What are the fundamental purposes of language?
语言的基本目的是什么？
I think language is one of the most important tools that human beings use to communicate with each other. In this regard, language acts as a foundation upon which people in society can easily pass messages between other, thus making it easier to engage and live with each other with ease. For instance, if a person is new in a particular geographical region, he or she will rely on language to ask for help on aspects such as directions. In addition to this, I think another purpose of language is to communicate one’s feelings and thoughts. For example, to express anger, a person may use words such as angry, outraged, mad and furious among others as a way to express how they are feeling.
我认为语言是人类用来相互交流的最重要的工具之一。在这方面，语言作为一个基础，社会上的人们可以很容易地在他人之间传递信息，从而使他们更容易彼此接触和生活。例如，如果一个人是某个特定地理区域的新手，他或她将依靠语言在方向等方面寻求帮助。除此之外，我认为语言的另一个目的是表达一个人的感受和想法。例如，为了表达愤怒，一个人可能会使用诸如愤怒、愤怒、疯狂和愤怒等词语来表达他们的感受。
Apart from acting as a basic foundation for communication, I think another critical purpose of language is for cognitive purposes. In this case, language is used to influence the mental aspect of the audience, does evoking some kind of response. For instance, language could be used to entertain, persuade or evoke some kind of emotions such as sympathy or anger. For instance, whereas comedians use language to entertain, politicians use it to persuade their followers. In this case, through evoking a certain kind of emotions, the person using the language is able to achieve a specific purpose.
除了作为交流的基本基础之外，我认为语言的另一个重要目的是出于认知目的。在这种情况下，语言被用来影响观众的心理方面，确实会引起某种反应。例如，语言可以用来娱乐、劝说或唤起某种情感，如同情或愤怒。例如，喜剧演员用语言来娱乐，政客用语言来说服追随者。在这种情况下，通过唤起某种情感，使用语言的人能够达到特定的目的。
Week 6 Journal Entry 第6周日记账分录
What aspects of a culture do you think are essential to know about?
你认为了解一种文化的哪些方面是必要的？
One of the critical aspects of culture that I think is essential to know about is the norms and beliefs. In this case, I think it is essential to for one to understand the expectations and standards of a particular culture for one to easily integrate into it. Importantly, these norms may be formal, which include aspects such as criminal codes and traffic laws among others, or informal, which include aspect such as table manners, dressing code and every day behaviors such as how one interacts with other when he or she share an elevator. Apart from norms, another essential aspect of culture that one needs to know about is the values of a particular culture in which one finds him/herself in. For instance, in the United States, its cultural values focuses on protecting the rights of the individual and as such, its values promote individualism, while in Asian countries such as China, their values protect the values of the entire family or community and as such, its values promote collectivism. Understanding these values will help one understand how to behave towards others in different cultures. In addition to these, it is critical for one to understand the artifacts and symbols of a particular culture. Knowing these elements will help one avoid being offensive to other cultures.
我认为文化的一个重要方面是必须了解规范和信仰。在这种情况下，我认为有必要让一个人了解特定文化的期望和标准，以便轻松融入其中。重要的是，这些规范可能是正式的，其中包括刑法和交通法等方面，也可能是非正式的，其中包括餐桌礼仪、着装规范和日常行为等方面，例如一个人在共用电梯时如何与另一个人互动。除了规范之外，人们需要了解的文化的另一个重要方面是人们所处的特定文化的价值观。例如，在美国，其文化价值观侧重于保护个人权利，因此，其价值观提倡个人主义；而在中国等亚洲，其价值观保护整个家庭或社区的价值观，因此，其价值观提倡集体主义。理解这些价值观将有助于理解在不同文化中如何对待他人。除此之外，了解特定文化的人工制品和符号也是至关重要的。了解这些因素将有助于避免冒犯其他文化。
Week 7 Journal Entry 第7周日记账分录
What are some of the key characteristics of nonverbal communication and why is it important for effective communication?
