Mind Your Language
I reckon I'd be blogging about videos for most of my subsequent entries because I can't seem to get enough it. There just seems to be so many amusing videos to analyse (from a communications perspective, of course). The best part is, at least I know I'm not just wasting my time watching videos when I should be studying, hah.
I totally love "Mind Your Language" and I think I'm addicted to it. I think this show is most relevant with communications because its about a bunch of people from different countries who are constantly misunderstood. The show's not just good entertainment but also a good source of analysis. In this analysis I'll touch on non-verbal cues and group communication. However, much of my analysis will hover around why language plays such an important role in effective communication.
1) Non-verbal Communication
Due to the lack of understanding between the individuals in the video, many resort to non-verbal cues as a means to repeat (by using illustrators). For instance, Ms Courtney uses hand gestures to illustrate directions so that Ali would understand it clearly. Mr Brown also had to use illustrators to get his students to sit down.
2) Group Communication
It is very apparent that there is communication breakdown within the classroom. Due to people coming from different cultures and backgrounds, all the people are unable to understand one another and thus this leads to a lot of miscommunication. This would be an example where group communication is inefficient because all members are not able to understand one another. Group socialisation (a situation where individuals and the group seek to influence each other to best meet their needs) is not evident as they are constantly arguing with one another. The chaos created in the classroom shows lack of regulation and thus the lack of group management.
3) Culture and Perception
Culture plays a major role here because all the characters are made up of people from different cultures and thus they learn different languages and they also have different ways of doing things. Thus their perception about certain things would differ. Specifically, the students of the class would perceive what the teacher is saying differently from what he really is trying to say. For instance, one of the students misunderstood the teacher when he introduced himself as "Brown". Mr Brown, too, misunderstood his student when he said he was "Sikh". Here we can see that our cultural background plays a crucial role in determining how we perceive others because we are accustomed to certain beliefs and lifestyles.
Yes, our culture and language is a great distinct barrier that will either make or break the communication when we converse with people from all over the world. Maybe you could also include some slangs and jargons a particular person used in the video? Also, how else do you think one can avoid bypassing a message when talking someone of another race?
ReplyDeleteHello there!
ReplyDeleteI think out of the three things you've mentioned, culture and language is definitely the most noteworthy one!
More often than not, language can be a huge barrier because some expressions cannot be translated to another language without losing some of its meaning. For example, some Chinese idioms just cannot be taken word for word, and one needs to understand a little of the Chinese history to be able to capture the full and complete meaning of it.
Also, culture could hinder communication because people from different cultures simply go through different socialisation experiences, and have little shared experience. All this could cause potential perception error attributed by selection error!
So though globalisation and westernisation may bring with them lots of disadvantages, I think one of the major advantage is that people cross borders would be able to understand each other better! In terms of the media pdts we consume, the information we can obtain from the internet, the foreigners we have in our home country... et cetera.
So though language and culture is one of the most obvious barriers in communication, the gap between people is slowly closing! :)
Hey! I'm addicted to Mind Your Language too...it seriously cracks me up :)
ReplyDeleteBut on a more serious note, I do think that we are all aided by culture and non verbal cues to communicate with one another. Sometimes these cues may appear offensive to another person of a different culture and they might not be able to comprehend each other too. Therefore, we must always be careful when expressing ourselves and ensure that the other party receives the correct message. That being said, I still think that it is amazing how we are all able to comprehend one another despite coming from vastly different backgrounds and using different languages. :)
Great post by the way...
OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS SHOW! unfortunately i only watched a few episodes. hehee. i think that this show actually raises issues like language. and how language plays an important role in communication amongst us humans. it also educates us on different cultures, which is a topic we learn in commms class! Wheeee
ReplyDelete(comment on my blog!!)
ooohh kat this video is hilarious. i love how the characters interact with each other. its good basis for analysis! ;)
ReplyDeleteHI AGAIN
ReplyDeletetis show is so old lah can. but i like. very funny. my auntie used to love watching this thing but i was still small then so i couldnt really get it especially the jokes. but now that i watch it i understand and i really love how it shows different cultures together communicating as a group .
byebye
Wohoohooo
ReplyDeletefunny clip
love your analysis.
i like the way they speak. hilarious. ok. cultural tolerence.
whahaha