SHAPING LANGUAGE

THE VERDE WORD

There are over 6,000 different languages in the world and many more dialects.  So within these languages and dialects, how we communicate within and outside our varied cultures is important. 

All languages, their words, expressions and accents are very interesting.  Stop and listen, really listen.  By really listening to people speaking French, Russian, Italian, German, Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Swahili, English or whatever language, you will hear that they all have their own very unique ‘sound’.

Languages all sound beautiful in their different ways.  We may not understand what is being said, but it all sounds absolutely beautiful and the beauty is in the sounds, the flow and the music of the words.

What is even more interesting is that a great number of languages are similar in their construction.  Writing and speech in all languages use an alphabet and the construction of words and sentences can be similar to English but written in various forms.  Cyrillic lettering originated between 900 and 1000 CE (Common Era) in Slavic countries such as Russia, the Ukraine, Serbia and, Bulgaria. 

An example of Cyrillic letters may be seen on the Encyclopaedia Britannica website at:  http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/20/72220-035-64D68566.jpg

Cuneiform lettering originated between 3000 and 4000 BCE (Before Common Era) in the Middle East.  And at the earlier stage it was a combination of letters and pictures.

Figure 1 from the West Semitic Research at the University of Southern California Archaeological Research Collection*, depicts a cuneiform and picture tablet that is a business document with a personal/business seal in the centre. 

Figure 1.

Cuneiform tablet from the Middle East.

*Photograph by Kai Quinlan.

Further information is located at: http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/wsrp/educational_site/ancient_texts/Cuneiform.shtml

As you know, the alphabet and style of writing today has a long history and an interesting path.  Today’s alphabet used in English and non-English language speaking countries is not too distant from the alphabet developed over many centuries.

Below, in Table 1, the alphabetical list of letters and the corresponding letters in Chinese and French are paralleled to show the similarities in writing and sound.

                                                    Chinese                 French

A	诶	ēi	ɑ
B	比	bǐ	bé
C	西	xī	cé
D	迪	dí	dé
E	伊	yī	e
F	艾弗	ài fú	effe
G	吉	jí	gé
H	艾尺	ài chǐ	aash
I	艾	Ài	i
J	杰	jié	ji
K	开	kāi	ka
L	艾勒	ài lè	elle
M	艾马	ài mǎ	emme
N	艾娜	ài nà	enne
O	哦	ó	o
P	屁	pì	pé
Q	吉吾	jí wú	qu
R	艾儿	ài ér	erre
S	艾丝	ài sī	esse
T	提	Tí	té
U	伊吾	yī wú	u
V	维	wéi	vé
W	豆贝尔维	dòu bèi ěr wéi	double vé
X	艾克斯	yī kè sī	ixe
Y	吾艾	wú ài	i grec
Z	贼德	zéi dé	zède

Table 1.

The picture writing in the column second from the left are called logograms.  In China the style is called Hanzi and in Japan it is called Kanji.

If you experiment with the above alphabet table in Chinese and French, you will find that those sounds are not so different.  Additionally, it demonstrates how we sound-shape the letters that create the sound of the language.

Within the use of language, there is also the way we shape the language itself.  That is, the words we use and how we use vowels and consonants.  We also use accents, tone, volume, colour, flow and the different emotions when we speak.  Following, the sound and flow of our words and sentences help to make language more colourful. 

The shaping of our words and sentences when we speak can make a difference to how our individual and personal character, background and education is understood regardless what language or dialect is being used.

Verbal language is a necessary skill to enable effective communication. However, there are a few obvious considerations

when speaking to others of different nationalities.  Some of those considerations are speaking the same language as your listener and naturally using accents.  What we say, how we say it and the words we choose to use are all important in order to ensure the correct message is clearly understood.

The alphabetical letters we use to form words help accent the sound of the word. The words we use to form sentences help our sentences flow.

When a word is spoken, I can hear the letters in that word determining whether the word sounds soft or hard.  For example, when angry at someone, words with the letters, ‘k’,’ t’ and combinations such as ‘sh’ and sometimes ‘ck’ can sound harsh.

To better explain, let’s examine the English language alphabet.

The letters being:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z.

These letters have different sounds and degrees of firmness of sound when said aloud.

Within the English alphabet there are only five vowels:  A, E, I, O, U.

They too have different sounds and degrees of firmness of sound when said aloud.

The consonants below are listed according to their firmness of sound.  That is, they are in order from gentleness to the hardness of sound.  The gentle sounding letters are at the top and the hard sounding letters are at the bottom.  This is the same for the vowels.

