Blog Post #2

Courtney Cunningham

26 September 2017

Communication 160

Christina Ivey

Language and Culture

            A statement that really clicked with me in the reading was, “language is the world we live in” (137).  Before any of the communication classes I have taken, I probably would have thought this was confusing and a little dumb, but now I am able to understand what language actually is.  I first thought it was literal languages as in English, Spanish, French, etc., but now I am aware that it is more than that.

            Language is important because it is the way we can define different groups. Languages are specific for the people in the group.  For example some of my classes have there own special language that only people in the class will understand.  For mu UF200 class when we go on BlackBoard and see the letters “RR” we understand that we will have a Reading Response for homework, but if an outsider were to see this they would not know what it meant.  Another place where language is really important is at my work.  I am a lifeguard and swim instructor and it is critical for all the staff to be on the same page for what things mean.  As a lifeguard we carry around whistles to get peoples attention if there was ever an emergency.  For example one long loud whistle blow means that we are getting in the water for a rescue.  The bystanders at the pool don’t know what that means, but when the rest of the staff hears it we know that we need to be prepared to get first aid equipment or help wherever it is needed.  Languages are pretty cool because they are sort of like the norms for a specific group. We all have a special language whether it is with out family, friends, work, school, clubs, etc. It is important that we realize that we might not understand everybody’s languages, but it is how we are able to connect deeper with certain people.