ch 5 words

Question 1

language

Answer 1

code or system of arbitrary symbols that permits a group of people to communicate and share meaning; used to negotiate meaning

Question 2

semantic code

Answer 2

agreed-upon use of the same symbols when communicating; establishes that words have denotative and connotative meaning

Question 3

syntactic code

Answer 3

grammer
establishes the conventions that guide our words use (order of words and structure of statements); violation of code makes it harder to understand

Question 4

pragmatic code

Answer 4

appropriate based on context; requires us to consider the goal of our exchange and relationship.

Question 5

Triangle of Meaning

Answer 5

(Ogden & Richards) model for understanding connections between words, thoughts, and the actual thing/idea itself
-meanings exist in thoughts, not words or things.

Question 6

word mask

Answer 6

ambiguous language meant to confuse

Question 7

word wall

Answer 7

using language to impede understanding; speakers use word walls to assert themselves and impede other people; they have no interest in negotiating

Question 8

denotative meaning

Answer 8

dictionary meaning

Question 9

connotative meaning

Answer 9

personal meaning

Question 10

euphemisms

Answer 10

substituting direct or inoffensive language for harsh, blunt language; helpful for salving peoples’ feelings

Question 11

linguistic ambiguity

Answer 11

purposely saying something that can be taken in at least two different ways; used to avoid confrontation

Question 12

emotive langauge

Answer 12

makes our attitude/opinion toward a subject clear

Question 13

polarizing language

Answer 13

viewing the world in terms of extremes (either/or)

Question 14

politically correct language

Answer 14

using words that convey our respect for and sensitivity to the needs and interests of specific groups; feeling pressured by society to avoid some words for fear of being perceived as offensive

Question 15

bypassing

Answer 15

we think we understand, but we miss meaning because of our interpretation

Question 16

equivocal langauge

Answer 16

words that may be interpreted in more than one way

Question 17

intensional orientation

Answer 17

when we respond to a label rather than to what the label actually represents.

• fail to inspect what the labels represent.
• confuse label with reality

Question 18

extensional orientation

Answer 18

adopting a reality-based approach

-inspect what label refers to instead of letting the label blind us.

Question 19

snarl words

Answer 19

words that register social disapproval

Question 20

purr words

Answer 20

words that register social approval

Question 21

Communication Accommodation Theory

Answer 21

we adjust our language patters to reflect how we feel about another person.

Question 22

communication convergence

Answer 22

• May adapt our speech style to match theirs.

* when done effectively matching your speech patterns to speak with those you like

Question 23

communication divergence

Answer 23

-stress our differences, adopting a style of speaking that contracts with the style of the person we are talking to. Distance ourselves.

Question 24

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (culture)

Answer 24

proposes that language influences perception by revealing and reflecting one’s worldview, social reality;
split into relativist, determinist, nonbeliever

Question 25

linguistic determinism -Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Answer 25

language SHAPES THINKING and conditions us to process experience

Question 26

linguistic relativity -Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Answer 26

language influences thought and feeling, languages contain unique embedded elements

Question 27

nonbeliever -Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Answer 27

language doesn’t influence thought

Question 28

Hopi people

Answer 28

rely on preparation, which shows a concept of continuous time in contrast to the segmented time of Western societies

Question 29

Wendell Johnson

Answer 29

observed that very few Indians in one tribe stuttered, perhaps because their language contained no word for stuttering, so the possibility of stuttering never occurred to them

Question 30

co-cultures

Answer 30

groups living within a dominant/mainstream culture; languages differ, reflecting a different reality

Question 31

argot

Answer 31

language of co-culture

Question 32

spotlighting

Answer 32

highlighting of a person’s sex for emphasis; language can diminish/stereotype men and women

Question 33

genderlects

Answer 33

language differences attributed to gender; language practices of men and women reflect goals and feelings about power

Question 34

muted group theory

Answer 34

in a social hierarchy, the dominant group uses language to shape perceptions, silencing/muting those with less power