Universal Language
 

Crying.
Babies do it all the time, right from the get go.
Is it a learned behaviour?
Can babies understand each other.
How does crying differ in other races\cultures?
Thoughts?

Re: Universal Language
 

You know this actually is a great question. I've really never thought about it in depth.

"Is it a learned behaviour? "

I dont think it can be considered "learned" because its generally the first thing that happens when a baby comes into the world, perhaps "instinct?" Perhaps babies are able to learn that crying will attract attention?

"Can babies understand each other."

Perhaps, the first thing that comes to mind is animals, do dogs understand each others "Barks?" I would tend to say even though animals probably understand each other, babies in my opinion do not have the initial capabilites to comprehend such a concept.

"How does crying differ in other races\cultures?"

I honestly dont have a response :O

Interesting topic though, would enjoy to hear others opinion on the matter..

TB

Smiling is pretty universal too. Everyone smiles.

Perhaps this can be linked to our ancestors. Anthropologically, each of these may be a certain signal. For example, showing teeth while smiling may indicate a sense of "everythings good".

It's instinct. We've got 4 billion+ years of memory to draw upon, and things like these are ingrained.

Both facial expressions and language have been ingrained into our genes. Regardless of upbringing, all people (without serious handicaps) can recognize body language, especially facial expressions, and understand their meanings. There is even research that indicates dogs have been domesticated to the point that they also understand a wide range of human facial expressions. They handily beat out chimps when it comes to guessing what we're feeling.

Where language is concerned, we certainly don't know words instinctively, but we do know instinctively how language works in general. In some cases, when twins are young they will develop their own means of communicating. These "languages" follow similar rules to language in general. And, languages across the world all follow the same sort of structural rules.


And one more thing: I thought the universal language was Esperanto!

Body language and most actions and movements are universal.
I have to admit that some movements are learned but the majority seem to be natural.

people who do not instinctively smile or cry have a hard time attracting the opposite sex.

Is it a learned behaviour?

Initially, crying is an act of necessity. Infants have no other means of expressing what they need (food, dry diaper, nap, attention, medical care). A mother learns to recognize her child's intonation. Eventually, a child learns that crying will bring whatever it wants from an indulgent parent. At which point, crying as manipulation is a learned behaviour. The child must then be taught the appropriate function of tears.

Can babies understand each other?

Probably. Just like we understand people in our own age group a little better than others do, I believe that the closer individuals are in age, the more they understande each other.

How does crying differ in other races\cultures?
I'm not sure crying itself differs, other than in its manipulative uses. It is up to the parents to teach their children about life, including when crying is healthy and / or good. (I don't believe children should use tears or any sort of tantrum to manipulate others. I believe that it is a parent's responsibility to make sure the child knows the difference between manipulation and genuine emotion or pain.)