Chapter 5 intercom Flashcards
language
symbolic; only arbitrary connection between words and the ideas or things to which they refer; the indirect relationship between symbols and the things they represent lead to communication problems— because no one uses symbols in the same way.
semantic rules
the ways in which users of a language assign meaning to a particular linguistic symbol, usually a word; with out these rules, communication would be impossible, because each of us would use symbols in unique ways, without sharing meaning
equivocal language
statements that have more than one commonly accepted definition…. “Family Catches Fire Just in Time”; “Man Stuck on Toilet; Stool Suspected”
relative language
these words gain their meaning by comparison; words such as fast, slow, stupid, smart, etc
static evaluation
statements that contain or imply the word “is” lead to the mistaken assumption that people are consistent and unchanging
abstract language
language that is vague in nature; can cause people to think in generalities instead of uniqueness.
behavioral language
refers to specific things that people do or say
syntactic rules
govern the grammar of a language
pragmatic rules
help us decide how to interpret messages in a given context; govern the way speech operates in everyday interaction; almost always unstated but still very important; help us make sense of one another’s messages
coordination
the way conversation operates when everyone involved uses the same set of pragmatic rules.
convergence
the process of adapting one’s speech style to match that of others.
divergence
speaking in a way that emphasizes difference from others.
fact-opinion confusion
combining fact and opinion statements –“That was a dumb thing to say…” “Spending that much on a pair of shoes is a waste of money”
fact-inference confusion
combining factual statements with inferential statements -(conclusions arrived at from an interpretation of evidence) – trying to read someone else’s mind – “Why are you ma at me?”
emotive language
seems to describe something but actually announces the speaker’s attitude toward it. — beating around the bush verses being tactful <— example; context changes with whether you agree or disagree.