  

     CONSONANTS                                         VOWELS

                                         

1st	H	Gentle Sound
2nd	F
3rd	V
4th	R
5th	L
6th	P
7th	M
8th	N
9th	W
10th	D
11th	B
12th	Y
13th	G
14th	Q
15th	J
16th	C
17th	S
18th	T
19th	K
20th	Z
21st	X	Hard Sound

1st	I	Gentle Sound
2nd	E
3rd	A
4th	O
5th	U	Hard Sound

So, if we take the top 10 consonants and the top two vowels ‘i’ and ‘e’ the words we can make sound gentle, beautiful and soft.

For example: river, hive, plier, prime, view, relive, flier, mine.

At the other end of the scale and we take the bottom 11 consonants and the two vowels ‘o’ and ‘u’.  Sitting in the middle is the vowel ‘a’.

These words have a harder sound.

For example:  zot, jut, kick, tick, jag, bog, tack, xray.

I acknowledge that many words may sound either hard or soft and this depends on other letters within words and voicing.

Voicing is using the vocal chords for speech and the opposite is voiceless or being unvoiced.  Being voiceless does not mean the voice is silent rather, it is using the throat to make sounds.

Experiment, say the letter ‘zzzzzzz’ out loud while holding your throat.  The vibration you feel is your vocal chords ‘voicing’.  On the other hand, if you say the letter ‘sssssss’ out loud while holding your throat, you will not feel any vibration. This lack of vibration is called ‘voiceless’ or ‘unvoiced’.

An example of the Inuit style of throat singing (unvoiced) may be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnGM0BlA95I 

In a practical sense, to sound angry, voicing or voiceless letters may be used as well as those that can be spit out venomously as the tongue hits the teeth, or your lips purse forward.  For example, if you say ‘what!’ you will hear the ‘t’ accent at the end.  If you say ‘bitch’ the lips purse, the ‘b’ has a strong accent and the ‘itch’ has force.

To my ears, words always sound like the emotion or feeling and a picture it generates. For example, love, heart, rain, puppy, pillow, plumage, sunshine.  Then there is bitch, witch, bomb, river, rock, crash.  Interestingly, these words were picked out of my head at random and they clearly show a mental picture of the softness and hardness of sounds. 

We don’t have to plan our words as we speak according to our thoughts and feelings and our speech almost flows without being thought directed.

There are occasions when we alter our speech patterns according to our environment.  Such as when we speak with people who have a hearing, or language problem, we tend to speak more slowly and clearly.  At a formal event we may speak more formally than we would at a football match.

The way I view the construction of languages, letters of the alphabet and the way they sound I see they all impact on the effectiveness of our communication skills.  Think while you are speaking, slow down, enjoy the vowels rolling around and the crispness of consonants and enjoy what you hear. If you enjoy it, others will as well. Language is beautiful.

Conclusion

This Verde Word and the journey of Shaping Language was a short overview on a number of topics that are extensive, lengthy and interesting. I hope you have gained some insight to ways you can use speech differently as well as whetting your mind to find out more.

Shaping Language shows that as humans come from many different cultures, societies and backgrounds, we are all linked by languages that are closer than we realise.  Thus, although at times we may find communication and language difficult, we all speak with a similar voice, the voice of humanity.

Verde

*Photo by Kai Quinlan, Cuneiform 2000-2012 West Semitic Research Project, University of Southern California Archaeological Research Collection.

CRITICISM TO SCHISM

THE VERDE WORD

Throughout our lives, we are all criticised many times.  Some is expected or asked for, and some is unwanted.  The manner in which we are criticised can cause schisms between family, friends, colleagues or anyone.  It can be particularly delicate if it involves people in our workplace.

This week’s Verde Word Criticism to Schism shows the difference between criticism and a critique, communicating advice without criticising and, the schism that may develop from the manner of the criticism.

Firstly, the word ‘Criticise’ means to: ‘indicate the faults of (someone or something) in a disapproving way.’ (Oxford Dictionary).

Then, what is ‘Constructive criticism’ is it a term and attempt to justify one’s excuse or reasoning to criticise in a negative way?

Secondly, the word ‘Critique’ means: ‘a detailed analysis and assessment of something especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory’. (Oxford Dictionary).

Thirdly, the word ‘Schism’ means: ‘a split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief.’ (Oxford Dictionary).

