I have a friend with a keen interest in love languages. Historically, there have been five well-known types of these aforementioned love languages, categorized as “words of affirmation,” “acts of service,” “physical touch,” “quality time” and “receiving gifts.” I have been told that I have a tendency towards physical touch, appreciating hugs and physical nearness. 

However, my friend thinks of her own personalized love language as “citrus-flavored,” symbolized by the act of splitting an orange with someone you love. Although this could very well fall under “acts of service,” over time this concept has taken its own independent form as E’s invented love language, the 6th type I’ve come to learn. 

Even if these concepts don’t quite fit into the established standards of what qualifies as a “language,” they still, of course, exist as forms of communication. Exchanging information or ideas transcends the spoken word, the written word, grammatical structure and alphabets. It has no form yet has taken many forms, stitching together the innumerable pieces that make up a society, a civilization. Its distinguishing nature helps to shape our individual identities, which crash together through the same medium of mutual expression.  

Whether you’ve read the news, listened to music, watched a dance performance or split an orange with a friend, you have taken part in the universally shared experience of experiencing the world. Communication is not only a facet of everyday life; it is a necessity — how we choose to communicate with the world determines what we make of it.

Ruby Crosthwait

Fall 2024 Features Editor