Now I know that this is not supposed to be a book review, but I wanted to start off by saying that I really liked the way David Abrams approached the idea of language as a type of sixth sense. Now while he doesn't explicitly call it a "sixth sense" he alludes to it being a characteristic to being human that differentiates us from any other organism. What I like about it is (this might sound kind of stuck up) that it really just makes sense to me. We've already had discussions as a class and read a couple passages that encompassed a definitive and alleged "sixth sense" that involves a lot of ambiguity (and sometimes ghosts), but Abrams's take on an additional sense is very clear-cut in my opinion. Language has rules and understandings, like how different connotations are used in different situations, that we don't really teach, we just pick up on them. Society perpetuates them and therefore, they remain a part of our species. In the animal world, communication exists, but that differs from the language that we have because we have so much more meaning within our language that only we can feel. That feeling we get, that "sense" of understanding how language works without blatantly stating how it works, is what I believe to be a sixth sense.
Now while Abrams argues that we, as humans, have this extra sense of language, I would go a step further and argue that some of us are more in tune with it than others. There are people who have stronger senses of smell (I think it's proven that women have a more sensitive sense of smell than men) and there are people who have stronger senses of taste (like supertasters). So I believe that there are people who have a better mastery of language than others. I'm not referring to how strong one's grammar is in whichever language they speak (English, Spanish, German, Russian, etc.), but more so to how well they can understand emotions, social cues, body language, etc. in order to more effectively utilize their language with those around them. I immediately think about strong business leaders and therapists; they are people in occupations that require adept manipulation and understanding of language, and not everyone is capable of that. I'm also aware that different cultures have different values regarding communication and language, but I feel that just extends my argument a little in that cultures place value in different areas regarding all of the senses, as we've written many blog posts about. Lastly, people are capable of impairing all of their senses, such as by being deaf, being blind, having anosmia, having ageusia (not being able to taste), or having hypoesthesia (not being able to feel). This same way, people can also be mute, meaning that they have an inability to speak... or use language. Think about it.
I think your take of the 6th sense is really interesting. I've always thought that people can understand other's body language and emotions, but I thought that was just because they can be sensitive towards people, like therapists. However, business leaders are not known for being sensitive, but as people with smart/leader/in charge characteristics. I think it would be interesting if there was a test to see the difference of your version of the 6th sense between therapists/business leaders to people who don't have to take social cues like dentists/mail carriers.
ReplyDeleteYes, very thoughtful interpretation of language capacity as a 6th sense. And Maura, I think everyone has to take social cues as long as they live in societies, though of course some people neurologically can't, or do it differently (e.g., people with Asperger's syndrome). On the other hand, I think there are people who choose not to, let's say some business leaders or certain presidents, because they believe their superior social status exempts them from it.
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