Universal Sounds: Cross Cultural Communication | Teny Avakian | TEDxYSMU

Summary

The speaker explores cultural differences and similarities through the lens of the Bow Wow Theory, which suggests that languages evolved from mimicking animal sounds, leading to diverse interpretations. A personal anecdote about a misunderstanding in a store highlights how fear of the unknown can arise from linguistic differences. The speaker proposes a hypothetical scenario where universal sounds for emotions and questions could foster greater tolerance and understanding among cultures, potentially leading to more harmonious global communication.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The speaker has experienced various cultures and noticed both similarities and differences among them.
• 🐶 The Bow Wow theory suggests that languages might have originated from mimicking animal sounds, leading to different languages due to varied interpretations of these sounds.
• 🇨🇳 Different cultures mimic the same animal sounds differently, such as 'Wang Wang' in China and 'Huff Huff' in Armenia for a dog's bark.
• 💧 The theory extends to other sounds, not just from animals, but also from nature and human expressions, which can be perceived and mimicked differently across cultures.
• 👨‍👦 An amusing personal anecdote illustrates a communication breakdown between the speaker's father and a cashier due to cultural differences in sound interpretation.
• 😨 The story highlights how unfamiliar sounds can cause fear and misunderstanding, as they are unexpected and unknown to the listener.
• 🗣 The speaker differentiates between languages and sounds, emphasizing that while languages are diverse, the underlying sounds we hear are universal.
• 🌱 A hypothetical scenario is presented where universal sounds for emotions and actions are taught globally, potentially fostering greater tolerance and understanding.
• 🔗 The idea of a universal sound system could lead to improved cross-cultural communication and reduce fear of the unknown by creating a common auditory understanding.
• 👴 If the universal sound concept were adopted, the speaker's father might be met with tolerance instead of fear in his future interactions.
• 👏 The speech concludes with a call for a more tolerant and understanding global society through the shared understanding of universal sounds.

Q & A

What is the Bow Wow theory mentioned in the script?

The Bow Wow theory suggests that languages are derived from people mimicking animal sounds, and because different people hear these sounds differently, this has led to the development of various languages.

How do different cultures mimic the sound of a dog barking according to the script?

In the script, it is mentioned that in China, people mimic a dog's bark as 'Wang Wang', in Armenia as 'Huff Huff', and in Italy as 'Bao Bao', highlighting the cultural variations in sound mimicry.

What is the significance of the story about the speaker's father and the cashier of Asian origins?

The story illustrates the communication barrier and the fear of the unknown that can arise from cultural and linguistic differences, as the father's response 'huh' was misunderstood by the cashier.

Why did the cashier react with fear when the speaker's father responded with 'huh'?

The cashier reacted with fear because the sound 'huh' was unknown and unexpected to her, causing her to perceive the interaction as strange and potentially threatening.

What is the main idea the speaker is proposing regarding universal sounds for emotions and feelings?

The speaker is proposing the idea of agreeing on universal sounds for emotions and feelings, which could potentially lead to greater tolerance and understanding among people from different cultures.

How does the speaker suggest we could improve cross-cultural communication?

The speaker suggests that if everyone taught their children the same sounds for certain emotions or situations, it could lead to a more tolerant and understanding generation that communicates better across cultures.

What is the potential outcome if parents worldwide taught their children the same sounds for specific emotions?

The potential outcome is a new generation of people who are more tolerant and understanding towards each other, especially towards other cultures, and possibly being able to communicate using these universal sounds.

How does the speaker's father's interaction in the store differ from what it could be if universal sounds were adopted?

If universal sounds were adopted, the father's response with 'huh' would likely be met with tolerance, sympathy, and understanding instead of fear and rejection.

What is the speaker's opinion on the diversity of languages?

The speaker acknowledges that languages can be very diverse and unique, but emphasizes that despite this diversity, all humans hear the same basic sounds.

What is the role of fear in the interaction between the speaker's father and the cashier?

