Words, words, words

In this blog, I will examine how humans develop their abilities to impact their cultural surroundings. A vital contributing factor to this cultural impact is 'language'. For a moment let us consider this weighty word. 

"Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about"

Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897 - 1941)

Language, from the Latin term for tongue, plays a lead role in the feature films that are each of our lives. Such basic skills, speaking and then in turn the written word that are often taken for granted, but are the foundations that we, as a collaborative and cooperative society, have built upon. To grow, to seek happiness, to live – these are simple goals. To achieve these objectives, we need to be able to share. To do this we need to transfer information. To do this we need language. This remarkable innovation, fuelled by humans, has been modified to accommodate our daily lives. We live in the world that we do as a result of our upbringing, our education, our creations; and would any of this be possible without language? Tomasello's book The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition has no shortage of new vocabulary worthy of a second look. Suitably, this acquisition of new terminology enables us to communicate about such lifelong learning concepts. To name a few: the ratchet effect (the evolutionary process of our innovations), joint attention scenes (awareness and shared attention with intention), emulation learning (stimulus → force → result), verbal island constructions (verbs having different connotations which become more complex verbal phrases), and my personal favourite, holophrases (one word representation for multiple meanings).

As I connect the dots between the information I receive through classroom discussions, readings, and my own experiences, I am reminded of teaching English as a Second Language to international learners of all ages. For the most part, my students have been quite keen to gain as much knowledge as possible, to improve their ability to communicate in an english environment. Therefore, an effective method to guide them is introducing several new words when a new term is acquired (act, acting, acted, actor, actress, action, act-out, react, reacted, reaction, etc.). What I find extremely interesting is that although we share this uniquely human ability to speak through language, we have expanded this inherent capability into different languages. This seems like it could be detrimental to the simplicity in which we communicate with each other. More separations (ie: language diversity) lead to less collaboration. On the other hand, the non-human species undeniably have their own ways to communicate with the use of their own vocalization. I wonder if there is one dog language or several different dog languages? One method of communication that animals share, human and non-human alike, is body language. As discussed in class recently, when visiting a new country where one doesn't speak the local vernacular, gestures and charades play an important role in communication.

  

In instances of humans showing inability with language skills, new ways to communicate develop. These could be brail for the blind, closed captions for the deaf, or the written word for the mute. Because of the nature of our environment, humans naturally want to interact with society. As we develop, we learn from meeting our needs through our surroundings. At first we learn gestures and their intention. We learn letters which are symbols used to create words. Then we learn the symbolic meaning behind these words. It has been suggested that we enter the human race three times: first, when we are conceived; second, when we are born; and third, when we reach 9-12 months and gain the ability to understand others' intentions. I'd suggest a potential fourth emergence into humanity – the case of feral children.

When I first learned about feral children, I immediately thought that this would present an excellent opportunity to examine a human in a non-human environment. After doing some research, I discovered that there are only a handful of well-documented cases. National Geographic's Feral Children, an excellent video (about 50 minutes in five parts), refers to children separated from society and found living in the wild for an extended period of time. Each wild child adapted to their non-human environment. In order to communicate, they imitated the behaviours and sounds of their surroundings. In a very real sense, they lost their humanity. However, once re-integrated into cultural society, they each learned how to be human again – potentially the fourth emergence.

In closing, let's consider human culture without language. Take a moment to think about the idea of learning through storytelling without words.  A picture is worth a thousand words. How well are we able to interpret images as stories without our capacity to communicate? To expand on a known conundrum, which came first the image or the word? What of the ability to tell a story without a single word, nothing spoken, nothing written; complete with well-developed characters, a through-line, and even a message to impart. There is no doubt that we can communicate with pictures. Case in point, The Artist, a silent movie nominated for ten 2012 Academy Awards. As you view the following link: What were you raised by wolves?, ask yourself why you are able to appreciate the story – is it because of your extensive vocabulary? Is this ability to tell a story without words made possible through years of inheriting our cultural history through language, or could this story be told without the existence of words, words, words?

References

• A picture is worth a thousand words. (1921). In Wikipedia.

• Brosgol, V. (2010). What were you raised by wolves? Retrieved January 26, 2012, from verabee.com
• Christenson, H. & Matthews, V. (Writers). (2007). Feral Children. [Video File]. National Geographic.
• Hazanavicius, M. (2011). The Artist [Motion Picture]. France & Belgium: La Petite Reine. 
• Tomasello, M. (1999). The cultural origins of human cognition. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Whorf, B. L. (1964). Language, thought, and reality. Cambridge: MIT Press.
• Words, words, words. (1987). In Wikipedia.

