Part 1 of a new series: an evolving dictionary of the Chinese internet. A close-up on the words that grow in the labyrinthine swamp of online life in China.
The concept of Boundary Ball is very insightful about the holistic nature of language. As you described it, I realized that boundary ball is part of my communication repertoire. I say certain things a particular way to both be understood by some people and not intentionally misunderstood by others. It also functions in speaking when several language groups are present. I spoke once in Africa where one of the language groups was tribal with only 800 words in their vocabulary. I was doing leadership training. I asked the young woman who was translating for me how she communicated words like leadership and organizational. She told me, as she moved her hands around a wide circle, “I tell a story, the another, and another, and then another, so that they kind of get the idea. It was the most enjoyable experience of public speaking that I have ever had. Thank you for adding boundary ball to my writers toolbox.
The concept of Boundary Ball is very insightful about the holistic nature of language. As you described it, I realized that boundary ball is part of my communication repertoire. I say certain things a particular way to both be understood by some people and not intentionally misunderstood by others. It also functions in speaking when several language groups are present. I spoke once in Africa where one of the language groups was tribal with only 800 words in their vocabulary. I was doing leadership training. I asked the young woman who was translating for me how she communicated words like leadership and organizational. She told me, as she moved her hands around a wide circle, “I tell a story, the another, and another, and then another, so that they kind of get the idea. It was the most enjoyable experience of public speaking that I have ever had. Thank you for adding boundary ball to my writers toolbox.