chapter 4 Flashcards
collection of symbols governed by rules and used to convey messages between people
language
formally recognized definitions of a term
denotative meanings
involves thought and feelings associated with words
connotative meaning
govern how words are pronounced
phonological
govern the structure of language
syntactic
guidelines about the meaning of specific words
semantic
govern how people use and understand language in everyday communication
pragmatic
involves pronunciation perceived as different from the local speech style
accent
a version of the same language
dialect
demonstrates connection between two people
affiliative language
sharing specialized cheers, greetings, rituals
convergence
communicators who want to set themselves apart from others may adopt the strategy
divergence
more than one definition
equivocal words
vaque statement
equivocation
gain meaning by comparison
relative words
functions as a shorthand
jargon
language used by people of a group who belong to the same coculture
slang
more pleasant term: restroom not toilet
euphemism
conclusions arrived at from an interpretation of evidence
inferential statements
words that sound as if they’re describing something when they’re really announcing the speaker’s attitude
emotive language
attacking a person’s character rather than debating the issues at hand
fallacy of ad hominem
