Thoughts on Language and Emotions

After spending some time meditating and letting my mind grasp with the literature, I wish I can say that I know much more about Language and Emotions at this point but the truth is I don’t. And I humbly say so as I continue to learn through my research what this world has got to teach me about it.

I struggle to put my emotions into words on some occasions. It isn’t the fact that I am not confident of my English abilities, or even Chinese abilities to accurately depict or put into words what I feel. If communication of emotion boils down mainly to vocabulary, I am happy to learn. But it really isn’t. It is perhaps the fact that a lot more is going on as I communicate and I am not sure at any given moment that I have used all the tools that I have to express myself. I am not limited to language but what is my full range of tools and what in particular have I not explored? Intriguingly, research has shown that even language alone has limits given by the language of choice. This could potentially bring in a debate on the argument of linguistic relativity but I will not go into that. An added layer to all these is the right communicative tools for the right context. The question that leaves to be answered is, “What in specific are the boundaries of Emotion communication because of the cultural rules or socialisation rules involved? What is the Chinese story to this?” Perhaps it is this reason that I am very excited to embark on my Focus Group soon as I look to several of the representatives of a very diverse Chinese population and let them tell me when it comes to Emotion, what the borders are (if any) and if their perception and expression is confined in any way at all.

I love that we can either start off thinking of Language and Emotions, or Emotions and Language. To which if we start with the latter, Karla McLauren has something interesting to say about what emotions communicate and do.

“Without our emotions, we can’t make decisions; we can’t decipher our dreams and visions; we can’t set proper boundaries or behave skillfully in relationships; we can’t identify our hopes or support the hopes of others; and we can’t connect to, or even find, our dearest loves.” ― Karla McLaren, The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You

Choosing Birkbeck, and Life in Birkbeck

History brings people through the course of time to critical lessons learnt and it is the people of the present who has to take these stories and lessons from the past to chart the direction of the future. My curiosity brought me to the origins of Birkbeck College, named after its founder Dr George Birkbeck.

Beginning with Birkbeck's origins, I will love to tell the tale of where Birkbeck is today, how I became a part of the current making of history and what my role is today. Nothing is ever by accident, at least not in my books. I happen to never like running away from chaos and it is in its' midst that I would love to be an artist and paint Birkbeck's tale to the narrative of a beautiful blossoming diverse community made up of every unique story and person that you can possibly find. This tale has got a lot to do with Birkbeck's original history.

Birkbeck was and still is a miraculous story of vision brought to life. A group of people believed in it in the year 1823 and what was then known as the "London Mechanics' Institute" was born. Glorious as it may be from its' origins, the struggle of Birkbeck as of late cannot be ignored - a petition with regards to fighting for the jobs of many incredible staff at Birkbeck is being created and signed as we speak. In the petition, it was said that by July 2023, there will be a major restructuring that lead to cuts of 84 academic and 56 administrative jobs across the College. This is similarly reported by the news ¹ ². I happen to absolutely love the underdogs, perhaps because in my personal story I was often bypassed in life. While there is no denying of the current struggle Birkbeck is facing, the future is yet to be determined and the potential to Birkbeck is endless.

"Now is the time for the universal benefits of the blessings of knowledge." - Dr George Birkbeck

On the evening of 11 November 1823, around 2000 people flocked to the Crown and Anchor Tavern on the Strand to hear Dr George Birkbeck who was a successful British physician, academic, philanthropist and a professor of natural philosophy speak on the importance of educating the working people of London. From the event, famously known people such as Jeremy Bentham (the philosopher and originator of Utilitarianism), Sir John Hobhouse (a Radical MP who held several important government posts across his career) and Henry Brougham (a liberal MP, anti-slavery campaigner and tireless educational reformer) were present among the audience.

At the same location, close to a month later on 2 December 1823, London Mechanics’ Institute was formally created with the pursuit of educating working people. This was a ground-breaking moment simply because for the first time in history, artisans and craftspeople had the opportunity to learn science, art and economics: a concept so contentious for its time that George Birkbeck was said to be 'scattering the seeds of evil'. Without skipping a beat, George Birkbeck with great vision called his supporters to action: 'Now is the time for the universal benefits of the blessings of knowledge.'

Today, on 7 November 2022, the call is just as important as it is for the people of the 1800s as it is for us all now. The education of today is under the stresses of a business-oriented, mechanistic evolutionary model where it is yet another survival of the fittest mechanism that exploits and favours those who have resources to and can contribute to technology. That means we are yet in another war to fight for the universal benefits of the blessings of knowledge. I believe in Birkbeck and have believed in it ever since I first arrived. I have believed in it more ever since I saw the diversity it attracts and the grit of the people who comes to Birkbeck. History is constantly in the making as today will be tomorrow's history. My role today is not only to stay committed and play my role as a PhD student in Applied Linguistics (which I absolutely love) but to contribute and continually paint with both words and photographs the beautiful genuine picture of the stories of the individual lives met, and the memories forged as a result of our coming together. Birkbeck is not simply an institution, it is made up of unique individuals who still believe in it. Our stories, both individual and collective, shine light to that as long as this season lasts. Life is unpredictable, and I want to make every day count.

This is my conversation with Birkbeck's history.

References

1. History of Birkbeck