非语言沟通的一些关键特征是什么？为什么它对有效沟通很重要？
I think one of the key characteristics of nonverbal communication is the fact that it is present in almost every interpersonal communication. In this regard, when two or more people are engaged in a conversation, it is almost impossible to miss nonverbal communication in such a setup. Another characteristic of this form of communication is the fact that it communicates more as compared to verbal communication. In most cases, nonverbal communication conveys a stronger message as compared to verbal communication. For instance, if two people are communicating, whereas one may say “Yes” to portray the fact that he or she agrees with the other, his or her nonverbal communication such as facial expression may indicate that he or she is uncomfortable and does not really agree with the other. Speaking from this point of view, it is important to observe that in any communication setup, people tend to believe nonverbal communication over verbal communication. In addition to this, another characteristic of nonverbal communication is embedded in the fact that it is the main means to communicate feelings and emotions. Importantly, nonverbal communication is important and necessary for effective communication since it either reinforces or contradicts what is being said to portray whether a person is honest or not. In addition, it also complements or substitute words, thus making it easier to communicate what a person feels or thinks concerning a particular issue.
我认为非言语交际的一个关键特征是，它几乎存在于每一种人际交往中。在这方面，当两个或两个以上的人在交谈时，在这种情况下，几乎不可能错过非语言交流。这种交流方式的另一个特点是，与口头交流相比，它的交流更多。在大多数情况下，非言语交际比言语交际传达的信息更强。例如，如果两个人在交流，而一个人可能会说“是”来描述他或她同意另一个人的事实，他或她的非语言交流，如面部表情，可能表明他或她不舒服，并不真正同意另一个人。从这个角度讲，重要的是要观察到，在任何沟通模式中，人们倾向于相信非言语沟通而非言语沟通。除此之外，非言语交际的另一个特点是它是交流感情和情绪的主要手段。重要的是，非语言沟通对于有效沟通来说是重要和必要的，因为它要么强化了，要么与所说的描述一个人是否诚实的内容相矛盾。此外，它还可以补充或替代词语，从而更容易地传达一个人对特定问题的感受或想法。
Week 8 Journal Entry 第8周日记账分录
How important is time to you? Is it something to be spent, wasted or given? Is it central to your day or life? Or is in the background, taking a backseat to interpersonal relationships?
时间对你有多重要？它是值得花费、浪费还是给予的？它是你或一生的中心吗？还是在后台，在人际关系上退居次要地位？
From a personal point of view, time is a critical resource to me. To begin with, I always think that my life is measured in terms of time in the sense that if I am to live 10 years, then it means that the time I lived on the face of this earth is 10 years. Therefore, I perceive time as something that should never be wasted since doing so is wasting one’s life. In addition to this, when engaged in interpersonal relationships, I think that spending time with a person implies that I would have spent a portion of my life with him or her. For instance, if I am to live 50 years and spend one hour with a relative, then I will say out of the 50 years of my life, one hour was shared with a relative. With this in mind, time is central to my days and my life. This is particular the case for the present time. While the time that has already gone by is instrumental in helping me learn the critical lessons in life from the experiences I have already gone through, the present time is more important since it gives me the opportunity to implement the lessons learned from my time that has already gone by, as well as plan well on how to use my future time.
从个人角度来看，时间对我来说是一种至关重要的资源。首先，我总是认为我的生命是用时间来衡量的，如果我要活10年，那就意味着我在地球上的生存时间是10年。因此，我认为时间是不应该浪费的，因为这样做是在浪费生命。除此之外，在人际关系中，我认为与一个人共度时光意味着我会与他或她共度一生的一部分。例如，如果我要活50年，和一个亲戚共度一个小时，那么我会说，在我50年的生命中，有一个小时是和一个亲戚共度的。记住这一点，时间对我的日子和生活至关重要。目前的情况尤其如此。虽然已经过去的时间有助于帮助我从已经经历的经历中吸取人生中的重要教训，但现在的时间更为重要，因为它让我有机会实施从已经过去的时间中吸取的教训，并计划好如何利用未来的时间。