2-1 More Than Words

Words. We use them all the time, thousands of times a day in fact. We write them down, and we verbalize them (outloud and in our heads). We read them, signal them, and form them with our hands using sign language. We decipher them with our fingertips while reading braille.

Finding the right words can take an enormous amount of time and consideration. Correcting the wrong ones can take even longer. The concepts of words and communication go hand in hand, they are inseparable. Words are often the means of a message and the message itself. Ironically, when it comes to words, their origin, definition, numbers, and volume of use is seldom mutually agreed.

There is no consensus amongst anthropologists on how long humans have been using words to communicate. Some believe as recently as 58,000 BC while others believe the use of primitive words date back to the evolution of man 2 million years ago. There is also no agreement on how many words the average human uses a day. Estimates range from 7,000 to an average of 18,000. When we also consider the words we experience through text, hearing, and thoughts, it is a reasonable assumption that the average adult engages with approximately 100,000 words each day.

We use words to improve the accuracy, speed and effectiveness of our communications. If we had only visuals, sounds and gestures to exchange thoughts, feelings, information, and facts, interacting would be timely, confusing, and miscommunication would likely arise. When we use words, we capitalize on the notion that the other party has the same interpretation and understanding of what that word means.