Returning to sign language – The Hindu

The other day, at the bus station, I met a gentleman I knew through common friends. “Hello, how are you,” I asked. He looked at me half-interested and gave the thumbs-up sign. Foolish me didn’t stop at that. “Where are you going?” With a not so pleasing look, he pointed towards the north. Well, I could understand the direction, but why was he not talking?

I have been experiencing this behaviour from many for a while. Communication is leaning towards silence, and a coded language increasingly used. Talking less seems to be the norm these days, with communication conveniently becoming speechless. One is sometimes left to crack the code to understand the meaning.

A nod in its proper form can convey a yes or no, and a shiver can communicate cold, fever or irritation without speaking a word. A thumbs-up can be used for various occasions in a positive way, and thumbs-down can send the opposite message. Eyes wide can be used to show surprise, anger, and even displeasure. The language the body can convey are many, and figuring it is left to the other.

Communication on mobile phones are mostly through symbols without a word spoken. The most popular appears to be the smiley which conveys the emotion of joy with a single click. It saves time without the need to think of words to be framed and all is over with that.

The innumerable emojis now available can fit into any context if one knows their meanings. Some of my verbal communication gets replies with a symbol, which I fail to understand and leave it at that. I fail to fit into the present time when symbols and codes happen to be the order of the day. Familiar with only the smiley and thumbs-up, I sent a smiley to a friend when the occasion did not demand one. Later he asked me about it, and I confessed that it was not a full smile but in half-grief.

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