Chapter 5 - Communication and Language PDF

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Classroom and Textbook Notes
Textbook: LOOK by Adler
Prof: B.Pawliuk ...

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Communication and Language Semantic Rules – Rules that govern the meaning of language, as opposed to its structure Equivocal Language – Words, word orders, phrases, or expressions that have more than one commonly accepted definition Relative Words – Words that gain their meaning through comparison Static Evaluation – The tendency to view people or relationships as unchanging Abstract Language – Language that is vague and unclear Behavioural Language – Language that refers to specific things that people do or say Abstraction Ladder – A range of more or less abstract terms describing an event or object Syntactic Rules – Rules that govern the way symbols can be arranged, as opposed to the meanings of those symbols Pragmatic Rules – Rules that help communicators understand how messages may be used and interpreted in a given context Inferences – Conclusions that are arrived at from an interpretation of evidence Emotive Language – language that conveys the speaker’s attitude rather than simply offering an objective description Euphemisms – Pleasant terms or phrases substituted for blunt ones in order to soften the impact of unpleasant information “It” Statements – Statements that replace the personal pronoun / with the less immediate word “it”, often with the effect of reducing the speaker’s acceptance of responsibility for the statements “I” Language – A statement that describes the speaker’s reaction to another person’s behaviour without making judgements about the behaviour’s worth “But” Statements – Statements in which the word but cancels out the expression that preceded it “You” Language – A statement that expresses or implies a judgement of the other person

“We” Statement – A statement that implies that the issue is the concern and responsibility of both the sender and receiver of a message Low-Context Cultures – Cultures that use language primarily to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas are clearly and logically as possible High-Context Cultures – Cultures that avoid direct use of language, relying instead on the context of a message to convey meaning Linguistic Relativism – The notion that the world-view of a culture is shaped and reflected by the language its members speak Sapir – Whorf – This hypothesis suggests that the language we speak affects how we interact with the world around us CLASSROOM NOTES

The Communication Process Source  Encoding  Channel  Decoding  Receiver The Source 1. Understand your objective. Why are you communicating? 2. Understand your audience. With whom are you communicating? What do they need to know? 3. Plan what you want to say, and how you’ll send the message 4. Seek feedback on how well your message was received 5. When you do this, you’ll be able to craft a message that will be received positively by your audience

Good communicators use the KISS  “Keep It Simple and Straightforward” principle  Knowing that less is often more, and that good communication should be efficient as well as effective Encoding 1. Understand what you truly need and want to say 2. Anticipate the other person’s reaction to your message 3. Chose words and body language that allow the other person to really hear what you’re saying 4. For written communication: a. Review you style b. Avoid jargon or slang c. Check your grammar and punctuation

d. Check also for tone, attitude, nuance, and other subtleties. If you think the message may be misunderstood, it probably will. Take the time to clarify it e. Familiarize yourself with your facilities writing policies

Rules and Terms Semantic Rules – Govern the meaning that is assigned to words. They make it possible to agree that bikes are for riding and books are for reading Equivocal Language – Consists of words that have more than one commonly accepted defition  ie. Tube has various meanings Relative Language – Gain their meaning through comparison.  This sandwich is huge --, but compared to what??? Static Evaluation – The tendency to view people or relationships as unchanging Abstraction – Language that is vague and unclear Understanding Structure 1. Syntactic Rules – Rules that govern the way symbols can be arranged as opposed to the meaning of those symbols 2. Pragmatic Rules – Linguistic rules that help communicators understand how message may be used and interpreted in a given context  Denotative and Connotative Meaning Impact of Language  Be careful how you choose your words  Be aware of your inferences/assumptions  Be thoughtful when choosing certain descriptive words  Cheap vs. Thrifty  Be careful with euphemisms  Be careful with “it” and “but” statements  “I” vs “You” vs “We’ language

TEXTBOOK NOTES

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Language is symbolic  Words stand for things, events, etc.

