Nonverbal Communication
"There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all."
Unknown author
Unknown author
In a personal narrative “Apna Soaring Taluq,” Shaaz Gillani describes his relationship between his grandfather and himself. He relays that even though there was a language barrier-Shaaz’s grandfather speaks fluent Urdu and he does not- their relationship was not impeded, and in fact was strengthened by the language disparity. Shaaz made an effort to learn and strengthen his Urdu so he could speak with his grandfather properly, however, the majority of Shaaz’s and his grandfather’s communication consisted of symbols, such as the eagle associated with the American dream, and actions. Instead of verbal dialogue their relationship involved “days…spent outside,” and “days…spent playing chess.” (Gillani1) Gillani’s narrative raises questions concerning the different aspects of communication and how such communication strengthens relationships. Gillani challenges Bronwyn T. Williams’ theory on student identities in literacy narratives. Williams describes his theory in his article, Heroes, rebels, and victims: Student identities in literacy narrative, in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Williams argues that students take on one of several identities in their personal narratives, such as the hero, the outcast, or the helpless victim. Williams’ describes a narrative called the “rise-to-success” narrative where the writer paints himself as the hero of his personal narrative. (Williams 343) In the beginning of Gillani’s narrative it seems as though he will transcend into Williams’ “hero” identity, however, he does not. Gillani also challenges points made by Suresh Canagarajah in his book Translingual Practice. Canagarajah makes it apparent that “communication transcends individual languages,” and “transcends words and involves diverse semiotic resources and ecological affordances.” (Canagarajah 6) Canagarajah emphasizes the use of words, symbols, icons, and images as an embodiment of communication. Gillani exemplifies this by speaking of the symbolism associated with an eagle, however, he emphasizes more so the time he spent with his grandfather and how their actions together embodied their communication and created their relationship. By defying Williams’ typical hero identity Gillani is able to exemplify Canagarajah’s definition of communication, but also define aspects of communication, such as actions, that Canagarajah fails to discuss in detail.
In Williams’ article he describes the positive effects of writing personal narratives and the various identities students use when writing. He and other researchers were able to find recurring identities that children chose and determined the reasoning behind choosing said identities. Students who chose to write as the outcast or victim were once the victim of insensitive teaching. Conversely those of wrote themselves as the hero of their narrative are “students who consider themselves to be successful writers.” (Williams 343) In the beginning of Gillani’s narrative he makes it seem as though he will conquer the language barrier that he and his grandfather have in order to further their relationship. Had he done this he would have been classified as one of Williams’ “rise-to-success” narratives. In doing so Gillani would have portrayed all of the typical hero attributes including: perseverance, self –reliance, and self-confidence. Resulting in a triumph of overcoming an obstacle, in his case the language barrier between him and his grandfather. Instead Gillani opposes Williams’ hero personal narrative and comes to a realization. A realization that the communication between him and his grandfather does not have to consist of words at all. Rather it should consist of actions, symbols, thoughts, and ideas. For Gillani this means more to him and his grandfather’s relationship than words could ever express. He states, “My relationship with my grandfather is stronger that it has ever been, not because I am now fluent in Urdu, but because of all the experiences we shared.” (Gillani 1) Had Gillani not defied William’s hero narrative, he would not come to the conclusion that actions are an integral part of communication.
Canagarajah defines transligualism as containing two key concepts. The first being that “communication transcends individual languages.” (Canagarajah 6) The second being that “communication transcends words and involves diverse semiotic resources and ecological affordances.” (Canagarajah 6) As reflected in Gillani’s narrative, languages are constantly in contact with each other and consequently influence each other. Gillani’s grandfather speaks predominantly Urdu, therefore Gillani must find ways to communicate with him as he is not fluent in Urdu. In his narrative he uses his smart phone to google the translation of the word, eagle, from English to Urdu. He then proceeds to ask his grandfather if he had seen the uqaab through the window. Gillani’s grandfather responds by saying, “From where I am lived, we call the animal eagle.” (Gillani 1) Gillani doesn’t discuss where his grandfather is from, but it’s safe to conclude that his grandfather associated the English word, eagle, with the symbolism of America and the American dream associated with it. This reflects Canagarajah’s point that “Languages are always in contact with and mutually influence each other.” (Canagarajah 6) Gillani’s grandfather chose to say the English word for eagle for a reason. To him it may be that an eagle does not have the same connotation in Urdu as it does in English. As Gillani states the English word for eagle “is the very embodiment of everything America stands for: its infinite possibilities, its broad racial diversity, and its limitless freedom.” (Gillani 1) This shows that Gillani and his grandfather are linked by their transliguilism, however, that does not encompass the full form of communication the two utilize.
