The Conversation + Semiotics

Question 1

Mention Grice’s 4 maxims for achieving cooperation in a conversation

Answer 1

• Maxims of quantity (not too much, not too little)
• Maxims of quality (be truthful)
• Maxims of relation (be relevant)
• Maxims of manner (be orderly)

Question 2

How is a conversation defined?

Answer 2

A conversation is a form of interaction with a beginning and an end, it includes turn taking.

Question 3

Who is behind the theory of symbolic interactionism?

Answer 3

Herbert Meade

Question 4

What is an oriental other?

Answer 4

A person with whom we are emotionally and psychologically committed to.

Question 5

Please mention the main points of symbolic interactionism.

Answer 5

People interact and come to a shared meaning.
With a shared meaning we can understand the world in similar ways.
We have a plan of action, that is made up through the conversation.

Question 6

Please mention the 3 components in the Social Act

Answer 6

Society.
Self.
Mind.

Question 7

Please elaborate on Society in regards to the Social Act.

Answer 7

Society covers the cooperative behaviour of society’s members.

Question 8

Please elaborate on Self in regards to the Social Act.

Answer 8

Self is something you have because you can respond to yourself as an object. You have Me-self (control) and I-self (doing what we want to do).

Question 9

Please elaborate on Mind in regards to the Social Act.

Answer 9

Mind is thinking, it is a process. It covers nothing but interactions with yourself.

Question 10

Please explain the idea of the Social Act Theory (Meade)

Answer 10

Acts relate to one another and builds up through life.
Acts begin with impulses.
Acts are part of a 3-part relationship.
Individual acts are also interactional (e.g. going for a walk alone), because they rely on meaning learned from social interaction.

Question 11

Who is behind the Conversation Analysis Theory?

Answer 11

Herbert Grice

Question 12

What is joint-action (Social Act Theory)

Answer 12

An act between two or more people.

Question 13

Please elaborate on the 3-part relationship of an act (Social Act Theory)

Answer 13

1. Starts with an initial gesture from the individual.
2. Continues with a response to the gesture from another individual.
3. Ends with a result, which is what the act has meant for the communicator.

Question 14

Please mention the main points in the Conversation Analysis Theory.

Answer 14

Analysis conversations from real life.
The conversational maxims is the cooperative principle of the conversation.
Violations of maxims disrupt the conversation flow.
Sequence Approach is the act of turn-taking.

Question 15

Please explain the turn-taking theory (Conversation Analysis Theory).

Answer 15

You say something, then I say something, then you say something, then I say something, then you say something, then I say someting.

Question 16

Please explain the concept conversational implicature.

Answer 16

A conversation implicature is a form of interpretation used to manage violations of maxims, to help us understand what is implied or implicated by the violation.

Question 17

Who is behind the Face Negotiation Theory?

Answer 17

Stella Ting-Toomey.

Question 18

Please explain the concept Lacework (Face Negotiation Theory).

Answer 18

Facework is communication used to build and protect your own face, but also to build or threaten the face of others.

Question 19

Please explain what is meant by the concept Face (Face Negotiation Theory).

Answer 19

Face refers to one’s self-image in the presence of others.

Question 20

What are the two primary cultural variables in the Face Negotiation Theory?

Answer 20

Individualism and collectivism.

Question 21

Who is behind the theory of Language Centered Perspective?

Answer 21

Fern Johnson.

Question 22

Please mention the main points in the Language Centered Perspective Theory.

Answer 22

All conversations happen in cultural frameworks.
Individuals will use cultural knowledge to communicate.
Cultural knowledge is passed down.
It has a large focus on multicultural societies and the hegemony that occurs in these.

Question 23

Please elaborate on the relationship between cultures in conversation in a multicultural society (Language Centeres Perspective Theory).

Answer 23

There will be a dominant linguistic ideology, that will marginalize other cultural groups - this is where hegemony occurs.

Question 24

How does conversation affect cultures’ co-existence in multicultural societies (Language Centered Perspective Theory)?

Answer 24

When cultures co-exist each will influence and affect the other, this happens through the conversations, where individuals will bring various cultural knowledge to the act.

Question 25

Who is behind the Co-cultural Theory?

Answer 25

Mark Obe.

Question 26

Please mention the main points in the Co-cultural theory.

Answer 26

The theory is about conversations between people from underrepresented groups and people from the dominant society.
The theory wishes to understand how the co-cultured group negotiate their cultural differences with others.