Fear plays a role in the interaction by causing the cashier to react negatively to the unfamiliar sound made by the speaker's father, highlighting the human tendency to fear the unknown and unexpected.

What does the speaker mean by 'sounds that my dad was making in response to her questions were very unknown to her'?

The speaker is referring to the cultural and linguistic misunderstanding where the father's response, which was intended to be a question or confusion, was perceived as strange and frightening due to the lack of shared understanding of the sound 'huh'.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Cultural Interpretation of Sounds

The speaker discusses their fascination with cultural differences and similarities, particularly focusing on the Bow Wow theory which suggests that languages originated from mimicking animal sounds. They illustrate the theory with examples of how different cultures interpret the same sound differently, such as the sound a dog makes. The speaker recounts a personal anecdote involving a language barrier with a cashier of Asian origin, highlighting the fear and misunderstanding that can arise from such differences. The story serves to emphasize the need for tolerance and understanding across cultures.

05:06

🔊 Universal Sounds for Communication

Building on the previous discussion, the speaker proposes the idea of adopting universal sounds for emotions and feelings, including animal sounds, as a means to foster greater tolerance and understanding globally. They speculate on the potential impact of such a practice, suggesting that it could lead to a more harmonious and communicative society. The speaker imagines a future scenario where their father, using a universal sound, is met with tolerance and understanding rather than fear and rejection, indicating a shift in societal attitudes towards cultural differences.

Keywords

💡Bow Wow Theory

The Bow Wow Theory is a hypothetical concept that suggests languages may have originated from the imitation of animal sounds by humans. In the video, this theory is used to illustrate the diversity of languages and how they can be influenced by the way people perceive and mimic sounds in their environment. The speaker uses this theory to explore the idea of universal sounds that could potentially bridge cultural gaps.

💡Cultural Interpretation

Cultural interpretation refers to the way different cultures understand and give meaning to the same phenomenon. In the context of the video, it highlights how the same animal sound, like a dog barking, can be interpreted and mimicked differently across various cultures, leading to the development of distinct languages.

💡Mimicry

Mimicry, in the video, is the act of imitating sounds, particularly those made by animals, which is suggested as a possible origin of language diversity. The speaker uses the example of different cultures mimicking a dog's bark with different sounds, such as 'Wang Wang' in China and 'Huff Huff' in Armenia, to demonstrate the concept of mimicry in language development.

💡Diversity

Diversity in the video refers to the variety and differences among languages and cultures. It is a central theme that the speaker uses to discuss how different cultures can perceive and express the same concepts in unique ways, such as the different onomatopoeic words for a dog's bark in various languages.

💡Communication Barriers

Communication barriers are the difficulties that arise when people from different linguistic or cultural backgrounds try to understand each other. The video uses the personal anecdote of the speaker's father and the cashier to illustrate how misunderstandings can occur due to differences in language and sound interpretation, leading to fear and rejection.

💡Fear of the Unknown

The fear of the unknown is the apprehension or aversion people feel towards things that are unfamiliar or unexpected. In the video, this concept is exemplified by the cashier's reaction to the unfamiliar sounds made by the speaker's father, which she perceives as strange and potentially threatening.

💡Cultural Tolerance

Cultural tolerance is the acceptance and respect for cultural differences. The speaker suggests that if universal sounds for emotions and actions were adopted globally, it could lead to a more tolerant and understanding generation, reducing fear and promoting communication across cultures.

💡Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in which a word is formed to imitate or suggest the sound it represents, such as 'woof' for a dog's bark. The video discusses onomatopoeic words as examples of how different cultures can have different words for the same sound, contributing to language diversity.

💡Universal Sounds

Universal sounds, as proposed in the video, are common sound representations for specific actions or emotions that could be understood across cultures. The speaker hypothesizes that if such universal sounds were taught globally, it might facilitate better communication and understanding among people of different cultures.

💡Personal Anecdote

A personal anecdote is a short story from an individual's life that is used to illustrate a point or evoke emotion. In the video, the speaker shares a personal story about a misunderstanding between his father and a cashier due to different interpretations of sound, which serves to highlight the importance of understanding cultural and linguistic differences.

