Do You Know What I Mean? (2)

In my first article in this series (The Way of Kinship: Origin Story), I shared my fascination with the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) and my desire to express the wisdom I found there. In this article, I will explore essential aspects of communication and language when studying documents from another culture. In addition, these aspects of communication are valuable in understanding many features of our culture.

Have you ever wondered how computers communicate?

Computers, at their most fundamental level, understand only two values: 1 and 0. This binary language, composed of only these two digits, forms the backbone of all digital systems and operations. So, how do computers use these seemingly simple numbers to convey complex data, instructions, and information? The sequence of 1s and 0s conform to a pattern, and it is this pattern that allows the 1s and 0s to carry meaning beyond the digits themselves. 

The first part of the pattern is to chunk up a series into predictable lengths, for example, chunks of 8 digits. A series of 8 digits of 1s and 0s gives you 256 unique variations, and each of these variations can stand for something else, like a letter in the alphabet. If we know the pattern, we can translate this seemingly random binary series "010010100110100101101101" into something meaningful. First, we break it up into 8-digit chunks: [01001010] [01101001] [01101101], and then we can look up what each of these 8-digit patterns refers to. In this case 01001010 = "J" 01101001 = "i" and 01101101 = "m". Put it all together, and we have "Jim". Our example binary series transforms from a seemingly random string of 1s and 0s into a person's name because we know the pattern. Patterns provide meaning by associating one thing with another.

If two or more computers are to communicate, they must both adhere to the same pattern. An operating system for a computer is a set of rules for following an agreed-upon pattern. Before initiating communication, computers often undergo a process akin to a "secret handshake." The secret handshake is a series of initial exchanges of binary strings verifying that both machines understand the same pattern and can safely transfer data. 

This explanation is a very high-level description of what happens in a computer. For the average computer user, all these intricate processes are virtually invisible. When we click on a link, send an email, or watch a video, numerous binary exchanges happen behind the scenes, facilitating seamless communication between different systems. Given how efficiently and quickly these tasks are executed, it's easy to overlook the marvel of technology. But every action is underpinned by a sophisticated dance of 1s and 0s in patterns and digital handshakes that enable our digital world.

This basic understanding of how patterns allow for meaning in computer binary code will help us recognize how patterns are necessary in human language. Just as a random series of 1s and 0s does not contain any inherent meaning in itself, the sounds and scribbles of human language do not hold any meaning inherent in themselves either. Only when we apply an agreed-upon pattern to human language do the sounds and scribbles transform into meaning. For example, the word "dog" is a series of scribbles that, in this pattern, refer to an animal we might have as a pet. The critical point here is that "dog" only refers to an animal because we (an English-speaking group) have agreed that it does. English is the pattern. Other languages are different patterns. 

Culture

Language is a subset of a larger pattern we call culture. A culture contains patterns for dress, music, food, and countless other aspects of human experience. All of these outward appearances that we manifest when we are part of a particular culture telegraph the patterns we use; this is the secret handshake that helps us identify that another person is using the same pattern to make meaning out of our language and behavior.

I like to use the example of how we hold a fork when talking about this topic. As a child, it was instilled into me that gripping a fork like a pencil is the only acceptable way to hold a fork. But why does it matter which way you handle it? Isn't the point to get the food into your mouth? How we hold a fork is just one of a myriad of things we acquire as children in a particular culture. Enculturation is how we become part of the culture and is a source of identity. We are the people who hold our forks like this. And when we see someone holding their fork this way, we know they are one of us. But seeing someone doing things differently, like how they hold their fork, can create unease because we don't know what else they don't know.

Groups within a culture can form subcultures and intentionally modify aspects of the larger culture to create identity. An example is the transformation of words' meaning, like taking "crib" from meaning a place to lay a child to meaning "my house." Changing the standard meaning or behavior from the larger culture creates a new secret handshake for a new sub-identity. We may all speak English, but my group uses it this way; if you need help understanding this new meaning, you must not be part of my group. 

Specialized training can also result in new words in the form of jargon. Understanding and using technical jargon identifies one as part of that specialized group.

Meaning

"Do you know what I mean?" is a phrase I have frequently used, and perhaps you have too. As I have been developing this topic, it should be clear that meaning is more complex than one might have thought. Arriving at the meaning of a text is further complicated when it is from a different culture and separated by more than two thousand years, which is the case when reading the Daodejing. Before this series of articles can continue exploring the meaning of the Daodejing, this article needs to explore some additional language features.

