Language

Question 0

Symbols

Answer 0

Arbitrary constructions that represent a communicator’s thoughts.

Question 1

Language

Answer 1

A collection of symbols governed by rules and used to convey messages between individuals. It is a culturally shared, contextual, choice driven activity which denotes education, geographic background, and experience. Language shapes and alters attitudes, creates and alters reality, and is necessary for perception

Question 2

Terministic Screens

Answer 2

The way that language filters and shares our experiences and attitudes

Think “having to go to school” versus “getting to go to school”

Question 3

Rules of Language

Answer 3

Phonological rules: determine how words sound when pronounced

Syntactic rules: the structure of language and how symbols are arranged

Semantic rules: determines the meaning of specific words for universal agreement

Pragmatic rules: govern how people use language in everyday interaction

Question 4

How does language shape attitudes?

Answer 4

Naming, credibility, status, sexism and racism

Do they sound powerful, do they sound smart, do they sound affluent, do they seem sexist/racist.

Question 5

Linguistic Relativism

Answer 5

Language helps to shape our interpretation of the world and affects our perception of our culture and surroundings. Where Terministic screens says how language reflects our cultures and feelings, linguistic relativism talks about how language affects our cultures and feelings.

Question 6

Equivocal Language

Answer 6

Language that has multiple correct meanings and thus can be misinterpreted

Question 7

Relative Words

Answer 7

Words that gain meaning by comparison, like big or small, smart or dumb, fast or slow.

Question 8

Slang, Jargon, and Regionalisms

Answer 8

Slang is language used by a group of people whose members belong to a similar coculture or activity/interest group.

Jargon are shorthand words or terms for people of common backgrounds or experiences

Regionalisms are terms understood in certain geographic areas but are incomprehensible to outsiders

Question 9

Abstract Language

Answer 9

Language that is vague to serve a secondary, subtler message (think “interesting” being used to describe just about anything)

Abstract language can serve as a lighter letdown than being direct, it can cause stereotyping and confusion

Question 10

Equivocation

Answer 10

Deliberately vague statements that can be interpreted in multiple ways, often to avoid delivering a cruel truth

(Your outfit looks ugly vs. How interesting, I’ve never seen an outfit like that before)

Question 11

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Answer 11

The idea that language affects our perception of the world, by defining concepts like colors