Understanding Words Semantic Rules  Dictionary meaning of words  Semantic misunderstandings  Arise when people assign different meanings to the same words or use different words to describe the same thing 1) Equivocal Language 2) Relative Language  Relative words such as fast, slow, smart, stupid, short, or long can only be defined through comparison  Is often subjective and vague  Nursing  Using a scale through assessment to be more clearly and concise about issues Abstraction  3 types of languages used when describing problems, goals, appreciation, and requests: a. Abstract language b. Behavioural language 

Abstraction Ladder a. Bottom Rung – Concrete and behavioural b. Top - Abstract injunction to develop a “better attitude”  Verbal shorthand c. To ensure clarity on your part, try to begin with a general statement and follow it with specific examples  work from high to low-level abstraction

Understanding Context: Pragmatic Rules  Pragmatic rules govern the way speech operates in everyday interactions  Usually unstated  Coordination – To describe the way conversation operates when everyone involved uses the same set of pragmatic rules  Being able to distinguish when and how to use “personal codes”

The Impact of Language 1) Language and Sensitivity  When referring to individuals by their race, ethnicity, or national origin. To label someone from one perspective is very narrowing  Group identity

Affiliation  Communicators are attracted to others whose style of speaking is similar to theirs  Communicators who want to be affiliated with someone adapts their speech by altering their vocabulary choice, rate, number and placement of pauses and level of politeness  Linguistic Solidarity  Adopting the same vocabulary of slang words and speech mannerisms  Convergence vs. Divergence

Power   

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There are also language patterns that add to or detract from a speaker’s perceived power to influence others. Deferential language  Speakers who do not use deferential language are rated as more competent, dynamic and attractive  Overall illustrate more confidence Examples of Deferential Language: a. Hedges  Using the words: Kinda, think, guess b. Hesitations  Using Uh, Well, Er c. Intensifiers  Using really, not very d. Polite forms  Using excuse me, sir e. Tag questions  ?? f. Disclaimers  “I’m not really sure, but: g. Rising Inflections The importance of achieving both content and relational goals help explain why a mixture of powerful speech and polite speech is usually most effective

Disruptive Language Fact- Inference Confusion  Occurs when inferences, or assumptions we make about something are presented as if they were facts  Mistakenly stating opinions as facts  Fixed by using statements such as: a. “In my opinion” b. “I believe…” c. Also counteracted with perception checking Emotive Language  Might also have a nonverbal component in that the speaker’s feelings are usually evident through their facial expressions, vocal expressions and gestures Euphemisms  Alternative phrases

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Euphemisms can also obscure the accuracy of a message

The language of Responsibility 1. “It” Statements  Communicators who use “it” statements attribute ownership to some unidentified source  Imprecise, Avoiding taking a position 2. “But” Statements  Common during constructive criticism  3 compliments followed by a but…  We tend to focus on the negative feedback 3. Questions  Can either be sincere requests for information or just a way to avoid making a declaration  Sometimes being indirect can be a tactful way to approach a difficult topic or unfortunately, a way to avoid saying what you mean 4. “I” and “You” Language  Using “I” can also be a way to take responsibility for what you say  Using “you” is quite different in that it judges the other person  Sometimes when using “you”, either outright or implied, it can arouse defensiveness in others  To make a complete “I” statement, it needs to have four parts: a. The other person’s behaviour b. Your interpretation c. Your feelings d. The consequences the other’s behaviour has for you 5. “We” Language  When using these statements imply that the issue is a concern for both parties 12

Gender and Language  

How are males and females different? Gender Similarities Hypothesis o Janet Hyde o Holds that, overall, females and males are more similar than different

Reasons for Communicating

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Regardless of their sex, most people communicate to maintain social relationships, and they do so by being friendly, showing interest, and talking about topics that interest the other person. However, how men and women accomplish this is different  Men tend to make their conversation more enjoyable by telling jokes and using good natured teasing  Women don’t enjoy teasing, their conversations involve feelings, relationships and personal problems

Conversational Style  Men talk longer than women, particularly in public forums  Women, in mixed-sex conversations, ask more questions  Women use deferential language, men use non-deferential language Gender and the English Language  Sexist nature of the English language  Using “he” as a standard when using examples  Generic Pronoun Problem  Using “he”, “his”, “himself” as a way to refer to males and females  Maleness as a standard  We refer to women who hold high authority positions as lawyer or doctor as “female lawyer” rather than just a simple pronoun  Sends the message that it’s odd when women hold such positions Man-Linked Language  Refers only to men and excludes women  Mailmen, firemen, policemen  Perpetuates the myth that these positions are more suited to men than to women Language to Avoid 1. Sexist language 2. Heterosexist language 3. Race, ethnicity, and national origin 4. Disabilities 5. Age Verbal Communication Style  The role of culture and language is also related to verbal styles  Directness o Low-context cultures  Canada and States o High-context cultures  Asian and Middle Eastern cultures  Elaboration  Succinctness  Formality vs Informality...