Language

helloooooo!! Oooopss.. was absent from this blog for like. weeeks??
ahh sorrry!

This is Mr. Murali.
haha!

Anyway, this was what we did in tutorial class on the 3rd week of our semester!

This activity was based on the topic of the week which was LANGUAGE!

Presentation time!

LANGUAGE.
Almost all human beings acquire a language.
Firstly,



WHAT is Language?



It has been said that language is the very essence of what makes us human. If we are to fully understand what it means to be human, then, we must understand what language is, how it works, and how we use it.

Figure 1

• Figure 1 shows that Language is more than just communication. It is the primary method which we do things together.



• Language is the accumulation of shared meaning - of common ground.



• Language is common to all humans. We seem to be “hard-wired” for it.



• Language is the mental faculty or power of vocal communication.



• Language is a set of rule for generating speech.
  

Language is a process every child learns from birth, and we continue to use it until our death. Because of this we are able to expand our knowledge and evolve as a society.
Language is a common thread between people, animals, and technology in a community or a particular nation. Being universally understood is central to the communication and way of life of people in a nation. Without a common language there could be no communication between the citizens of that nation. Furthermore, things could be chaotic without language. For example, imagine a stop sign without the word stop.

One Language, Many Shapes and Sizes

THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE

The nature of language is the nature of human thought and human action, for language is no more nor less than the tool of both of these aspects of human nature.
a) Language is Symbolic

Sign Language is a visual means of communicating using gestures, facial expression, and body language. Sign Language is used mainly by Deaf people and people with hearing difficulties. There are various sign languages spoken around the world. These distinct language includes:

1. American Sign Language



2. British Sign Language



3. French Sign Language



4. Danish Sign Language



5. Chinese Sign Language



6. Japanese Sign Language
   



7. Mayan Sign Language

1. American Sign Language is a complete, complex language that employs signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body. It is the first language of many deaf North Americans, and one of several communication options available to deaf people. ASL is said to be the fourth most commonly used language in the United States.

i love you!

2. British Sign Language

Within Britain the most common form of Sign Language is called British Sign Language (BSL). BSL has it's own grammatical structure and syntax, as a language it is not dependant nor is it strongly related to spoken English. BSL is the preferred language of between 50,000 - 70,000 people within the UK.

3. French Sign Language

French Sign Language (langue des signes française or LSF) is the sign language of the deaf in the nation of France.




4. Danish Sign Language
The population of Danish Sign Language is 3500. Some signs are related to French Sign Language.




5. Chinese Sign Language

Modern Chinese Sign Language (simplified Chinese: 中国手语: traditional Chinese: 中國手語: Hanyu Pinyin (vowel tone marking): zhōng-guó-shǒu-yǔ: Hanyu Pinyin (number tone marking): zhong1 guo2 shou3 yu3, CSL) developed around the 14th century. Similar to all sign languages and languages in general, CSL has several dialects, of which Shanghai is the most prominent. Aspects of the sign language relate to Chinese character signs.





6. Japanese Sign Language

Japanese Sign Language is a distinct sign language with unique vocabulary and grammar. It is related to Taiwanese and Korean sign languages.




7. Mayan Sign Language

Maya sign languages are used inMexico and Guatemala by Maya communities with unusually high numbers of deaf inhabitants

THE POWER OF LANGUAGE


Words can inform our mind, caress and comfort our feelings, excite and thrill our spirit, or warm and kindle the flame of our hearts. They can also slap our face, punch us in the stomach, rattle our nerves, kill our desire, or destroy our self-confidence. Of course this is metaphorical, but these metaphors capture in words our physical reactions to what is said, and that is the power of language. It can emotionally move and affect us as powerfully as physical actions.

Communication and relational dynamics

Interpersonal relationships involve the way one deal with another socially. There are so many people in this world, but how come we are only attracted to a certain kind of people but not others?

We form relationships with other due to attraction to each other, the need for intimacy and perceived rewards and compliments.

What are we atrracted to? How does attraction form?

First of all, similarity and complementary. At most of the time, we look for people who are similar to us, as in characterisitics, behaviour, attitude and beliefs. We tend to join people with the same background as us, because similarities are the real foundation for a long term relationships although differences may add spice to a relationship. Complementary needs are those that fit together in a mutually satisfying way.



Next is competence. Most of us like to be around with talented people. I read an article which mention that to gain the liking of others, we have to be good at what we do, but also not forgetting to admit the mistakes we do. We are also attracted to people we perceive as competent, credible, and display charisma.



