Language and Pragmatics Essay

Language is the usual ground for e real 1. It is the thing that links a society together beca give this is how they pass by and understand each separate. It is common, therefore, that one culture empennage discover mazed when dealing with other(a) heap from contrasting cultures. This is due to the fact that tacit if they detect a certain wrangle, they will still need to learn the culture of the people to be suitable to communicate congruously. It is non abounding that one learns the words.A soulfulness should be in addition knowledgeable of the ship expression certain words or phrases are used or what is proper or not to verify during conversations for him or her to completely understand a particular culture. One of the things that I got interested in from the lecture was phatic communion, which is a form of discourse amid people which is not intended to stress or convey information but has the social function of establishing or maintaining social contact. T his is very ostensible in the Ameri discount culture. People ease up the tendency to automatically ask how the other is doing and the other is expected to suffice with just a simple answer.It is not meant to ask how a person is really feeling but it is just a polite counseling of acknowledging the persons presence. I pack experienced this form of communication since I started living in this farming. It is rough to miss it because people use it everyday in the grocery store, at the mall, coffee shop, still at school. I can relate to the examples in the lecture notes because Spanish is my commencement exercise language. I also had difficulty in learning the English language because of its complications like the phatic communion.At first, I thought that people were concerned round me and the things that are going on with my life. However, when I got used to the language, I came to achieve that this was just close to form of formality and that I am not expected to give a det ailed response. Living in this country, I have also learned that it is not unusual for people to know each other even if they are complete strangers. People take hello to each other when they pass them on the street. However, this is not be friendly for them. People have require accustomed to it and would feel ill-fitting if they did not acknowledge the other person.This is in contrast to other cultures where people would feel scared or uneasy if a stranger would say hello to them on the streets out of nowhere. They might think that the person has other intentions other than just to be polite. Personally, I think that people from contrary cultures talk fast because they are already used to the language and they have mastered it since the time they learned how to speak it. As such, fast-paced talk of the town is not only applicable to the Americans but to everyone as well. Some cultures can only seem soft spoken because of their voices but they are still fast-paced if one liste ns carefully.Another interesting observation is the difference between men and women in terms of listen. As a woman, I can relate to the lecture notes where it is indicated that women tend to nod to show that they are listening to someone. I actually do this just to show appreciation to the speaker, peculiarly when he or she is looking directly at me while speaking. It is a polite way of saying that I am listening although I whitethorn not be agreeing to what he or she is trying to say. This is different from what men do and I have noticed this in the way my husband reacts when someone is talking and he is in the audience.There is no indication that he is listening and will only be apparent when he nods his head in agreement with the speaker. I think that womens reaction is better because if it were me speaking, I would like to know if my audience is listening or not even if they whitethorn not agree to what I have to say. It is encouraging to know that the audience is interested in my wrangle and that I am not being ignored. The last topic that I found interesting is the different shipway on how to say no or refuse to someone. I agree with this because sometimes, people find it very difficult to say no in fear of offending the other person.As such, people find different ways to say no and this include offering an alternative, putting the blame on another, diverting the oversight to another topic, or through postponement. Doing these things will make it easier to say no and will not make the other person feel abominable about the situation. Personally, I do not have a threatening time saying no to people, especially if I strongly feel that refusing is the right thing to do. However, it is still good to know how to say no indirectly because we have to realize that people react to things differently.One may be fine with accepting no for an answer while others may take this against you. I think that learning a language and the ways of a certain culture is essential in being able to communicate with the cultures people effectively. This is the only for an outsider to become accepted and feel comfortable in using the language. It is also a way for a person to learn what is proper and what is unacceptable, which is important for some cultures because there are certain things that might offend them without the person even knowing.It can be said, therefore, that learning a second language is difficult, especially if the person learning it is not even living in the country or place where that language is being used. Exposure is needed for one to learn and acquire a cultures language and customs. Without experiencing it first-hand, it is hard to practice the language and apply it to ones everyday lives. It is also better to communicate with the people who use the language everyday so that the person can practice speaking it and using it much better. The person will be able to learn faster and easier if there is first-hand exposure.