💡Cultural Misunderstanding

Cultural misunderstanding occurs when there is a lack of comprehension or incorrect interpretation of cultural cues or behaviors. The video uses the term to describe the situation where the speaker's father's response to the cashier's question was perceived as strange due to cultural differences in sound interpretation.

Highlights

The speaker's fascination with cultural similarities and differences.

Introduction to the Bow Wow theory of language origins.

Cultural variations in mimicking a dog's bark.

The impact of sound perception on language diversity.

Anecdote about a cultural misunderstanding in a store.

The fear of the unknown and unexpected in communication.

The distinction between languages and universal sounds.

The concept of teaching universal sounds for emotions and questions.

The potential for increased tolerance and understanding through universal sounds.

A hypothetical scenario of a father using a universal sound in the future.

The applause indicating audience engagement and approval.

The importance of communication in bridging cultural gaps.

The role of personal experiences in shaping perspectives on language and culture.

The potential for a unified approach to sound mimicking to enhance global communication.

The exploration of the psychological impact of sound on human interaction.

The idea that a shared sound system could lead to a more tolerant generation.

The transformative power of sound in cultural and linguistic understanding.

Transcripts

[Applause]

having traveled a lot in my life I've

had the great opportunity to come across

many different cultures and it always

fascinated me how similar we could be

but at the same time so different but

what fascinated me even more was how

such cultures how cultures could

interpret the same thing but differently

for example I started looking into this

phenomenon and I came across the Bow Wow

theory so what is the Bow Wow theory

this theory says that languages are

derived from people mimicking animal

sounds and because people hear animal

sounds differently therefore we have

different languages we hear the same

sounds though when a dog barks in

Armenia in China Brazil Italy the US

where we're all hearing the same dog

barking and it pretty much sounds like

something roof right but in China when

they want to mimic the sound of a dog

barking

they say Wang Wang in Armenia we say

Huff Huff us woof woof

Italy Bao Bao

[Music]

and it's not only animal sounds it could

be a river it could be running water it

could be a baby crying some parts of the

world the baby crying could be heard as

boohoo other places wham wow so I want

to tell you an interesting story that

happened with me when I was 10 11 years

old me and my father went to the store

to buy some office supplies now just to

give you some context

my father is Armenian from Iran so we go

to the store we walk around we get

everything that we need we make our way

out to the checkout and the cashier that

was standing there was a very nice lady

of Asian origins so as she's checking us

out she asks a question to my dad and to

that question my dad answers with a huh

now just this lady was startled at best

and distraught but she continued to

check us out and ask the question again

and this is where it gets better so my

dad this time around understood what she

was saying and replied with a so now

this lady thinks that were crazy and

wants nothing to do with us and I

remember her face like it was yesterday

I remember the emotion that was on her

face and it was fear why fear because we

humans people tend to fear the unknown

and unexpected and the sounds that my

dad was making in response to her

questions were very unknown to her and

clearly unexpected now I want to make a

distinguished I want to distinguish

between languages and sounds because

languages can be very diverse and can be

very unique but we all hear the same

sounds

so what if we can agree on universal

sounds for emotions feelings even

animals let's imagine if I wake up

tomorrow morning and teach my kids that

if they want to mimic the sound of a dog

they have to say Huff huff or if they're

in a situation where they're confused or

I want to ask a question they can say

huh

and what if every single parent in the

world did the same thing what if

everyone starting from tomorrow taught

their children the same sounds with this

lead to a generation to a new generation

of people that were now more tolerant

and understanding towards each other and

specifically towards other cultures

would this mean that we would be able to

communicate with other cultures using

sound now I'm thinking

my dad if we all agree to do this and if

my dad walks into a store ten years from

now and encounters the same situation

and he's asked a question and he replies

with his hood because he thinks that

means what would he then be met with

tolerance sympathy and understanding

versus fear and rejection thank you

[Applause]