Signs are seen everywhere and used in our daily lives. These signs show/give a message non-verbally. For example, The "plane" sign. It shows us that the airport is ahead or in that particular direction that we are going to. But, the sign when shown to some who has never seen it before, will interpret it as an airplane as nth else. Many of us understand this sign as it is suppose to mean as it's interpretation is socially agreed upon and thus we just follow it. However, those of us who do not know the interpretation of the sign, will just attach our own meaning to the sign.
Some of the more common signs, as shown above, are those that we use more commonly in our daily lives. These signs are mostly used when we either want to repeat what we have just said or use it as a substitute for what we want to say. For example, when we are asked how we liked something, we say good. But when the person does not hear us and repeats the question, we just repeat the good for a thumbs up and the message is sent to the person. Many a times, when we are just too lazy to use words to say a point, we just substitute those very words into various signs like okay and that way. There are many other such signs that we are creating now a days and also using the same ones for different means.
Sound. Very often used to agree or disagree. Like the following:
Do you want the pen??
"Hmm"
You do not agree do you?
"Hmm"
That is a no?
"Hmm"
The "hmm" could either mean a yes or a no but we tend to interpret it the way want it to be. The way we communicate with a baby is also non-verbal and we use sounds to send message both ways. If the baby is happy with what your doing with him, he smiles. But if you upset the baby, he wails.
Jumping up and down shows that one is happy about a certain thing and sitting on in a corner by yourself shows that your either feeling down or lonely. These body signs are another way of communicating our feelings across. Of all the signs, body language is the one that is the most obvious. It is the first thing that a person sees to interpret you. If your slouching, one would think that you can not be bothered to talk to people and want to be left alone. However, it could also be interpreted as something else.
Various ways to interpret a sign and various ways to show it. Which way is the most important way to bring across a point? Should one sign only have a single meaning to it? Hmmmm....
Hence, there is usually an accompanying text to decipher the signs. The first picture you posted stresses the point I am making.
ReplyDeleteWhich makes most wonder that since the text is already much precise, why do we need signs for? Do the signs accompany text, or text accompany the signs?
perhaps the signmakers feel that despite our intellectual advancements, it would be safer to reiterate visual stimuli with aural ones?
ReplyDelete.. or is it aural cues with visual ones?.. haha.
we know that repetition of intent would definitely yield a higher rate of information absorption, and a greater chance that we would understand these signs. most of the time, anyway;)
Shawn, i guess the sign plus text combination serve to compliment each other. We take it for granted in Singapore that everyone is able to read the text, but in actual fact some of the older generation who do not speak english much less read the text. It goes the same way for tourist who do not speak english. So the sign acts as the most universal form of communication though it may still cause some confusion, we can only try our best can't we?
ReplyDeletewell indeed non verbal cues are not an easy communication way because it is indeed require each parties to understand the meaning of it. Therefore we need to make sure that our receiver(s) understand what we want to talk to them
ReplyDeleteOur world is so filled with difference and ruled by subjectivity that if there is no set system of signage, there would be chaos. Hence why street signs and traffic lights are more or less quite similar across the world. Green means go, red means stop. A different interpretation of those signs may have dire consequences such as injury or death
ReplyDeleteHowever, when the consequences are not as dire, like in the case of body language where a misinterpretation would not lead to death, then i do not agree that a universal set of interpretations is needed.
When it comes to body language, I usually give the person the benefit of doubt. I tend to equate a negative body language more to situational attributes than to dispositional ones.
I guess verbal and non verbal communication co exists. Whether or not the receiver can decipher the meaning behind certain non verbal signs, I think the main responsibility still lies with the sender of the message. I believe this problem is not so much on universal signs but instead non verbal comms between individuals. In fact, I read somewhere that when a Japanese says "yes", it can have up to 12 different meanings including the meaning "no"! To know the actually meaning, we cannot just hear the verbal message, we also have to look at the other factors of non verbal communication to tell what is the intended message of the sender.
ReplyDeleteSelene, it is not only the Japanese who can mean NO, when they say YES. As strange as it sounds, Women also do that. haha.
ReplyDeleteOn a serious note, it is common for an individual in a high context culture to do that. They feel that in some situations, it is rather inpolite to say no and would work their way around to save the other party's face. I still don understand why women do that though. =)
ohhh i love sign language:)
ReplyDelete