phrzn
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Post by phrzn on Dec 28, 2017 17:13:25 GMT
Hi everybody! First of all, Lemme say that I'm new to the forum and would be happy to join some thoughtful discussions here. Anyway, as the topic says, one of the challenges we face is the "language barrier". English is my second language. I thought I have no problem communicating with ppl in English since I did it easily. But then I experienced some close interactions with English speaking people (who weren't also native speakers). Anyway, when you sit with your friends, you wanna talk about something which is interesting for the two parties, and you interact some feelings and approvals which may be realized just by a phrase. We were talking about a part of the culture of the place that I have lived my lifetime and I needed to elaborate and make it understood, suddenly, I told myself 'how can you make him feel it'? It can easily be spoken in words. But when we communicate, we exchange concepts! There is something which ppl can hardly transfer by language and it remains ambiguous, unless you two spend time together and the experience eases the process. Nevertheless, everything would be left on each other's judgments and the prior memories based on which we can deduce something. All I can say is that language is a barrier between us, but we can fly over it and use other senses for deeper interaction. Am I right? Or is it something personal?
*I don't know whether I chose the wrong category of this post, plz let me know, dear admins.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2017 17:50:39 GMT
Welcome to the forum. You mean the difficulties in expressing an idea by using words? Like you know what you are thinking right now, but cannot describe it by words?
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phrzn
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Post by phrzn on Dec 28, 2017 18:13:53 GMT
Thanks Romeo. Yes, somehow!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2017 18:37:30 GMT
Well then, I have sometimes similar issues. Some stuff is hard to explain, for example try to define the shape of a pear. When I communicate in English (99% of a time when I do so is via Internet) there are also problems with vocabulary, I may not remember some words simply.
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phrzn
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Post by phrzn on Dec 28, 2017 19:02:56 GMT
Yes, in that case, you can do something. But there are situations when you talk with each other and there's mutual understanding but you deeply feel that s / he still lacks that understanding you wanted to communicate. You can read about a pear thousand times, but the taste is what you wanna converse! I want to point out something else. Language, culture, religion, etc are all the barriers that people have come to agree on them. But they make them feel apart from each other. That's why we cannot talk about ideas and deeper issues easily with those of other nations, since goals are different. Of course, everything is changing, Romeo. People have to understand that dialogue is no more a "when, where, what, how, etc".. It's about sharing the way of thinking, integrating mentalities, etc...
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Post by Elizabeth on Dec 28, 2017 19:24:38 GMT
When it comes to translating things into another language there is usually not a perfect translation and this gives less meaning to what you'd like to say normally. I guess it all comes down to trying our best in explaining and getting our message across.
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phrzn
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Post by phrzn on Dec 28, 2017 20:02:51 GMT
Yes, Elizabeth. Seems the only way possible is explanation. I mean the mental and physical contexts are different. Again, there are parts which cannot be transferred..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2018 20:31:18 GMT
I remember W. Quine's thoughts 'bout this question. He said that is a barrier in deities. It's about his favourite 'gavagai' example. Quine's 'Gavagai'
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Aardbei
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Post by Aardbei on Jan 26, 2018 10:51:24 GMT
Ooh, yes! It seems like language can only communicate to another person something that they fundamentally have experienced the basic experiences that your message is built from. You can describe a detailed scene full of color to a blind person who has never been able to see but they will only ever be able to understand your message in an abstract way. They may be able to understand the patterns such that "the apple before me is red" but they will never be able to truly experience the redness.
And similarly, I don't think it's ever possible to fully escape misunderstanding through language. Misunderstanding is minimized between groups of people who share similar upbringings, cultures, backgrounds, and other contexts, but each person still ultimately knows the world through their own unique perspectives which uniquely colors their own comprehension of the messages they receive through the words of others.
On the one hand, it can be troublesome and lonely when you struggle to get your own ideas across, or to feel that others have received the message that you wanted for them to receive, and when you yourself struggle to empathize and see the world exactly through another person's eyes.
But on the other hand, I also enjoy embracing it since it helps me feel free to interpret the world and other people as I naturally do, without feeling too enslaved or obliged to limit my understanding to an intended message. I can read books and happily come away with ideas that the author may not have originally intended me to end up with. And I can otherwise learn to accept my own personal reality as being unique.
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