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Damien Braniff reports <<I came across some information from a conference I
went to a couple of years ago... The general gist was that much of what we do
is mediated through language and that we often expect too much (or too little)
from what is said or written.>>
And went on to present a few points the speaker made, which I rebut (as being
simplistic) by way of example:
<<Language is BAD at: conveying complex information>>
Which doesn't explain all the science journals in the world, nor some of the
conversations we've had right here on techwr-l.
<<spatial information>>
"Turn left at the corner. It's the second-floor apartment; ring the doorbell on
the right." Hmmm... seems clear enough... Maybe some astrophysics? "The nearest
star is about 4 light years away from earth."
<<logic and cold analysis (we invented maths and other 'languages' for that)>>
My son is 10 years old. My daughter is 8. Thus, coldly, logically, and
unemotionally, I state with some confidence that my son is older than my
daughter.
<<conveying emotions, senses and feelings>>
When I tell my kids I love them, the message seems pretty clear. When I tell
them "this cheese really stinks, you should love it" (they have Danish genes,
and sneer at my preference for cheddar <g>), they get the message. When they
say "you're rubbing my foot too hard" (the evening ritual of foot massage to
calm them for bed), I rub more lightly.
<<Language is GOOD at... [list omitted]>>
Fair enough. Language is good at lots more things too. In fact, it's such a
versatile tool that it gave us all kinds of other useful things, including
mathematics (which is nothing more than a symbolic language, with its own
grammar and usage).
<<This led on to the fact that we need to be good communicators, not just good
writers and that language should simply be one of the tools we use to get
across our message.>>
Which is a particularly important message, and one that doesn't require support
from a list of things that language is "bad" at. The key is to be aware of
other tools (e.g., graphics, sound, animation, color, Wizards) and use them
appropriately rather than relying solely on language.
--Geoff Hart ghart -at- netcom -dot- ca
Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
"Most business books are written by consultants and professors who haven't
spent much time in a cubicle. That's like writing a firsthand account of the
Donner party based on the fact that you've eaten beef jerky."--Scott Adams, The
Dilbert Principle
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