Understanding Human Communication - Language

1. LANGUAGE Chapter 3 EPS 116/100 Sept 28, 2009

2. Important Characteristics Symbolic Resides in the minds of people, not in words Governed by rules – understanding rules helps us understand one another

3. Language is Symbolic 10,000 language varieties Collection of symbols governed by rules to convey messages Arbitrary constructions representing thoughts

4. Ogden and Richard’s Triangle of Meaning User Word (Symbol) Thing (Referent)

5. Phonological Rules He could lead if he would get the lead out. A farm can produce produce. I did not object to the object. The bandage was wound around the wound. I shed a tear when I saw a tear in my clothes.

6. Syntactic Rules The way symbols can be arranged to construct language, i.e. subject, verb, and object. Geek speak: Hey R u at home? Yup yup Ok I’m getting offline now

7. Semantic Rules Help us make meaning of words, and provide context Semantic misunderstanding: Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft

8. Pragmatic Rules Cultural idioms Don’t involve semantics Involve connotations (the extended meanings of those words)

9. Powerful, beyond expressing ideas Shapes our attitudes Reflects the way we feel about things and people

10. Language Shapes Attitudes Shapes others’ values, attitudes and beliefs in many ways Names shape the way others think about us, the way we view ourselves, the way we act.

11. Credibility Dr. Fox hypothesis – speaking style influences perception Impressive sounding language, jargon and gobbledygook is judged as important Complexity rather than content

12. Status Accent Choice of words Speech rate Apparent age of a speaker

13. Sexism and Racism Preferred use of masculine pronoun suggesting that women are lower status than men Based on superiority and hierarchy Sexist language Dehumanizing language

14. Affects Attitudes Power Affiliation Attraction and interest Responsibility

15. Can Create Problems Unnecessarily disrupting relationships Confusing others Avoiding important information

16. Language of Misunderstandings Equivocal Language Relative Words Slang and Jargon Overly Abstract Language

17. Disruptive Language Confusing facts and opinions Confusing facts and inferences Emotive language

18. Evasive Language Euphemisms Equivocation

19. Influenced by Gender Male and female speech varies Males and females have different reasons for communicating Male and female conversational styles vary Not always the most important factor shaping language use

20. Shaped by Cultural Factors Different cultures have different notions about language styles and appropriateness Our language shapes the way we see the world

21. Verbal Communication Styles Direct-Indirect Elaborate-Succinct Formal-Informal

22. Language and World View Linguistic determinism Whorf-Sapir hypothesis Linguistic relativism Language use in Anglo North American Culture