Category Communication

A flag in the air, and the word ‘flag ‘comes from an ancient Saxon word ‘flakken’ which means to fly or float in  the air. The word came into use between the 15th to the 16th centuries in various northern European languages. It signified a piece of cloth, bunting, or similar material that displayed the insignia of a community, an armed force, an office, or an individual.

Semaphore is a flag signaling systems. In this system the letters of the alphabet are signaled by waving a pair of hand-held flags in a particular pattern. The flags are usually square. They are red and yellow in colour and divided diagonally with the red portion on top.  The flags are held, arms extended, in various positions representing each of the letters of the alphabet. The pattern resembles a clock face divided into eight positions. Numbers are shown by special signals. Semaphore signals were used to exchange messages between other, but could see each other, but could not hear each other. They were used by railways to communicate with train drivers. Semaphore signals have generally given way to color light signals although there are still many places where semaphore signaling is in use.

Maritime flags are that flown at sea. A national flag flown at sea is called an ensign. There are strict rules and regulations for flying these flags.There is also a system for international maritime signal flags that represent numerals and letters of the alphabet. Each flag has a specific meaning when it is flown independently.

Cameras record images. Images that we see with our eyes are fleeting – one moment they are there, the next moment they are gone. These same images can be recorded and stored with cameras. But how is this done?   A still film camera is made of three basic parts – an optical element which is the lens, a chemical element or the film, and a mechanical element that is the body of the camera itself. Photography is adjusting and combining these elements in such a way that they record a crisp, recognizable image.Most of the inside of a camera is an empty space. The empty space is dark, because it is sealed off from the light outside. Light can only get in when a little door at the front of the Camera, known as the shutter, is opened for a very short time.The light passes through a lens which is a type of glass. The lens bends the light and ends up marking an image on the film at the back of the camera. When the light hits the film, the chemicals on the film change to capture the image. The film is then taken out of the camera and treated with other chemicals to make the image visible and permanent.

Storm warning signals are symbols and flags that give us information about sudden, violent and strong wind which is approaching, or a storm that has already formed. Other symbols caution us that a port is threatened by a storm, and of danger from hurricanes and cyclones. Storm warning signals also show the direction that a storm is taking, so that boats and ships can avoid these areas.  For people living in coastal areas, for fisherman and pilots, paying attention to storm warnings can save many lives. Storm warnings also play an important part in commerce, navigation and in farming

Deaf and dumb people many not be able to hear or speak, but that does not mean that they cannot communicate with others. Instead of talking as we do, they talk with their fingers and hands. We can also say that they communicate through a visual language. There are two kinds of deaf and dumb sign language. One method uses one hand, the other uses both hands. Different finger positions stand for different letters of the alphabet, and words are spelt out one letter at a time.Signs used by the deaf and dumb also represent ideas. Many signs use a visual image to convey an idea. For example, mimicking a pair of horns means a deer, or a trunk means an elephant.Sometimes, deaf and dumb people use facial expressions and other gestures in order to communicate faster. Nowadays, there are many techniques that teach deaf people to speak like we do. They also learn to read lips so that they can understand.