Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “The British are the only people who like to be told how bad things are.” This is definitely (绝对地) true of British comedy. Most people think humor is about happy things, but for the British, the opposite is true. We love to use our cruel sense of humor to complain and be negative (消极的).

British comedy, for example, draws a fine line between comedy and tragedy (悲剧). BBC’s The Office is a TV show, famous for its dry humor. The main character, David Brent, is a foolish man, and the show’s comedy comes from his delusions. For example, he often tells himself that he is loved by everyone but the viewer can see that everyone hates him.

Stupid characters for the audience to laugh at are an old tradition in Britain. In Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, the character Malvolio is an old man whom people play tricks on. The audience will laugh away, although the reality is that this man is a truly tragic individual (个体).

This side of British humor is reflected (反映) in friendships as well. At university, my friends and I would always laugh at one another. I had an American friend who actually found this sarcasm (挖苦) quite upsetting. She didn’t realize that in Britain, the better friends you are with someone, the more you laugh at them.

This approach — laughing at everything — may sound rather depressing (让人郁闷的), but our strange humor played a big part in British history. In World War II, along with a stiff upper lip (坚定沉着), the British got through it by laughing. What else was there to do?

There is a saying in English: “Laugh and the world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone.” If you are ever on the receiving end of British sarcasm, you may feel like crying, but it’s best to just laugh it off!

The system of communication which relies on the verbal or non-verbal codes, used in transferring (转移的) information, is called “language”. A language is a tool of communication, while communication is the process of transferring message to one another. Language focuses on the signs, symbols and words. Communication lays emphasis (强调) on the message. Before the invention of written words, language was limited to the auditory (听觉的) channels. The basics of communication do not change at all. However, daily new words are added to the dictionary of the language, so it changes every day.

Is communication wider than language?

So with the above explanation, it is quite clear that communication has a wider scope than language, as the former covers the latter. Language is the essence (本质) of communication, without which, it cannot exist.

What are language barriers (障碍) in communication?

Language barriers are the most common communication barriers which cause misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people. Most of the people in the world do not speak English or, even if they use, it is their second or third language. If the speaker and receiver do not use the same language and words, there is no meaning to the communication.

Why is language needed for communication?

Language is needed for any kind of communication, and even people with speech impairments communicate with sign language. Communication becomes difficult in situations where people don’t understand each others’ language. The inability to communicate using a language is known as the language barrier to communication.

All Poetry, the largest poetry writing group, would improve poets’ works, create a fan base, and read the best poetry of our generation. It is the home base for poets. Many poets are willing to show their works and over 500,000 poets get feedback（反馈）and improve their poetry. Both beginners and experts are welcomed. All Poetry helps poets learn what they need to improve.

Writing groups

All Poetry is designed as a big writing group. Every poem gets several .encouraging comments. We also have private comments for friends.

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The best poems are featured, and many poets have won national contests. Experts encourage amateurs（业余爱好者）to improve their poems.

Various contests

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