat gear stating the importance of showing her face when communicating.
They’re called heptapods, and learn they are able to communicate many meanings through symbols with certain curves to them.
A miscommunication in the words they chose to use, leads to the militaries across the globe to want to attack. This is also in part to the lens they’re using in the situation, to take everything as a threat.The heptapods said weapon when they meant tool, which connects back to the lecture where different cultures and languages use different words to communicate the same idea.
I love and hate the moment (just because it’s so sad) where she gives her daughter a new meaning the word unstoppable, knowing she’d be getting this unstoppable disease and calling her daughter unstoppable and making it positive.
I was shocked when I learned all the flashbacks were actually her seeing into the future and despite it all, despite knowing her daughter will one day die, her husband and her will separate, after adopting and teaching this language, she was able to operate the same way as the heptapods, who don’t see time as linear.
“Darmok”
In the Star Trek Episode, “Darmok” they are going to encounter the Children of Tama. They continuously try to communicate with each other but neither is taking the time to see what the other’s language means. Similar to the film, there is the assumption that their words are meant to be aggressive but their body language doesn’t read as that at all. Troi points out that one misunderstanding could be detrimental.
I was questioning the smarts of the captain for not figuring out the offer of the knife was not him trying to start a fight but he redeemed himself when he figured out the Tamarians speak in metaphors, but metaphors different from the metaphors referenced in the lecture. Dathon exclaims “…his eyes uncovered!” Which can be understood as meaning, he finally understands!
We also learn that they use imagery from their experiences to speak about certain instances but with that, their ability to communicate using their language seems impossible since they don’t know the imagery being used since they haven’t experienced the thing itself which connects back to the lecture when discussing meaning.
I enjoyed watching both Arrival and “Darmok.” Both demonstrated clear displays of the lecture material from concept of meaning, to conceptual metaphors, and frame shifting but were also entertaining. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Arrival as much as I did!
5 thoughts on “That’s Not What I Meant!”
Hi Meghan,
I love the scene in the film where Louise breaks down what it means to ask “What is your purpose on Earth?” It demonstrates the complex and dynamic method through which we make meaning and generate understanding. As Louise explains we are not simply semiotic processing machines that retrieve definitions of words and use them to understand utterances. Rather, our understanding is deeply embedded in how we think about ourselves and the world. It’s based on *how* we think, our cognitive processes. Vocabulary is important, but it’s not everything, because it overlooks the cultural and bodied aspects of meaning making.
In your discussion of “Darmok,” you point to a really interesting part of the episode: when Dathlon says, “his eyes uncovered.” Now, this should be a pretty easy metaphor for Picard to get, because we also use the UNDERSTANDING IS SEEING metaphor. For example we say, “I see what you mean,” “you’re point is still a little unclear,” and “I’m completely in the dark about that topic.” Through this metaphor, we are using our concrete, embodied experience of seeing to conceptualize the abstract idea of understanding. Because the Tamarians have humanoid bodies, they seem to base their conceptualization of seeing in a similar metaphor.
Jessica Hautsch
Hi Meghan, great analysis. I was also shocked to learn that the flashbacks were glimpses of Louise’s future.It was a twist that I really did not see coming. I also thought that it was a bit sad to see her daughter being called unstoppable because of her disease. Also, regarding the Star Trek episode “Darmok”, I agree that the language used by the alien captain is seen as speaking in metaphors. However, I think it is important to understand that unless you understand where the metaphors are coming from and the historical significance of the metaphors, it would be near impossible to grasp what they are saying.
hbaalbaki
Hi Hasan,
Yes, I agree that the reveal of the “flashbacks” being “flash fowards” works really well, in part because it is playing with the ways that we are accustomed to watching films. It gives us a glimpse of what it would be like to perceive time in that way (though I’m not sure that we can fully ever conceptualize what that would actually be like).
Jessica Hautsch
Hi Meghan,
Brilliant analysis! At first, I thought those “flashbacks” were in the past and not in the future, and it wasn’t until the end that I realized they would happen. It also confirms the concept of the time-moving metaphor. Also, regarding this episode of “Darmok” in Star Trek, I can understand the communication barrier between Picard and the Tamarians. We think about the experience of metaphorical language. Not just because the conceptual systems in language and patterns are deeply embodied in the body, but metaphors in our native language have become ingrained in our perception and thinking about the world. When Picard tries to understand the wording of the Tamarians, he doesn’t understand the metaphors unless he understands the culture behind them. Furthermore, the dialogue between Picard and the Tamarian shows how metaphors affect people’s communication with non-native speakers. It is also a great example of conceptual metaphors.
yichen8
Hi Yiyi,
Yes! I think you are right to highlight the importance of culture *and* the body in language. Our cognition is spread over and embedded in our bodies, environments, and cultures.
Jessica Hautsch