To avoid disharmony we try to avoid creating schisms, or rifts and division between family and friends but also, work colleagues.  At work, there are few things worse than unsettled and unhappy staff.  It affects business, harmony, processes, progress and in the long term, profitability.

Therefore, it is within everyone’s interest to focus on being kind, fair, honest and open in relationships, but also to ensure that all individual and group efforts are welcome, encouraged, well done and with merit that leads to a positive outcome.

The practice of consistently providing positive criticism to staff can be used in our private and personal lives such as, when dealing with partners, children, family and friends.  Otherwise, there can be conflict at family functions such as Christmas and holiday family gatherings.  When all of the family gets together perhaps Uncle Bob has been greatly aggrieved and aggravated all year because cousin Ted told Uncle Bob that the paintwork on his new boat is the ‘worst he has ever seen, in fact, it is rubbish!’

What happens during Christmas dinner?  Uncle Bob and cousin Ted start arguing, the excreta impacts the oscillator and Christmas dinner turns into an unhappy family gathering.

Criticising someone in public or in the vicinity of others whether in the home, workplace or anywhere else, is inadvisable.  This is because everyone has an opinion that they sometimes express whether it is negative, positive or who is around.  Publicly expressing a strong opinion may cause the recipient to feel uncomfortable and those in the vicinity who may not welcome the involvement.

The manner that we use to criticise determines whether the outcome is positive or negative.  Below are two scenarios with the same two people, Mary and the Boss.  You choose which is better and why.

SCENARIO 1.

Boss:

“Hello Mary, thanks for your report on mangoes.  Don’t get me wrong, but there are typos, the grammar is poor, it is too long, you have left out the impact of refrigeration, transport, and time in storage. It is a good report, but do you think that Pam could do a better job?”

Mary:

“Well I am sorry Boss, if you think my writing poor and I missed out on things, maybe you had better give it to Pam!”

The boss then grovels making apologies trying to fix his mistake of hurting not only Mary’s feelings, but also her esteem, confidence and her sense of belonging in the company.

How better it would have been for the boss to handle it differently.

SCENARIO 2.

Boss:

“Mary, you have the report done, so soon, well done! 

It is very good.  I wonder if we have missed anything, I wonder how we can make it even better?

I am sure this can go to the senior managers of Transport, Storage and then Marketing and Development if we add some more into it. What do you think?  What can be added? What about refrigeration and other things?  Do you have any ideas?

Mary, it would be good to take this report further, if you would like to do this it I would appreciate it.”

Mary:  “Thanks Boss.  Yes, sure, I will develop it further.”

There is a vast difference between the two scenarios and how the criticism is given and accepted.

Scenario 1 shows how a rift or schism has developed between Mary and the Boss which in turn could affect other staff.  As Mary would go home aggrieved, it could also affect other people in Mary’s personal life especially if she takes it out on others such as her kids and family.

Scenario 2 provides a different technique.  The boss has provided feedback to Mary, respected her abilities, not damaged her self esteem nor has he allowed for a schism and ill feelings to develop between them. 

The boss knows what Mary missed out on, knows the spelling and grammar will be picked up the second time around and, more importantly, he has given Mary the opportunity to develop her own ideas and to independently improve the report whilst allowing her to feel pride in her work.

The deliberate use of excessive power and domination over staff or anyone else is a waste of time as it only alienates people and creates schisms.  

Constructive criticism is an excuse or justification by criticising. That the Oxford Dictionary has established that to criticise is to ‘indicate the faults of (someone or something) in a disapproving way’ means that one who says they are providing 'constructive criticism' is deliberately being nasty but trying to hide their nasty steak under the guise of being helpful. 

Constructive criticism is nasty and ego building for the critic.  It does no good except to drive ill feelings and creates schisms. If someone wants to be helpful, they can find other ways to help such as providing guidance by either saying nothing or leading others in the same manner as the 'Boss' in Scenario 2.

Back to Uncle Bob and Cousin Ted

SCENARIO 3.

As mentioned earlier, Uncle Bob and cousin Ted argued over Christmas dinner.

What started the Christmas dinner fracas was the painting job Uncle Bob had done on his first boat, a ‘fix-er-upper’.  It is a small wooden clinker hulled blue boat.  It was all Uncle Bob could afford.  He had never painted anything before let alone a boat.  Uncle Bob decided to use some old green paint and some old brushes in the garage.  The job was finished and cousin Ted arrived and the first thing he said was:

“Bob...what do you think you are playing at?  I’ve sure seen better coloured greens than that!  Besides...it is streaky, bubbly, looks like it was not cleaned or sanded down first!”

