Chapter 3

Question 1

language

Answer 1

a structure system of symbols, in the form of words, used for communicating meaning

Question 2

phonological rules

Answer 2

language rules that deal with the correct pronunciation of a word; they vary from language to language

Question 3

syntactic rules

Answer 3

language rules that govern the order of words within phrases and clauses

Question 4

semantic rules

Answer 4

language rules that dictate the meaning of individual words

Question 5

pragmatic rules

Answer 5

language rules that help us interpret statements

Question 6

denotative meaning

Answer 6

the literal meaning of a word - the way the dictionary defines it

Question 7

connotative meaning

Answer 7

the ideas or concepts a word suggests in addition to its literal definition

Question 8

ambiguous language

Answer 8

language that we can interpret to have more than one meaning

Question 9

credibility

Answer 9

the extent to which others perceive us to be competent and trustworthy

Question 10

cliche

Answer 10

word or phrase that was novel at one time but has lost its effect due to overuse

Question 11

dialect

Answer 11

language variation shared by people of a certain region or social class

Question 12

defamation

Answer 12

language that harms a person’s reputation or gives that person a negative image

Question 13

libel

Answer 13

a defamatory statement made in print or some other fixed medium, such as in a photograph or on a website or blog

Question 14

slander

Answer 14

a defamatory statement made aloud, within earshot of others

Question 15

loaded language

Answer 15

language that consists of words with strongly positive or negative connotations; also called trigger words

Question 16

factual claim

Answer 16

an assertion that can be verified with evidence and shown to be true or false

Question 17

opinion

Answer 17

expression of a personal judgement or preference that can be agreed or disagreed with but that is not true or false in an absolute sense

Question 18

i-statement

Answer 18

a statement that claims ownership of what a communicator is feeling or thinking

Question 19

you-statement

Answer 19

a statement that shifts responsibility for thoughts and feelings to the other person

Question 20

powerful speech

Answer 20

a style of speaking perceived as active and assertive

Question 21

powerless speech

Answer 21

a style of speaking that is perceived as passive and timid

Question 22

disclaimers

Answer 22

the statement, usually offered at the beginning of a message, that expresses a speaker’s uncertainty such as “I could be wrong about this, but”

Question 23

hedge

Answer 23

word that introduces doubt into a speaker’s message, such as “I guess I feel we should”

Question 24

tag questions

Answer 24

the question at the end of a statement that asks for listener agreement, such as “Okay?” and “don’t you agree?”

Question 25

hesitation

Answer 25

term that introduces pauses into speech, such as “um” and “well”

Question 26

intensifier

Answer 26

word such as “very” and “really” that heightens the importance of other words

Question 27

formal address term

Answer 27

term that indicates the listener is of higher status than the speaker, such as “sir” and “ma’am”

Question 28

nonverbal communication

Answer 28

messages that include those behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning without the use of words

Question 29

facial display

Answer 29

facial expression; a form of nonverbal communication

Question 30

oculesics

Answer 30

the study of eye behavior, as a separate nonverbal channel

Question 31

kinesics

Answer 31

the study of movement, including the movement of walking

Question 32

gesticulation

Answer 32

the use of arm and hand movements to communicate

Question 33

haptics

Answer 33

the study of the way we use touch to communicate

Question 34

vocalics

Answer 34

characteristics of the voice, such as having a high, breathy voice or a deep, booming one; talking very fast or loudly also called paralnaguage

Question 35

proxemics

Answer 35

the scientific study of spatial use

Question 36

halo effect

Answer 36

a strong predisposition to attribute positive qualities to physically attractive people

Question 37

chronemics

Answer 37

the way we use time

Question 38

artifacts

Answer 38

the objects and visual features within our environment that reflect who we are and what we like