Introduction Of The Phonetic Alphabet example essay topic

With communication continuing to change forms every day, we have seen many different theories and explanations to try and explain communication. Communication is an interaction between two objects in any way, as long as there is a connection between the two objects. With the ever changing theories of communication, Marshall McLuhan's theory of the medium is the message and his Playboy interview create a very interesting question. Why does Marshall McLuhan see the development of communication as a downfall to our society as seen in the Playboy article where Adler, Johnson and Lakeoff show many ways communication can have long lasting positive effects on society? The three points that McLuhan brings up are the phonetic alphabet, extension and the electric age.

This paper will critique the different points McLuhan has made by using material from Adler and Lakeoff and Johnson. The Phonetic Alphabet: Marshall McLuhan has a negative view towards the invention of the phonetic alphabet while Adler and Lakeoff and Johnson used the alphabet as a tool to get their theories of communication to work. An example of McLuhan's words is from his interview with Playboy where he said "Before the invention of the phonetic alphabet, man lived in a world where all the senses were balanced and simultaneous". (McLuhan, 1995) In this quote Marshall expresses his view that before the phonetic alphabet was created man lived in a world where each sense that humans had were used evenly. Now that the alphabet had been invented different senses were being used for different reasons and now man was not in a balance of senses. He seen this as a negative outcome, and it will effect the culture in a negative way.

On the other hand, to use this point in Adler's words "different groups deal with conflicts in different ways" (Adler, 2000) So the way that a culture can adapt to the living style will tell if they will be effected as McLuhan said the culture will be effected, and that is there senses will not be in a balance anymore. Also, in the playboy interview McLuhan states "The modes of life of non literate people were implicit, simultaneous and discontinuous, and also far richer than those of literate man". (McLuhan, 1995) In this quote Marshall suggests that it was easier to live life by being non literate and just stay the way man used to be with the senses being balanced. Where Adler suggests that each culture may have a different perspective or different view on new changes to that culture. One culture may enjoy the introduction of the phonetic alphabet to their society and one culture may reject it, it is dependent on what kind of a culture the new medium is introduced to. To add to the point of McLuhan not accepting the phonetic alphabet in tribal areas is the quote "This division of sight and sound and meaning causes deep psychological effects, and he suffers a corresponding separation and impoverishment of his imaginative, emotional and sensory life".

(McLuhan, 1964) In this quote McLuhan suggest that the introduction of the alphabet into this society will diminish a persons imaginative, emotional and sensory life. He sees this effecting tribal areas in a negative way and therefore having a negative impact on them. Where as Lakoff and Johnson show a different side of the same idea in the quote from the reading Orientational Metaphors "Since socially based metaphors are part of te culture, it's the society / person's point of view that counts". (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980) This quote explains that it is neither how the person says a word or interprets the word, it is up to the society that makes the meaning of the word. The society will decide if the word is positive or negative, not the person. So this in relation to McLuhan will suggest that the introduction of the phonetic alphabet may not disrupt a person or society, it is the society that will disrupt itself if the words are taken the wrong way.

In either way, the introduction of the phonetic alphabet has both a positive and a negative effect on society, it is just a matter of how the society understands the alphabet that results in the final effect.