Introduction
Human beings are the most complex of all living things due to their developed communication tools that involve the use of language and written words. While other animals use non verbal communication methods, human beings have evolved and advanced their methods of communicating to include writing, drawing, reading and also imagination as a way of communicating. This essay aims at outlining the process of perception of spoken and written languages and formulation of the response.
Main Body
Human beings have five main sensory organs that detect and transmit the stimuli from the environment to the Central Nervous System for appropriate action to be taken. These sensory organs include the nose, skin, tongue, eye and ear that perceive smell, touch, taste, vision and sound respectively.
The main function of the ear is to perceive sound from the atmosphere and transmit it to the brain for necessary actions to be taken. The outer visible part of the ear called the auricle or pinna collects sound waves from the environment and directs it to the eardrum also known as the tympanic membrane through the ear canal (McMillan 26). The pinna and ear canal amplifies the waves to the right proportion to be felt by the eardrum. The middle ear that is comprised of the eardrum receives sound waves from the outer ear and converts these waves to vibrations in fluids at the cochlea of the inner ear.
When the tympanic membrane is hit by sound the waves it vibrates and moves the tiny bones in the middle ear known as ossicles that transmits the vibrations to the fluid of the cochlea. The cochlea is a spiral fluid filled structure and it propagates the vibrations from the fluid to the nerve impulses that direct them to the brain via the auditory nerve which is a collection of many nerve fibers that connects the ear to the brain.
The message then reaches the thalamus of the brain and relayed to the Central Auditory System which is the cortex located in the temporary lobe and is responsible for any decision making regarding the ear in relation to sound pitch and frequencies. When there is a loud sound in the environment this part of the brain directs the person to cover the ears or walk away from the noise (McDowell 67). When sound gets here it is interpreted to make sense and the individual is now able to get the message and prepares the body for answering or taking the necessary actions.
When information has been relayed to the brain from the ear the brain coordinates with the spinal cord that sends the message to the relevant part of the body. For instance, when a person hears a scream and the message is relayed to the brain it will release adrenaline that is responsible for quick reactions as the message is perceived as danger (McMillan 49). Then the brain stimulates the necessary body parts for appropriate action that may include the body turning towards the source of the scream or the muscles responsible for movement to get prepared to run away or combat the perceived enemy.
The eye is the only way through which human beings perceive light and are able to see. This is usually possible due to reflection of light rays falling on an object then reflected to the eye. Without reflection there will be no vision since the eye acts on the impulse send by reflection of light from objects (Fox 212). When a person looks at a book the light rays reflected by the books enter the eye through the cornea which is a clear front window of the eye.
The cornea then refracts the light rays through the pupil located in the iris that has muscles that relax and contract to regulate the amount of light entering the eye. This is then passed through the lens that has the ability to lengthen or shorten to allow for proper focusing on the image. The light rays are then passed through the transparent gel substance called the vitreous that brings the light to sharp focus on the retina (Fox 231).
The light rays are then processed into light impulses by the many photoreceptor sensory nerve endings spread all over the back of the retina then send to the optical fiber that is connected to the brain. The visual cortex then interprets the impulses as words, pictures or images as they appear in the book. The visual cortex of the brain is responsible for the interpretation of all visual signals coming from the eye and communicates with the spinal cord to effect the necessary actions.
After the message is communicated to the brain and interpreted the brain prepares the body to process the feedback in coordination with the spinal cord and the rest of the body. The feedback is usually affected through the association of the brain with hormones to regulate the type of feedback to be sent. For instance, if a person sees a snake immediately the message will be relayed to the brain and interpreted as danger. This immediately triggers the release of adrenaline which is a hormone responsible for quick control of movements of the limbs. The person will thus take off very fast or take a stick and hit it within split second.
The Wernicke is located in the anterior section of the cerebral hemisphere and surrounds the auditory cortex that is responsible for message and signal interpretation received from the eyes and ears (McMillan 78). People develop the ability to speak language immediately they are born and this develops as the person grows and this determines the ability to hear and understand the messages. Understanding all the parts of speech forms a great part of learning for instance, in most written languages the sound of the words used are coded and assigned specific meanings depending on communities.
Hearing these words is very important for one to learn how to read and understand them and helps individuals learn new communication skills and new languages within the shortest time possible. The time frame taken to learn and acquire new communication skills and foreign or second languages depends on the individual’s ability to keep the codes of these words and their meanings (Fox 412). People with high mental ability to keep multiple word codes are usually at an upper hand when it comes to learning new communication skills, languages and general knowledge on all issues that deal with learning.
Any damage caused to the wernicke region of the brain results to a condition called ‘Wernicke’s Aphasia’. This condition makes a person unable to comprehend language although the natural sounding of the speech will not be affected as it retains its normal rhythm and syntax (McDowell 89). A person suffering from ‘Wernicke’s Aphasia’ has a great problem in the categorization of words, this means that they can not identify or isolate specific sound characteristics and put them in ways that are understood. They may have mixed speech whereby they speak meaningful words but the order of the words is mixed up in their speech and it takes long for others to get the message they are passing across and and they can not write.
Conclusion
The human body is very complex and all parts play a very important role in ensuring the body functions properly. While most parts may seem to work independently they are internally connected by the Central Nervous System that synchronizes all the body activities.
Works Cited
Fox, Stuart. Human Physiology. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. Print.
McDowell, Julie. Nervous System and Sense Organs (Human Body Systems). Westport: Greenwood, 2004. Print.
McMillan, Beveny. Human Body: A Visual Guide (Visual Guides). Richmond Hill: Firefly Books, 2006. Print.