Disclosure is also another factor. I believe that all of you guys here know that by revealing some information about yourself can help build liking. But bare this in mind, when people share private and important information about themselves to you, it means he respect and trust you. Therefore, we have to becareful with our disclosing tho.



Since shermaine mentioned something about the relationail development and maintanence, i'll just talk about, what are the skills for escalating and maintaining relationships.

• Be open and self-disclose appropriately (disclose yourself, but also be open to other’s disclosure - you really need those two sides of the coin)
• express emotions (a particular form of self-disclosure, expressing emotions can continue relational escalation)
• engage in relationship talk (talk about the nature, quality, direction, or definition of a relationship - don’t start too early. If you talk it does show your interest and commitment)
• monitor your perceptions (effective perception can enhance your ability to understand and adapt to your partner as a relationship escalates)
• listen actively and respond confirmingly (listening is a way to demonstrate an on-going interest in another person)
• socially decenter and adapt (can you see the situation and the person from their view?),
  be tolerant and show restraint (learn to accept others for who they are - and put up with things you dislike)
• manage conflict cooperatively (Don’t avoid conflict altogether, but work through it
• seek compliance (use persuasive strategies to accomplish your personal goals. Get you own way)

PS: This is not my opinions. I just get it from a website. So, if there is any inappropriate or what-so-ever thing, dun look for me. =)

As we know, not every relationship is long-lasting. Unfortunately, some relationships will only last for few months, or even few weeks, which is very very extremely terrible and horrible. OUCH!

What lead to the end of a relationship?

It may just fade away when the relationship dissolves slowly as intimacy declines.

When a relationship experiences a sudden death which means it ends abruptly, usually in response to some precipitating event.

And also experiences incrementalism. This happens when both parties do not speak out whenever they face problems, or arguments without a proper solution, they would just accumulate all the conflicts and problems until one day, any one of the parties cannot tolerate anymore and boom!, the end of the relationship. =(

-Michelle Tan-

Intimacy and distance in relationships

Intimacy in a relationship is very important as it brings closeness to both parties. It is a process, not a thing. It takes place over time and is not stagnant. There are few types of intamcy. One of them is intellectual intamcy where two people exchange thoughts, share ideas and enjoy similarities and differences between their opinions. If both parties are able to do so and feel comfortable about it, then they can become quite intimate in an intellectual area.

Another form of intimacy is experiential intimacy. Examples of this would be where people get together to actively involve themselves with each other, probably saying very little to each other, not sharing any thoughts or many feelings, but being involved in mutual activities with one another.

Next would be emotional intimacy. This is when two parties can comfortably share their emotions and feelings together without keeping. They also try to approach, understand and be aware of the other party's emotional side.

Found this interesting article from http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/building-and-maintaining/the-impact-of-intimacy

If intimacy is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship, understanding its nature is important:
A partner must take the risk of disclosing emotions with significant others.
A partner must be willing to be honest and upfront in communicating, even at the risk of hurting others.
An individual must listen and be non-judgmental in communication.
A mate must value and cherish those he loves.
The issue of intimacy is comprehensive to all significant relationships.
The impact of intimacy is much broader in scope than sexuality.
It's the little things that count — remembering birthdays, anniversaries, surprising a partner with gifts, and validating your partner.
Demonstrating non-sexual affection, such as holding hands, hugging, messaging, and kissing constitute intimacy.
Cultivating intimacy is important when couples are having difficulty with their sexual experience.
Conflict resolution is an important aspect of intimacy.
Being spiritually and psychologically committed to one's mate constitutes intimacy.
Trust and respect are cornerstones of intimacy.
Accepting one's mate with all of his flaws is a quality of intimacy.
Navigating difficult life events in a relationship is a characteristic of intimacy.
Establishing a romantic environment and making one's sexual encounters mutually meaningful constitutes intimacy.

Up next is distance in relationships.

When a relationship is undergoing changes and the distance between both parties is getting far apart, it is time where both parites have to reconsider and do something about it in order to maintain the relationship. Frequent argument and ignorance between both parties will bring negative impact on their relationship. As mentioned earlier, truth and honest are the most important thing in a firm relationship. Without these, both parties will not gain any trust from each other and therefore, end up suspecting each other.

You would not want to end up like this in your relationship.

-Michelle Tan-

Misconceptions

Haven't been updating these few days. Im so sorry about it. It has been soooo busy this week. Now, let's discuss about misconceptions, which is my topic today. =)

First of all, a misconception happens when a person believes in a concept which is objectively false. He might jump straight into a conclusion after listening or seeing somethig without second thought.



