According to contemporary brain research, at birth, you possess the capacity to speak more than three thousand different languages, however you are not born proficient in any of them! When you begin to interact with the primary language in your environment, the brain can already recognize all of the sounds of the language.
The language networks in your brain cause you to actually fully develop only one or two of these potential languages into a full-blown, sophisticated language system.
The primary language center of the brain is called “Broca’s Area”. Within Broca’s Area, at least four distinct neurological processes occur that are involved in the development of your WordSmart:
1. Syntactic Process (syntax). This is the ability to understand the culturally agreed-on logic of a given language system.
When you were in school do you remember endless grammar drills trying to get you clear on subject and verb agreement, speaking and writing with clear antecedents, avoiding dangling participles, and making sure prepositional phrases had an object?
2. Phonetic process (phonics). This is the the ability to process language meanings through the tones, pitch, timbre, and rhythmic patterns of verbal communication.
Have you noticed that HOW something is said often communicates more than the actual meaning of WHAT is said!
3. Semantic Process (semantics). This is the ability to discern the various shades of meanings of different words. It involves skill in careful linguistic analysis.
You can most clearly observe this process in the creative work of a poet, public speaker, or motivational writer, searching for a single phrase that will embody precisely what he or she intends to communicate.
4. Praxis Process (practicality). This is the ability to understand cultural nuances, idioms, and the actual practical meanings of words and phrases in a variety of changing so cio-cultural settings.
The BENEFITS of awakening and developing your
WordSmartare many and include at least
the following:
• You’ll gain enhanced capacities for communicating ideas, thoughts, and feelings to others.
• You’ll discover a greater appreciation of humor based on words, such as puns, jokes, and limericks and the surprise ending to a story.
• You’ll improve your abilities and confidence for expressing yourself through any kind of writing
• You’ll gain new abilities for persuading others to take a certain course of action
• You’ll gain stronger skills for leading effective meetings and discussions
Career Smarts
Professionals who are strong in WordSmart
include poets, public speakers, journalists, writers (authors, advertising, script and speech writers), speech pathologists, lawyers, secretaries, editors, proofreaders, comedians,
debaters, archivists, translators, and TV and radio newscasters, commentators, and announcers.