Naturally, Uncle Bob was not happy.  He had no idea about cleaning and sanding down boats.  An argument ensued and the final words from Uncle Bob was him saying that if Ted did not like it he can jump in the lake.

Uncle Bob had done his best with what he had and the more Ted found fault with Bob’s job, the more it negatively affected their relationship and created a schism between them and the family members that took sides.  It could have been a happier Christmas dinner.

KIDS

Now, the same goes for kids, always praise them, encourage them to come up with doing things differently. Encourage them to come up with new ideas. You may have thought of ideas first, but let them think for themselves, you might be surprised at the results.  You may know the answers but is it not better to provide a question to the kid and let him develop his own reasoning and creative judgement. 

We being adults should be secure enough inside ourselves to not play power games such as:

“I’m bigger and older and know lots more stuff than you. You’re just a little kid, I know better, I’m a grown up!”

Who’s the kid?

The adult or the child?

Everyone needs to be encouraged to grow. Give them the tools to grow instead of being pickey. 

So what if Uncle Bob’s paint job was not perfect, who cares?  The important thing is that Bob got up and gave it a go.  The spirit of ‘giving it a go’ is a must for survival and growth, regardless of the results.  Besides, I bet Uncle Bob did a better job of painting the boat next time!

CONCLUSION

Keep in mind:  The words criticise and critique are very different.

If someone says they are performing a critique, they have to be analysing and assessing words or material etc.

If people are not analysing and assessing words or data, they ARE indeed criticising, picking and finding fault.  And unfortunately, this can be their power game.

No matter how good or badly a job or task is performed, it is the wise boss, relative, friend or parent that knows how to lead by using encouragement instead of finding fault to increase their own personal esteem.

Verde

FRAMED BY HISTORY

THE VERDE WORD

How others see or understand us, our personality or even our looks, are we being judged?  How do others see our picture, are we being framed like a picture?  What is in the frame?

For example, we may appear as a short, solid, pear-shaped, happy, white-skinned individual.

Does the physical frame equate to: short = small, solid= timber, pear-shaped = oval, happy = yellow, white skinned = shiny.  If so, we would be pictured in a small oval yellow timber frame that houses crystal clear glass. Does this reflect who we are?  What of the person inside, our inner self, what of our soul, is this reflected in what is framed?

If in private we are a sad and boring person, would this change our frame’s perspective to the viewer?  Or if we are a person of grace, elegance, deep feeling, unsure, feelings of inadequacy, bon-viviant, gregarious, intelligent, dull, mean spirited, ego-centric, nasty or perhaps a person who is benevolent, would this show by the picture in the frame?

Perhaps so, it all depends on the viewer, the mood of the picture and also the environment when it is being viewed.

As we view pictures, or paintings, we know that when they are being framed there is consideration that the picture is best enhanced by the framing and where the picture is placed on a wall.  Other considerations are the colour of the wall, the lighting, the size of the room, the style of the room and the style and quality of the building in which the picture is placed and under what circumstances.  Also taken into consideration is who will be viewing the picture.  All of these play a role in how people see and understand the picture.  Thus, it is with us.  How people view and understand us helps to construct their understanding of how, what and why we are who we are in the picture.  However, they are not able to have full knowledge of us, understand our thoughts, feelings and dreams or where or what we want to be.

Therefore, wives, husbands, partners, lovers, strangers, friends, family, anyone and everyone are not able to fully see and appreciate the truth of the individual in the frame.  This is because what is observed and understood is a view based solely on their personal genetic make-up, experiences, upbringing and life experiences.

What of the shadow of the frame?  As we walk, stride or run through life, in sun and in shadow we seek to take the journey and reach our destination without harm.  In the blazing heat of the day, walking barefooted on the scorching pavement, our bare feet seek to place our soft, tender feet on the shadows.  This is our life, sometimes we have to walk in the shadows for survival.  As we are pictured in the frame, whether we are shaped by the frame, or in the shadow cast by the frame, it is still one frame, it is our life no matter how, what, why, or how we are framed.  It is how we shape ourselves, not others'.

As continually evolving humans, our genetics are passed down through generations and this helps to frame the picture of who, how, where and why we are and, 'are'. Genes determine the colour of eyes, dispositions, abilities, likes, dislikes and whether we have a predisposition to certain illnesses.