Mr. Murali taught us about misconceptions about listening. But im gonna talk about misconceptions about seeing, or rather seeing, observing.



When we see something, we assume that what we see is definitely what is going on. For example, when we see a boy and a girl arguing, we immediately assume that they are a couple, they are arguing because they have some problems in between. But, is this the truth? Is this what they are arguing for? If we think carefully, it might be, they are just friends, or perhaps, siblings. They are arguing because of some misunderstandings or different point of views. Things might not turn out what it is supposed to be.

Let's take this picture as an example. What do you see in this picture? Did you assume that they are having fun and drinking alcohols because they just want to enjoy and have a great time? In fact, there might be some reasons for them to drink alcohol and get high in this way. They might be facing problems and wanting to get rid of the problem by making themselves drunk and forget everything. Again, this is what we assume just by looking at the picture itself. Misconceptions often happen like this.

Misconceptions may lead to many unwanted arguments and misunderstandings between people. People like to jump into conclusions without careful thinking and analyzing. To avoid misconceptions, we cannot judge or assume things by just looking at its surface, in fact, we must look into the problem and evaluate it deep inside.

-Michelle Tan-

We need a makeover.

I just blog-hopped the other blogs weii. Damn canggih wei their blogskin. They even got a hit counter and everything.
Well being a not-so-avid blogger,I don't know nuts about changing blogskins and templates.
So teammates!
Christine!
Michelle!
Shermayne!
Su-Queen!
Not that we wanna follow-follow, be like everyone else...
But for Mr.Murali's sake.
We should to spice up our blog lah.
Or Janson? I know you read our blog.
I know you're good at all these things.
Little help,please?

Signed,blognoob...
Su-Queen

An add on for perception.

Dear Mr. Murali.

While goofing around in the DSA, waiting for Nanda to finish class, 18 year old Alric John Boudville decided to show me his apparent artistic skills.

He drew what he percieved me to be.



Feast your eyes people!

Yeap. The red head is suppose to be me. And the buff guy with weird man-boobs and no legs next to me would be Alric.

Please. Someone. Be charitable. Send Alric to some hella good art lessons. He needs a miracle. If he actually drew this in a cave in the year 100BC,the cavemen would laugh at his face and rip off his bearskin underpants while taunting him,saying " CaveMan Alric draw like cavebaby! Now we burn his bearskin underpants! Muahahahaha! (for drawing was a serious matter in the year 100BC) ".

And Alric would runaway sobbing to his CaveMummy saying "CaveMamaaaaaa! They took my bearskin underpants!"

And his CaveMummy would comfort him with hugs & kisses. Until CaveMan Alric led her to his drawing......

Then she ripped off his bearskin underpants and burned it too.

So the Moral of the story is...

Your mind does not percieve what others percieve.

Alric get art lessons. Hee :D

By,Su-Queen.

development & maintenance~

recently i meet my friend in the college who is migrate to australia few years ago..
we used to be 'twins' in our primary school. no matter where we go, what we do, or even toilet, and whenever where she is, there is sure my shodow.. *sound scary* XD
but wad i trying to mean is we always stick together lar.. even our parent also can't stand with us. haha..
oh ya! there is a thing very coincident where my birthday is same with her. before the day i was born, my mom's bed just beside to her mother. in same hospital o~ so we (my family and her family) know each other very well.

she is coming back to continue her study here, in HUC!! but we can't stick together as in primary school ler.. my timetable and her is totally crash. i mean when i m having class she having break. we dont get to meet each other in college ler.. aiduh.. izit what this call ' no jodoh'? haha..

from i know her since primary school ,till we separate cause of his father business main at other country, and meet each other back after she comes back and then we 'reunion' back. our relational devolment and maintenance actually match the Mark Knapp Model.
from initiating... to experimenting.. next intensifying.. and integrating.. then bonding... differentiating.. stagnating.. terminating.. and finally bonding back!! ha! =p



Chong wenhui..

Intimacy~

intimacy in the dictionary is defines as arising from close union, contact, association, as well as acquaintance. in fact, intimacy can have varies dimensions. there are :-

• physical (hugging, kissing and holding hand...)



• intellectual (how others think...)



• emotional (exchanges important feeling..)



