Language: A Comical Concept

A language is any set of stimuli used or conceived as a method of communicating.  Within human language, there are various sub-languages.  In nearly all human languages, one will find text and images.  However, it is easy to see a difference in the amount of information each can provide.  Why is this?  What are the trade-offs between words and symbols, images, and icons?  I believe the difference is in the amount of moving parts, there is simply less to go wrong in the translation of an image than a text.

Text is taken in and processed as a word, then relayed through the various connections in the brain until it is associated with the concept for which it stands.  Without a doubt, one will almost always think of associated images during this process.  The image or stored visual representation is much closer to the concept for which it stands than the word.  From point A to point B, a word must cover more ground to generate understanding than an image.  However, when viewing an image it is hard not to think of words associated with it.  With words, the images associated are almost always fewer than the amount of words associated with an image.  In this way, images are almost a compressed language or a collection possible understandings.  Moreover, they allow us an almost universal medium for communication.  "As the twenty-first century approaches, visual iconography may finally help us realize a form of universal communication" (McCloud 58).  I believe the approachability of iconographic language is due to its compressed nature.  However, with the potential for universality there are trade-offs.  There is less room for interpretation with images.  There is room for interpretation between frames in a comic, but far less than the empty spaces between words in a text.  In a text, the reader also takes on the role of creator, and fashions the story to meet their understanding of words.  In a comic, the reader also takes on this role, but to a lesser extent.  Most of the work has already been done for the comic reader, there is less room for interpretation, and consequently a greater capacity for universality.  Freedom for interpretation is traded for capability of understanding.