Another way we can talk about the patterns of culture is context. When considering a written text, the context will include cultural norms, history, and sub-cultural groups, to name a few. To arrive at the meaning of a particular word within a text, one must consider the sentence it is used in, the chapter or book it is found in, and, ultimately, the culture/sub-culture that produced it. 

For example, if I say the words "fat" and "slim," these appear to be opposites. But if I were to say "fat chance" and "slim chance," now they mean the same thing. What this shows us is that words are ambiguous. In English, the word "bug" has several meanings: an insect, a vehicle, annoying someone, or a hidden listening device. We have a limited amount of sounds we can make, so words have to do double duty. Again, the context of a word allows us to determine which meaning is intended for that specific instance. Ambiguity is a crucial language trait we need to be aware of.

The next trait of language is perhaps the most important for our discussion: all language is selective. You cannot say everything about anything. For example, say I want to tell you about my ride to work. Do I need to tell you what model and type of car I drive? Do I need to explain what roads are or the laws about driving on them? Should I tell you about every car I pass on the way, business, or house? There is no end to the possibilities I could share about my ride to work. If I tried to say everything, you would fall asleep, and I would never reach the next point. I must be selective in what words I choose and what I choose to leave out. We leave out what we can safely assume others will know already. There are big gaping holes in our communication. Language depends on the recipient of our messages to fill in the gaps with the correct information. The gap-filling information comes from our shared experience and culture. Selectivity is why there is only literacy with cultural literacy. The necessity for cultural literacy and historical context is why cross-cultural communication is so difficult. 

Here are some partial phrases; what additional information comes to mind when you read these?

• "Once upon a time..."

• "All rise..."

• Or how do you answer this question: "What do M&Ms do?"

Opening a sentence with "Once upon a time" triggers several things in our minds. It sets the fairy tale genre, which means what follows is not to be taken literally, and I can expect the customary laws of nature to be more flexible. When we hear the phrase, "All rise," this brings to mind the image of a judge entering a courtroom, the sound of rustling as those in attendance rise, and the suspense of learning about the court case. And did you know the answer to the question, what do M&Ms do? If you are old enough, you will remember a commercial that said, "M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hands."

Understanding written communication requires using the context the author assumes to fill the gaps correctly. Selectivity is a problem inherent in all languages. Filling in the gaps in your native context happens without conscious effort or thought. The challenge of cross-cultural communication stems from the problem of having different culturally shared information than the author's. If we read a text translated into our language, we naively and unconsciously fill in the gaps from our shared cultural context, which leads to misunderstandings of which we are often unaware.

People share more information within their cultures than Americans in other parts of the world. America is a melting pot of cultures, each with its shared information. This situation creates what is known as a low-context culture. In a low-context culture, communication needs to be more explicit as there is much less shared information between the author and reader. When living in a low-context culture, a person expects written communication to have more information required to understand the communicated ideas. However, when talking about a text from a high-context culture, the gaps in the text will be even more significant than in typical American communication. An American reader will assume that the authors write like American authors in that all the relevant information needed to understand the text is in the text — but this is not the case.

Context is necessary for any meaning. Either you are aware of the context informing the author's intention, or you are manufacturing a context from your own experience that never existed for the author. The wrong context will profoundly impact the meaning of a text.

Reading the Daodejing

The Daodejing is exceptional in its gaps. The style of writing is extremely minimalistic and poetic. Within the text of the Daodejing, there is no mention of any historical people or places and almost no dogma. One could argue that this state of the text is an example of a non-coercive mode of communication, leaving the student to arrive at their own conclusions. While there is some truth to that, it is not the whole story.

Consider the following quote from the conclusion of the Daodejing:

"True words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not true. Good men do not argue; those who argue are not good."

It is OK to ponder these words and develop an interpretation that makes sense to you. But your interpretation might be different from what the author intended. It all comes down to what is your goal in reading the Daodejing. Do you want your personal interpretation or to try and understand what the author intended? Undoubtedly, I am also guilty of importing some of my context into my reading of the Daodejing. Still, I strive to be aware of when I do, and I seek to understand the context the author would have been working with as much as possible. For example, in the above quote, "words," "beautiful," and "good" are terms that have special meanings in the Daodejing that are not part of the usual way we think about those terms. If we want to know what the author meant, we need to work on filling in the gaps with the relevant context.

In the following article, I will provide some historical context needed to interpret the Daodejing.