• shared activities (include everything from working or games...)

there are also some differences in male and female intimacy styles. first, differences in expressing emotion. girl is more willing to share their thought, what they are thinking with others as compared to guy. in term of the amount and depth of information exchanged, female-female relationships are the champion on the disclosure list. *proud* XD where the second is male-female. and relationships between men has less disclosure than any other types. conclusion, female is good listener? haha. =p

culture make influences on intimacy. for example, east and western culture. we can't deny that western people is more 'open' than us. kissing and hugging infront of the public is just a very common thing to them. our culture doesn't allowed people to do this. cause holding hand and kissing doesn't allow among muslim.*but nowaday malaysian are quite open dy*

Chong wenhui ^^

Speak no evil. Hear no evil. Say no evil.

Ok so I know that its pretty outdated to write up about non-verbal communication right now.
Thousand apologies Mr. Murali!
But I'm just gonna write about it anyway...

So from Mr.M's awesomely thought lesson, I learnt that non-verbal communication brings us to the term " Actions speak louder than words. "

And also,non-verbal communication is closely related to body language.

Lets look at a typical example:

Lets say there was this boy. Who came to class in an aloof, hands in pocket, I'm-way-too-cool-for-school manner. Clad in skinny black jeans, grey statement T-shirt that says " F*** OFF F*****!!", with a pack of 14's Dunhill Reds in his right hand, he saunters his way to the back of the class and picks a seat alone. Only to be told by Mr.M to "SIT IN THE FRONT!". And he does so in the same,aloof manner. Smirking even more so. Then he drops his bag,sits down,slouches like his Mummy painstakingly brought him into this world without a backbone, and plugs on his iPod.

How would you intepret his whole act?

1. Appearance: His whole outfit implies that he is a Sexy Rocker Bad Boy. rawwwwrrrr ;) Or that he likes to dress in a certain way that expresses his personality;that he's here to make a statement.

2. Closeness: Since he went way to the back of the class to sit alone, it makes him seem as if he's not interested in making any new friends. Or that he doesn't give two tuts about his classmates. Introverted maybe?

3. Facial expressions: He smirked when asked to sit in front. Shows that he is quite sarcastic and reluctant to follow orders. Smart-aleck more like.

4. Posture: The slouching states that he's only coming for classes because he has to and that he just can't be bothered.

The conclusion? Bad boys are so sexy!
Hah! Joke lah.

Another case maybe?

You see a pretty hot chick walking confidently down the hallway. Okay maybe not just walking. Bloody catwalking lah. Sashay sashay. Swing swing hips. She's got a great sense of fashion,I must say. Sky-high Aldo heels, drainpipe jeans, Channel baguette bag, red plunging lace top and a vintage biker jacket over her skinny toned arms...straight off the pages of VOGUE Magazine. She's on her iPhone, yapping loud and proud bimboticly with a rich American slang. Then she sees a friend;the Sexy Bad Boy from earlier. She flips off her phone, tosses her hair and goes over to give him a kiss on the lips and embraced him in a hug. Then she walks off with Sexy Bad Boy...her right hand in his jean's back pocket.

Intepreted?

1. Posture: Her confident stride says that she has got quite a high self-esteem.

2. Appearance: Obviously into fashion and looking good. High-maintenance definitely and probably has the money to keep it up too.

3. Ways of talking: Loud,bimbotic,rich American slang. I'm thinking...brought up in an open-minded English-educated family. Or she watches too much American drama TV.

4. Closeness and body contact: She probably knows Sexy Bad Boy very well. Dating,very likely. And very intimate so I guess she's pretty open in affection.

IN CONCLUSION....Damn am I good at Microsoft Paint or what? Hellyeaaaaa :D

And who needs a psychic when you can read body language!

Psychic = CONSTIPATED BULLSHIT ! Amen. All hail non-verbal communication!

Lovingly blogged by

Su-Queen <3

Perceptions

Let's talk about perception. What does it mean? According to Wikipedia, the very useful site, perception is defined as the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. In other word, it also carries the meaning of THE POINT OF VIEW. =)

We will come across this phenomena anytime at anywhere, especially when you are required to give opinions about a particular thing. Then, different people will have different perceptions. For instance, Eli, a girl, is short. Some people will think that she is SHORT, not a girl's perfect height, not perfect. But, for some other people, they might think that Eli is cute. short = cute. So, this proves that different people have different point of view.

Next, a very common example. A box.

What do you see in this picture? What appears in your mind at the first second you saw this cube? Some people might see it as a box, just a box. But some people might take it as a square with 6 surfaces. They interpret it in different ways.

-Michelle Tan-