Digging in the pocket of our shorts or jeans, our genes are there. No matter what we do, where we go, our genes will never be lost regardless of how holey our pockets become. We have no choice but to hang onto them, we’ve got them, our genes are with us forever.

Within our frame is our genetic makeup, this is why we behave as we do, we can't change, it is how we are, it is in our genes but how true is that?

Although our genes play an important role in determining our behaviour and how we handle various circumstances, events around us and how we relate to the rest of humanity, what of our upbringing, what role does that play?

Naturally, everything that comprises who, what and why we ‘are’ is all tied together. Everything we do, depends on many elements besides our genes, upbringing, social status, stability, security, intelligence, environment and also our life experiences and, our personal feelings.

Right, sure, what about that other things like being poor, time short, exhausted, unwell, cranky, the kids are driving us nuts, the cat threw up on the carpet, "yeah whatever...." is what we may say, but regardless of how we react to situations, it is all a part of who we are.

Although a lot is in our genetics we tend to behave as our parents did or how we were taught.  Do we behave according to how we think others expect us to behave?  Do we behave certain ways because our actions are driven by societal expectations?  The truth of the matter is simple.

We behave, react and handle situations by using what we have which are our genetics, upbringing, and our personal beliefs and life experiences.  Put another way, the way we individually ‘are' is framed by our personal history whether it is indeed our genetics, upbringing, beliefs, life experiences or even, societal expectations. 

Although a picture may be obvious, everyone who casts their countenance sees different things within the same frame.

I consider three frames we may view:

Your Frame

Sometimes well meaning people will tell you what to do.  ‘Paint it green, I did that and it looks wonderful!’ or ‘It’s not fattening, I didn't gain weight’ or ‘I think it is a good buy, go for it!’  or worst of all, ‘Take my advice, do it my way, you will never regret it.’  Your reactions at first are to agree with the proposer of this advice.  Yes, they did not put weight on, it was a good buy for them and, they did not regret their decision.  However, that is their life, that is how they see things from their viewpoint and it is right for them but not necessarily for you.

Other's experiences and ensuing advice is often correct and right for them.  It is based on their personal make-up, beliefs and life experiences but is it right for you?

Certainly consult with friends, family and associates but before making a decision, go into the depths of what you really think and feel.  Better still, think about the worst that can happen and if you can handle and live with that, go with your gut feelings.

Don’t go with other's opinion, advice, and decisions unless you have considered things from the perspective of your personal make-up, beliefs and experiences.

It is better and far more honest to deliberately step out of the frame others' have you in and be honestly who you feel you are and do things according to what you think is right, both ethically and morally.  It is unwise to try and be how others’ think you should be, because firstly, the goal posts keep on moving according to other’s moods, thoughts and opinions at the time and secondly, it is very difficult to be who you are not.  It is impossible to fit other's image of you because they see the picture of you in the frame differently.  Only you know the true picture of yourself.

It is your frame, don’t live your life according to how others see or frame you.

Others' Frame

As you, others' do not expect, nor do they have the right to dictate to anyone unless it is in line with legal, cultural and citizenship expectations.

How others' live their life, what they do, what they spend their money on, where they buy a new house, the car they buy the partners they have, is their business only.

I feel society (particularly in Australia) is being pushed down, pushed around and bullied into submission for everything.  There are so many rules and regulations, laws, by-laws, do this, do that, don’t do this, don’t do that etc.  The laws, rules and regulations are not taking into account our historical and cultural mores.  I, as many Australians, have a genetic trait that we don’t readily accept being told what to do and being bossed around.  We accept suggestions and invitations that we do or not do something and mostly adhere to the law, but unless we ask for advice or an opinion, we balk at being directly told what to do.  By expecting to live and run your life in other people's frame, it is stifling, nullifying and creates frustration, don’t interfere in others' frames.

No Frame

Like everyone else, we all have a picture, a framed picture of ourselves which may be very different to how we are viewed by others'. Then again, do we honestly know how others' see us?  

Our frame holds a picture that is sometimes rather different to how we perceive ourselves and it is ever changing as we change.  As we grow older and hopefully wiser, our lives may undertake substantial change without any deliberate interference from ourselves.  We undergo transformation and become different people with different beliefs, practices and our life experiences are continuing to grow and expand.

In constantly changing and adapting to alterations in our lives whether they be psychological, physical, attitudinal and faith, perhaps we have no frame. 

Whether we have a frame or not, take heed of Shakespearean wisdom.

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man".  Shakespeare.  Hamlet Act 1. Scene 3

Verde