First Impressions

In the field of education, interest has risen in the notion of learning through multiple intelligences, such as: spatial, kinesthetic, logical, linguistic, naturalistic, musical, and personal (see: Frames of Mind, H. Gardner, 1983). This concept illustrates how unique we are individually within our species, and furthers the idea that we each have our own way of learning. Before we achieve this level of cognition, individuals first each undergo developments in the methods or processes of thinking. To reach a full understanding of this cognitive development, let's examine the first impressions humans made on this planet through evolution and the emergence of learning amongst humans.

Learning is...


Knot working

In our first GSLL 6206 Lifelong Learning Processes class, Dr. Plumb, showed us how to tie a bowline (non-slip) knot. Before demonstrating varied methods of instruction, he engaged the class, creating a desire amongst students to acquire this new skill. Each student, with their provided piece of rope attempted to duplicate his knot, by following his actions. This instruction was non-verbal and purely visual. Dr. Plumb performed the necessary steps to tie a bowline knot as any sailor naturally would. At least one student was able to achieve the goal (I was not). The second attempt was through a handout illustrating the five steps to tying a bowline knot.   

  

Following the steps in the image allowed us to work at our own pace, a benefit compared to the duplication required in the first attempt. However, once again, I was unable to recreate the knot with confidence. It was now clear to me that I learn best through verbal or linguistic teaching methods. Fortunately, the next approach Dr. Plum took was more specific instruction (ie: make the rope in the shape of a 6) and storytelling (the tree grows from the ground the rabbit comes up from the hole, goes around the tree, and back down the hole). In the end, I was able to accomplish the task, retain the new skill, and teach others to tie a bowline knot using a combination of the methods used. Many animals have the ability to problem solve. A non-mammal example of problem solving skills can be seen through the following link illustrating the remarkable intelligence of crows, with a video in which a crow goes through several steps to reach food with the use of multi-tools.

Evolution

Human beings were not the first form of life on planet earth. Once animals began to emerge and evolve, amongst those that came into existence were primates. To understand how we think as humans we can begin by seeking to understand our ancestors. Tomasello reminds us in The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition (1999) how much we have in common with chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and bonobos. After reading and classroom discussions, much of what I was taking in seemed familiar. It then occurred to me that I had seen an excellent series on the same subject material (BBC - Walking with Cavemen). Through several episodes the viewer can witness the emergence of bipedal primates, their separation into groups, the rise of their abilities to use tools, and form relationships. In short, this lead to the beginning of societal tendencies. The choices made by our ancestors become our evolutionary heritage, this provided a history of acquired knowledge to build upon. Our inherited knowledge accounts for why the terminology developing the ability to walk is more accurate than learning how to walk.

A major factor in determining who we are and where we came from has been and will continue to be our surrounding environment. Though I agree with Tomasello in that it should be noted that enculurated apes (those raised in captivity) do not provide a true representation of their natural existence; I found there to be a lack of focus on exploring the elements that make each human being unique from the other. Tomasello reaffirms that although primates share the ability to learn through emulation and imitative learning, what distinguishes humans is understanding the intentions of our actions. It may be a safe presumption that if Tomasello agrees with the expression: monkey see, monkey do; he may build upon it into: human see, human do with intention.
  
The following video, taken last month in the Ugandan forest, shows the primates sharing their attention on one fixed event; evidence of relationships and status as the alpha male enters the scene and attention is again shifted. The further we explore the connections we share with our primate ancestors; we are reminded that we are all apes with potential.  

Culture

Tomasello suggests that cumulative cultural evolution is a result of cultural transmission. This is evidence of the ratchet effect (building upon something) shown in primates' cooperative and collaborative learning. Who are we but how others see us. In my opinion, our lives are and can be seen as a collection of different experiences shared with others, during our time on this planet.

Drawing from personal experience as a math instructor for adults, it could be argued that it is socially acceptable to be bad at math. I believe this to be an example of one's surroundings having an impact at a crucial age. Many parents read their children to sleep to benefit their acquisition of new vocabulary. This is an act of parenting that is encouraged. However, we rarely hear people say: “Count to your children” to improve their numeracy. In this way we contribute to the socially accepted notion of having poor math skills.

The learning capacities of primates and by extension humans are evident in our own existence. Videos available through Youtube provide examples of non-primates using their own cognitive development to achieve an objective, be it nourishment or entertainment. For example, a crow showing definite intent towards an object, even if the intent is to enjoy the act of tubing; and dolphins creatively finding an alternative to feeding.