Marie89, 1/22

I found the activity that we did in class last week very interesting. The idea that the context of a word or phrase can continuously change the meaning of it and make people consider new ideas is fascinating. Some contexts provoke a variety of responses while others limit our ideas, creating a more general understanding of the word or phrase being used. It is interesting that our brains are programmed to think in a certain way, as that is how we have been trained within our society. This activity also made me think of another activity that I was asked to partake in during junior high. Our class was given a list of colors, but instead of being written in the color listed, they were written in a different color. We were then supposed to say the color of the word, rather than read the word. It was a very difficult task, and I had a lot more trouble with it than I ever would have imagined. After learning how to read, it is impossible to see a word and not read it. I suppose this is why advertising works. We are programmed to read the word rather than see the text, making it so that certain messages inevitably get across to the reader. I also found it interesting, however, that not every culture would consider blue to be blue. It is a facet of our culture—what we have grown up to realize as truth when in reality, it could easily be classified as something completely different to another set of people. It is fascinating that cultures are different yet connected as conflict rarely emerges within languages. After the activity in class, I also thought of an email that I once received where the middle letters of words were missing. Tmesis again proves true as I was able to read the text with clarity and full understanding, filling in the gaps as I went. This is due to the fact that I have been programmed to rewrite and fill in gaps. Language is an interesting concept that we have been programmed to know yet ignore. It has become a way of life to the extent that we do not consider it or realize the complexity of its functionality.