The Significance of Language in Communication

Categories: Communication English Language Linguistics Nonverbal Communication Society

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Language is one of the most important and basic tools that use when people communicate with each other, it also divided into verbal and nonverbal aspect. Seems like it is pretty easy when people use their language in their own country. But when we add an "intercultural" or "international" on it, we will find language becomes one of the problems or blocks in our daily life. Just like LaRay M. Barna mentioned in his articles "Intercultural Communication Stumbling Block" language and nonverbal signs become two main stumbling blocks among the international students, there are a lot of reason caused this problem, all we can do is that overcome those blocks one by one.

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I agree with Barna that language is a major stumbling block when we communicate with native speaker. "vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang, dialect, and so on, all cause difficulty." (Barna 69). Before those international students came to America, they just learn English in their own country, because their country doesn't use English as office language, most of English knowledge are theory-based.

in other world, English is unpractical and old-fashioned, and when they use those sentences and words to communicate with English native speaker, there is must be a huge of misunderstanding during the communication. the most distinct example is the "Chinese english textbook greet way" in our English textbook. the only way to greet with people is that "nice to meet you, nice to meet you too, how are you? fine, thank you and you? But when you speak the whole sentences to native speak all the time, they will think you are a stereotype person.

Cause of this reason, a lot of Chinese students get into a pretty awkward situation when they truly talk with native sparklers at first time, that also include me. Besides that, there is other problem---accent, it is well-known that every country have their own accent when they speak English, the most obvious example is India English, and Japanese's English, Chinese English. Last semester, while I studied in IEP, I have one classmate from India and one from Japan, it is pretty hard to communicate with these two classmates, because they all have heavy accent, especially that India students. when he talks slow, I can understand what they are saying, but once he talks fast, all I can do is guess what they are saying. For Jeanes student, I find that it is very hard to pronounce the letter "L and R" to Japanese, and they are also use same rhythm with saying Japanese when they speak English, so it is very hard to understand what they are saying.

It is true, as the Barna states that Nonverbal sing and symbols is another main stumbling block. "This brings in nonverbal area and the second stumbling block" (Baena 69) Body language or gesture is an important part of the language culture. I think all language have their own body language, some of them are world-known, but most of them are contain totally different meaning. One of my own experience is that, at the beginning of last semester, I attend the international student orientation, during a group competition our group get the first prize, then my group leader, an American student assigned by school, stand up suddenly, then put his hand over head. But no one in our group respond to him just watch he with curiosity, then he just sat down his seat with awkward.

After that, I realized he just want to have a high five with us. Another example is the "finger quote." When I first see this gesture in America, I am curious why people do a "rabbit ear gestures" when they are talking with each other, because in china this gesture just like the ear of rabbits, and only children use this gesture to highlight their cuteness. Are Americans also use this gesture to make them looks like more lovely? But with the progress of learning English and American culture, I find Americans just use this gesture as "quotation mark" to quite something when they are talking.

I have to admit Borna that "high anxiety is another stumbling block that is very common in cross-cultural experiences because of the uncertainties present." And what he is saying in reading is exactly what I met in my first semester. But, with the study of college course and contact with American students, I find that it is not too hard to communicate American and actually does not need to be anxiety when doing some staffs with American. In my math 106 recitation, I got some American friends in our study group, and we talk math problem together use my "broken" English, just like the example in reading, but I didn't feel any anxiety, because those American know my situation, and I didn't feel any pressure during our dissection, and they even invite me to play computer game after class. For me I think high anxiety isn't a stumbling block.

To sum up, language and nonverbal signs and those stumbling are always exist, all we need to do is using our best to over those intercultural stumbling block, I think after we adapt in American culture, our life will become easier.