- Published: October 3, 2022
- Updated: October 3, 2022
- University / College: Johns Hopkins University
- Language: English
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ITU SUNY NEW PALTZ UNDERGRADUATE JOINT BUSINESS DEGREE PROGRAM BUSINESS COMMUNICATION BUS 206 SYMBOLS IN COMMUNICATION BY MERT YAZGAN 070050484 [pic] Symbols can represent communication and as such are a form of language. Are humans truly the only primates that can understand language ? Can other species talk? Chimpanzees are competent in learning a basic form of language and can constructively express their ideas. Some scientists believe that one day these primates will be able to communicate masterfully through the use of signs and symbols. In our awareness of the chimpanzee’s inability to speak ocally, should we also exclude the from independent symbol creation? (Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology.
9th ed. Nolan, Lenski, p. 15) To begin examining the origin of the use of symbols as a form of communication, one must look back in history almost 6000 years.
Limestone tablets dated back to 3500 B. C. were found to bear some of the oldest known writing. On each tablet are symbols for head, hand, foot, threshing sledge, and several numerals. (Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology. 9th ed.
Patrick Nolan, Gerhard Lenski, p. 34) Although humans began writing structured messages as early as 6000 B. C. , the actual use of symbols dates back almost 40, 000 years ago. But what is language and what is communication and how does it works ? Verbal communication is far from the only form.
First of all, a sign is something we directly encounter, yet at the same time it refers to something else. Thunder is a sign of rain. A punch in the nose is a sign of anger. An arrow is a sign of whatever it points toward. On the other hand, words are also signs, but of a special kind. In some way, they are symbols too. Unlike the example cited above, most symbols have no natural connection with the things they describe.
There’s nothing in the sound of the word kiss or anything visual in the letters h-u-g that signifies an embrace. One could just as easily coin the term snarf or clag to symbolize a close encounter of the romantic kind. In our current world over 6500 various languages exist however when one smiles, the meaning is universal. Symbols hold incredible importance in global communication. So as coming for symbols, they are representations of an event, action, object, person, or place that can be used to communicate about the event, action, object, person, or place. Language is a code and every decoding is another encoding.
In most essential way, symbols are something stand for something other than what it actually is. Symbols are more complex in their meaning and complex in what they evoke. Complex symbols corporate a mass of values, emotions, judgements and can be particularly powerful and explosive such as a flag or religious item. In some countries you can punished hard for burning a flag.
Another example, if we burn a quran in Tibet, it means nothing however, if we burn it in Middle East, it will be quite explosive and serious. So symbols also actually depends where they are and for what they stand. Symbols can be used for both receptive and expressive communication. Objects, parts of objects, pictures, print, actions, gestures, signs, and speech can all be symbols. Symbols may start as cues and signals. If a child recognizes a cue out of context, that cue may be acting as a symbol. If a child uses a signal or an object cue to communicate about an event, action, object, person or place out of context, the child may be using that signal or cue as a symbol, as talking for humans. Maybe the most important thing thing about the symbols is ‘’ The more a symbol resembles what it represents, the more concrete that symbol is.
The less a symbol resembles what it represents, the more abstract that symbol is. ’’ Symbols in communication is important because not only human use it but also animals use it to communicate and in some cases well than human. In referring to our evolutionary brothers, the chimpanzees, we are not all that different. In fact, we share almost 99% of our DNA with chimpanzees. So one is forced to question why we have evolved so rapidly while our primate duplicate remains both primitive and indecisive in their societal structure. Maybe, the main question about communication and language is, as expressed by Platt, What are himpanzess lacking? The funny answer of Platt stated in Cave Art and the Origin of Species is that humans won the genetic lottery. Another answer for that is expressed by evolutionary geneticist Clark says, ‘’Perhaps some of the genes that enable humans to understand speech work not only in the brain, but also are involved in hearing.
Mutations in alpha tectorin result in poor frequency response of the ear, making it hard to understand speech. (Chimp vs. Human DNA: what’s in the 1% difference? Andrew G. Clark) Although chimpanzee’s physical make-up almost mirrors our own, they have not een the greatest successors in communicating with humans. In fact, gray parrots have been attributed to holding far superior communication abilities. This proofs that, maybe our genes does not command our communication abilites also for language and symbolic communication.
In the twenty first century, we use the symbols and signs just about in every area in the world. As mentioned before, symbols are objects, pictures, or other concrete representations of ideas, concepts, or other abstractions. For instance, in the United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain, a red octagon is a symbol for “ STOP”. In algebra and calculus we express he numbers and special functions with signs and it is universal.
Plus the alphabet is consist of letters. So like smile, human build up his own signs and symbols like animals, of course more global. On the other hand, there are also some cultural differences in symbols in communication between the nations around the world. For example, the men in middle east kiss each other three times while west europa kisses two times and west europa kisses one time. Kissing each other is a sign of trust and love, but the question that why it diverse in cultures can have various types of answers. Are the people in Middle East want more rust? The symbols evoke different messages in different languages such as the yap of dogs. Dutch people say ‘’wuf wuf’’ and Chinese people say ‘’wa wa’’. As seen, wuf wuf is stronger than wa wa, so it is possible that dutch people are more afraid of dogs than chinese people and that’s way they labeled it much more stronger in their language as a symbol.
Human can also have some special gestures and signs each other. For example, one of the Ottoman Sultans Selim the Grim, who carried the Ottmann Empire to the leadership of the Sunni branch of Islam by his conquest of the Middle East, has a story about communication hich i would like to mention. One day, he has something to do in Uskudar and takes a boat for crossing the Bosphorus with his childhood friend Hasan Can. While the owner of the boat was rowing, Selim the Grim looks to Hasan Can and asks:’’Hasan Can, do you like eggs? ’’Hasan Can answers:’’Yes, I do my sovereign. ’’ After two years, Selim the Grim had something to do in Uskudar again. Once more, he takes a boat for crossing the Bosphorus with Hasan Can.
In the middle of the sea, while the owner of the boat was rowing, he looks to Hasan Can and asks again, ‘’How do you like it? ’’ The answer of Hasan Can is a proof of ow great they can communicate each other:’’I like it welldone my sovereign. ’’ It can be said that, gestures, mimics, and eyes , meaning non-verbal communication, are also a prominent style for communication besides verbal communication and symbols. In conclusion, symbols are a prominent style in communication considering that some animal species use that way for communication each other and some times well than human. Besides, the surface of words, symbols and signs is not always what we need to concentrate on.
They have a deeper underlined structure of relations and symbols are definitely the best xample for this. In my opinion, to communicate better with each other, maybe we want to hide some meanings. We open our hand and pray to God. So that, symbols have deeper, subconcious and serious meanings.
Bibliography -The Lectures of Harvard, Yale, and Cambridge Universities Symbols, Language and Communication -Chimp vs. Human DNA: what’s in the 1% difference? Cornell University School Service. Andrew G. Clark (2003) -Communication, Symbols and Meaning by John A. Cagle -Wikipedia -Mad Men Season 1 Episode 8 – The Hobo Code (for the video) from (23: 56 and 26: 59) to (34: 59 and 37: 27) minutes