One aspect of communication that Gillani expands upon and Canagarajah does not is that of actions. Canagarajah focuses on the interconnection of words and how they affect translingualism and communication. Gillani makes a valid point in his narrative that the communication between him and his grandfather would not have been possible without physical actions, void of spoken communication, and time. He states that his relationship and communication with his grandfather consisted of “…days we walked around the neighborhood waving at every person that passed by because “acha lagta hein (it feels good),” and “…days we spent outside trying to quench the thirst of the plentiful flowers in our backyard garden.” (Gillani 1) Actions say more than words can and can speak across multiple languages and cultures. A smile in America means that same as it does in Korea. Some actions are universal and should be considered just as conversational as the meshed languages that Canagarajah discusses. He references the Sri Lankan hip hop artist M.I.A.’s recording of Galang. The rap tells its audience to “face oppressive conditions with ease.” (Canagarajah 3) According to Canagarajah “the linguistic hybridity of the performance draws from the artist’s own sociocultural in-betweenness.” (Canagarajah 3) He discusses the visual use of the symbol of the resistance group Tamil Tigers and palmyrah trees in the music video, however, he fails to mention the actions the group performed in the video. Such actions could have given insight into group slang and the struggle they face. Canagarajah also discusses a conversation he had with a family whose child did not develop full competency in the family’s heritage language. He focuses solely on how the child incorporates her receptive competence in Tamil and her English ability to participate in the conversation between her Tamil speaking parents. Gillani would have expressed how the mother was positioned next to her daughter, how the daughter might be turned away from the mother reflecting her anger with her mother. Such actions would communicate just as much about the two and their conversation as the words they spoke. Revisiting Canagarajah’s second aspect of translingualism, that “communication transcends words and involves diverse semiotic resources and ecological affordances.” (Canagarajah 6) Actions in a sense fall under this category whether or not Canagarajah directly states it. Gillani recognizes this and uses to establish a relationship with his grandfather. Even though there is incentive to establish a relationship in the case of Gillani and his grandfather, as they are family and have shared values and commitment towards one another, the concept applies to all.
Throughout Canagarajah’s work he often counters the ideas and theories of other scholars. He contradicts himself in that he states his focus is on language in a social context, unlike the other authors he cites who are solely concerned with “translingual practice as a solitary mental activity.” (Canagarajah 10) However, Canagarajah himself fails to provide significant attention to actions, a legitimate form of communication, in social contexts. Had Canagarajah focused on actions and language in a social context he would have encompassed the full definition of translingualism.
By using Williams’ article to understand the form of Gillani’s narrative, and analyzing it in connection with Canagarajah, we can expand our definition of communication. Canagarajah contributes copious amounts of information regarding translingual practices, however, his data is limited to verbal and written communication in social contexts. Cultures use action and language simultaneously to interact and communicate. If we were to expand our definition of communication to include actions we would further be able to understand translingual life and the intermixing of cultures.
Works Cited
Canagarajah, S. (2013). Translingual Practice: Global Englishes and Cosmopolitan Relations. New York: Routledge. 2-15. Print
Williams, B. T. (2003). Heroes, rebels, and victims: Student identities in literacy narratives. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 342-345. Print
Gillani, S. (2013, September 19). Apna Soaring Taluq. Retrieved September 27, 2013, from English 101: Living Multilingualism: http://shaazgillani.weebly.com/apna-soaring-taluq.html