“The Beauty of Language”

Sitting tonight in a local restaurant, I was witness to a most unusual display of language, which occurred without anything being said.  Directly across from me, a group of individuals sat signing to each other.  About eight individuals in all, they were engrossed in a spirited communication, yet none of us sitting close had the foggiest idea what was being said.  So not being able to understand the words, I instead focused on the signs, which were a combination of hand movements and mouth accentuation.  It was quite obvious to me, an observer, a great deal of communication was occurring between the participants.  It is the beauty of the hand movements which held me spellbound for the better part of my meal.

Each movement and vocalization formed as if in midair, and sign or symbol carefully drawn on the canvas of time.  Though the movement lasted but an instant, it provided a continuity of sufficient length to continue the conversation.  The response was equally elegant, crafted on a canvas held briefly in the sky!

The exercise of my observation has caused me to pause and contemplate the meaning of language among us.  Those of us who speak without sign rattle on without any comprehension of the difficulty of forming the most appropriate word.  We approximate something, inferring with a movement of our hand, “Well, of course you know what I mean!”  The other person may not understand at all what we are speaking about, but to save time nods his (or her) head, thinking, “I will figure this item out later.  Surely something he says along the way will finally make sense enough so I can figure out what he just said, even though, for now, it is patently unclear!

Those who sign are not provided such luxury of speech.  Their sign is either precise, or it is not.  Their communication is either understood or it is not.  And if no understanding ensues, the dialogue of reasonable speech ends, unlike with those of us using many words, there is less time and less luxury for general confusion.

I remarked to my daughter that sign must be a universal language, equally valid all over the world among those who know it.  However, she informed me this is not the case at all.  There is a British sign, and another for the United States.  There is one for other parts of Europe and the world, and China has its very own.  I was surprised, as I assumed those who sign had a universal translator for all over the globe, unlike those of us who must rely on our I Phone to make heads or tails of any unusual sound.

The best writers of any language are those who are the poets, who speak to us in such rarefied tomes as to force us to contemplate the meaning and meaningfulness of ourselves.  Of course, those who are able to share stories of the human condition, particularly those passed down over the generations hold the collective consciousness of us all.

I simply pause now to reflect on the beauty of language.  Those beautiful persons who let me watch as they communicated by sign reminded me of something I had forgotten.  I am reminded now to give thanks for the gift of language, certainly not the only thing which makes us human, but certainly one of the better things.  Of course, our cousins, the other non-human creatures of the wider earth, God has gifted with their own particular form of vocalization and speech.   I continue to be fascinated by those things we seemingly take for granted, which, after all are such marvelous gifts to humanity.

Let us pause today to reflect on our words, that we too may bring forth precise, elegant and meaningful speech.  If we cannot, then those who sign certainly can teach us.  Say it precisely, or simply do not say it at all!

Bill W.