Lesson 20/10/2016                          What is Language?


How do we define language?

Officially, language is defined as the ability to acquire and use complex systems of communication, particularly the human ability to do so, and a language is any specific example of such a system


Is it simply a pattern of symbols and sounds that communicate meaning?

Language in its basic form is a pattern of symbols and sounds but it is the way they are utilized, changed, and extended upon by the people that use a language which allows it to evolve and suite the needs of communication that these people have throughout time.


Is it still a language if no one speaks it? What if one person speaks a language but no one else understands. Is it still a language?

It is by definition, still a language if no one or only one person speaks it. However, it is regarded as a dead language since it is no longer in use and doesn't evolve. If the language is not tied into an utilized system (ie. Latin is predominant in the judiciary system), then it soon becomes outdated and forgotten, to the point where nobody knew it ever existed. That is when it is no longer a language but a forgotten concept.


Do we need to know a definition of a word in order to understand its meaning?

The meaning of the word is something more personally oriented while the definition of a word is a general description. It is up to the user to try to match the word with the proper definition to what he means.


Do words have meanings or do we give them meanings?

Words are just noises emitted by our mouths. We give a pattern of these noises meaning by associating them with a definition that is perfected by continuous use and improvement


What do they mean when they claim young people no longer use language properly? 

What the mean by that is that young people are changing the definitions of words to suit what they mean to communicate. This change of the language is unfamiliar to older people who have a different meaning/definition connection to the same words.

Are other systems of communication language?

Yes, as long as there is a system behind it that the target group of people are able to understand and apply, it can be considered a language as it is a form of communication (ie. sign language, braille, etc.).

Is body language actually a language?

Body language is not an established form of communication with a variety of options to express oneself. It can only convey basic emotions or common courtesy based on  the standards of a society or how well an individual knows you. In order to become a language, it needs to reach a higher word amount in order to express more complicated ideas.

What about music and math? Computer code?

Music is a form of emotional expression. There is no way for a composer to convey their exact intention without some context in a language people understand. Without the lyrics, there is only the feeling of the song without explanation. Math is set on explaining universal rules in terms of numbers and quantity. It is not designed to express things of human complexity that do not follow a set of rules. Computer code is based on the conventions of the English language, but it is still just a group of base words used to create a system. All the context is written in a pre-established language.

What distinguishes language from a more general idea of communication?

What separates a language from more general communication is the establishment of rules for the form of communication that introduce set definition, clarity and an established basis to further
the language with more words and linguistic choices. Organized complexity is what this could be described as.

Lesson 18/10/2016                  Ways of Knowing: Language


For today's lesson, we looked at what makes a language. On what thinking structure are languages created. To find this out we had to create our own, using words and symbols to convey a message. The language should not be connected to English or any other existing language in any way. We worked in groups of 2-3 to create a new language and try to effectively communicate with the class. My group did pretty well because we used very common movements and hand motions that everybody could associate with but for the groups who decided to go for speech, this was a bit more difficult.

I think I have realized why this new language (not connected to any existing language) failed to communicate an idea without the help of gestures. It was so disconnected from the sounds and letters we know in our language that it was impossible to properly interpret with the thinking we do in our languages. Everything about them was unfamiliar and we tried to associate factors from it to our own languages which prevented proper understanding. For a language to function, you require a large period of time for its users to gain mastery of it. With this element of time and specialization, we are able to communicate effectively in our communities.

Lesson 11/10/2016          Memory Contaminates Perception


This lesson we read an article in The Guardian about how memory contaminates perception. I was introduced to the topic of visual working memory which stores repeated everyday tasks visually and prompts the mind to repeat these behavioral patterns when confronted with the same visual stimuli. Essentially, it is a form of self mental programming to assist us with everyday tasks and to complete them with mechanical efficiency in order to provide consistent repetition which usually aides us in these tasks. One example would be driving a car. The brain compares the current visual stimuli with that of previous iterations and causes the person to instinctively perform habits such as adjusting the mirror or fastening the seat belt.

One potential problem for this is the way it affects our perception. Even though it is designed to perfect everyday physical patterns to a consistent standard, it limits our perception of new ways or information. It works in a predictive way that causes the mind to premeditate images based on previous stimuli. This was shown in the 2 tests taken from the article, where people judged multiple dot movements based off of the primary one that they were expected to focus on. This limits our ability to instantly cope with new information that defies a certain pattern or associated task. It makes us less directly visually aware but relies heavily on memory associated with visual stimuli. This can make people slower to react in events of sudden change such as road accidents or other standard defying events.

Lesson 10/6/2016              Perception of color

This lesson we explored deeper into the human sense of sight, particularly color. Color is a a part of our vision enabled by the cone cells in the back of our retinas. These allow us to to distinguish details in the light that is reflected back to our eyes. By being able to see parts of the visual spectrum, we can garner more details and information from our vision and are better able to distinguish similarities and differences. As was seen in the Vsauce video, electronics are able to adjust their LED output to match wavelengths, which allows our brains to see a certain hue of color and witness the full scope of our visual sense in an electronic device.

However, our sense of sight can be deceived since our brain processes color based off of a system. If we are able to use that in a certain way or alter its exposure, we can trick it into distinguishing things that are not actually real. This was seen in the printed image video and the ocular illusion one. The printed images reflected the the exact wavelengths to trick the brain into perceiving a sense of volume  and depth which we are regularly exposed to with 3D objects in our every day lives. The ocular illusion video set up color in a way that our brain was fooled into perceiving movement or another image at a second glance.

The final video shown was the TED talk where probably the most was explained in terms of color (how it helps us and how it can be deceived). He explained how it allows us to detect things and its relation to other senses (ie. sound). He also explained how context was important for our vision and how it makes clarity of the visual information we receive to provide us with a means of interacting with our physical world.






This image is the classic '2 faces or 1 chalice' optical illusion where shifting the color of the context allows us to see 2 different items. It provides insight into the way our brain works to distinguish things depending on their surroundings.

Lesson 4/10/2016                       Perception and Reality

I think that our perception is limited by our senses to the extent that we are not willing or considering improving our other methods of perception. Ie. our sense of sight is probably the most developed sense and provides most of the information and detail to form our perception. This means that we automatically neglect the perfection or improvement of other senses since they are inferior and not necessary to improve what we have already attained through sight. If the sense of sight is taken away from us, then we are forced to compromise and invest into developing our other senses, most commonly touch and sound to provide us with the necessary information. All of our other senses must be honed and heightened to try and replace the functionality of our primary and most dominant sense.

Human senses are also limited in themselves. We only have 5 scientifically observable senses. Sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. All of our perception is limited to information gained through these five senses, We are unable to understand and comprehend any form of experience outside of these five possibilities. Additionally, the fact that these senses are so evolved and dominant in us hinders the chance to learn or evolve a new sense. Essentially, the human race is limited to its 5 senses until we are artificially able to create a new one and synchronize it with our brains.