Non-Linguistic Speech and Symbols

More Than Words Can Say:

Non-Linguistic Speech & the Confederate Flag

When a speaker utters a specific set of words to convey some specific meaning, it is important that the hearer understands this meaning, as speech can do more than merely express the opinions or report incidents, but enable actions. The relationship between the speaker and the hearer and how will they can convey meaning and interpretation to each other is crucial to the conversation. Both parties need to be able to express and understand words and interpret their meaning. When meaning is lost in our utterances, communication is no longer effective and can lead to mishaps. Speaking words is not the only way a speaker can convey meaning to a hearer; non-linguistic speech, such as symbols, may also serve as vehicles for expressing our thoughts. Their meanings, I argue, are much more difficult to interpret in many cases then the utterances of words.

Non-linguistic speech is used by the speaker to communicate meaning without the use of words and places more responsibility on the hearers to interpret what the non-linguistic speech means and what the speaker intends to say by presenting that specific representation for the speech. This is further complicated as not all manifestations of non-linguistic speech have universal meanings.

There are examples all around us that prove the convenience of having universal interpretations of symbolic speech and how it aids in a better understanding of the meaning intended. Understanding that when the stoplight changes from an orange hand to a white image walking non-linguistically tells us it is safe to cross the street or that when we see a sign with a cigarette x-ed out in a circle that there is no smoking allowed in the vicinity. But what meaning is interpreted we see the confederate flag? What is the immediate response that one should have upon seeing one flying outside a school, on someone’s porch or even worn on a t-shirt? This...