Chapter 4 Flashcards
Language
system of symbols (words) that are used to think about and communicate experiences and feelings
denotative meeting
basic, consistently accepted defintion
connotative meaning
emotional or attitudinal response to a word
cognitive language
system of symbols you use to describe people, things and situations in your mind
grammar
system of rules for creating words, phrases and sentences in a particular language
phonological rules
how words should be pronounced
syntactic rules
placement of words in a sentence
communication acquisition
requires we learn individual words in a language but also how to use the language appropriately and effectively in various contexts
informing
using language to give and receive information;
includes: questioning, describing, reinforcing, withholding
imagining
ability to think, play, and be creative in common
ritualizing
learning the rules for managing conversations and relationships
abstraction ladder
a way to illustrate the specific vs. general levels of abstraction
evasion
avoid providing specific details
equivocation
use words that have unclear or misleading definitions
euphemisms
offensive words or phrases that substitute for terms that might be upsetting (ex. “passed on” instead of “died”)
slang
informal language, nonstandard, particular to a specific group
jargon
technical language specific to members of a given profession or interest group or hobby
semantics
relationship among symbols, objects, people and concepts - refers to meaning that words have for people
pragmatics
ability to use culture’s symbols appropriately
biased language
words with subtle meanings that influence our perceptions about the subject
politically correct language
replacing language with more neutral terms
profanity
words or expressions considered insulting, vulgar, rude or disrespectful
civility
social norm for appropriate behavior
speech repertoires
sets of language behaviors, use which one is most effective and appropriate to meet the demands of a situation
high language
formal, polite
low language
informal, easygoing, using slang, when you’re in a more comfortable environment
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
words a culture uses or doesn’t use influence the thinking of people in that culture
linguistic determinsim
language influences how we see the world around us
linguistic relativity
speakers of different languages have different views of the world
code/style switching
types of accommodation in which communicators change their regular language and slang, as well as their tone, pitch, rhythm, and inflection to fit into a particular group
