While sitting in DSA on Wednesday waiting for meeting to start, i overheard some people playing taboo. Then this thought to relate it to human communication strike me.

Taboo is a game where the objective of the game is for a player to have their partner(s)/teammates guess the word on their card without using the word itself or five additional 'taboo' (forbidden) words listed on the card. The giver may only use speech to prompt his or her teammates; any sort gestures, sounds, facial expressions or drawings are not allowed.

Last semester, during class break my friends and I were hanging out in DSA and they decided to play taboo. Angeline and Ivana were really good at it! Dila and I were just starting out so we were quite blur when it came to actually playing it. Surprisingly, the next day! in intermediate english tutorial class, mr.murali came in with a Taboo box set! and so the class was split into 2 groups and we played!

In Taboo using words (verbal communication) to describe another word without using certain words is the whole point. But we have learn that language are symbolic and meaning are in people not in words, so for a person to say a word to relate it back to another word that may seem so obvious to him/her MAY NOT be obvious to another person. This is because people make a mistake in assuming that others use the word the same way they do.

The pragmatic rules of language also may cause a word/sentence/phrase to be differently viewed.

Besides that, "history" between a group of people may influence the way a word may be understood and is related to, as different people will have varying history with other people.
For example, take Dila and I, since we are around each other a lot, there are just certain words that we relate to random people, that others may not necessarily know. If i say josh's name, Dila would think of camera, mac or Fart! or grandmother stories! but other people may not!
p/s: I know Dila will laugh reading this, some may know why camera and mac is related to josh, while others will be wondering what the other words mean!

Now, as for gestures (non-verbal communication), we all know while playing taboo it is NOT allowed, YET! we still sometimes do it unconsciously we will just move our hands to symbolise something. Non-verbal communication: emblems - are deliberate nonverbal behaviour that have precise meanings known to everyone, in this case is use to repeat or substitute words. Those who have played taboo will agree that consciously knowing that hand gestures arent allowed sometimes you hand will just fly out with them! and under pressure sometimes you may caved in and deliberately make hand gestures!

So, Mr.Murali here's another game you can use to relate to human communication! :P