Question 27

Please explain the concept co-cultured groups (Co-cultural Theory).

Answer 27

A co-cultural groups is a marginalized group in a society.

Question 28

Who is behind the Expectancy Violation Theory?

Answer 28

Judee Burgoon.

Question 29

Please mention the main points in the Expectancy Violation Theory?

Answer 29

The theory is about how messages are presented to others and the kinds of behaviours others undertake during a conversation.
The theory believes that expectancies drive human interaction.

Question 30

Please explain on the concept expectancies (Expectancy Violation Theory).

Answer 30

Expectancies are defined as the cognitions+behaviours defined anticipated and prescribed in conversation.
It is what we hold about non-verbal behaviour of others – we hold expectations to proxemics.

Question 31

Please explain the concepts of pre-interactional expectations and interactional expectations (Expectancy Violation Theory).

Answer 31

Pre-interactional expectations is the knowledge a communicator brings to the conversation.
Interactional expectations are an individual’s ability to carry out the interaction.

Question 32

Please explain the concept of arousal (Expectancy Violation Theory).

Answer 32

Arousal is increased interest or attention when deviations from expectations occur.

Question 33

What does it mean to evaluate violations of expectancies on a valence (Expectancy Violation Theory)?

Answer 33

This refers to the positive or negative assessment of an unexpected behaviour.

Question 34

Who is behind the Communication Accommodation Model?

Answer 34

Howard Giles.

Question 35

Please explain the main points in the Communication Accommodation Model.

Answer 35

When two people talk they often mimic each others speech and behaviour.
We accommodate to towards other people to get approval and to communicate more efficiently.

Question 36

Please elaborate on how accommodation happens (Communication Accommodation Model).

Answer 36

It is part of our identity construction.
It can happen in in-groups and out-groups.
Accommodation also happens through stereotypes and stereotyping.

Question 37

Please explain the concept convergence (Communication Accommodation Model).

Answer 37

Convergence is what happens when we adapt to other people.

Question 38

Please explain the concept divergence (Communication Accommodation Model).

Answer 38

Divergence is what happens when we dissociate from other people.

Question 39

What might happen if we over-accommodate (Communication Accommodation Model)?

Answer 39

When we over-accommodate there other person might feel that we are making fun of them or talking down to them.

Question 40

How canyon communicate to get yourself in a dominant position (Communication Accommodation Model)?

Answer 40

One thing to do is to over-accommodate. Another thing is not to accommodate to the other person at all. This will all put you in a dominant position.

Question 41

Who talks of the signifier and the signified?

Answer 41

Ferdinand de Saussure.

Question 42

What does “aliquid stat pro aliquot” stand for?

Answer 42

“Something stand for something else”.

Question 43

What is the difference and relationship between the signified and the signifier?

Answer 43

The signifier is the ‘something’ that stands for something else. The signified is the ‘something else’. (The signifier is ‘A tree’ the signified is the object.

Question 44

How does Saussure explain the process of signification?

Answer 44

Saussure believe the process of signification is how something comes to stand for something else. He believes this is what semiotics is all about as a science.

Question 45

Please explain the main idea behind the Dyadic Model (Saussure).

Answer 45

The Dyadic model is a sign model, which says that all signs represent something, and that signs are arbitrary.

Question 46

How does Saussure define different levels of arbitrariness?

Answer 46

Saussure bases the level of arbitrariness on historical, cultural and social settings - the value of the sign is important.

Question 47

Please explain Saussure’s different types of semiotic texts.

Answer 47

• Verbal language (written and spoken)
• Nonverbal language (visuel, bodily)
• Mixed language (multimedia)

Question 48

Please explain the connection between verbal and nonverbal language and reality.

Answer 48

Verbal and nonverbal language constructs reality rather than reflect it.

Question 49

Who is behind the theory of Types of Signs?

Answer 49

Charles Pierce

Question 50

Please explain the triadic model (Pierce).

Answer 50

The Triadic model says that meaning arises in the interaction between the representamen (the form of the signifier), the object (what the sign refers to) and the interpretant (the sense made of the sign).

Question 51

Pierce says interpretation depends on sign types. Please mention the 3 types of signs and elaborate on them.

Answer 51

• Iconic signs (pictures, diagrams, metaphoric analogy)
• Indexical signs (footprints, bullet holes, wine labels, street signs, non-manipulated photos, proper names)
• Symbolic signs (language, pictograms, street signs)

Question 52

Who is behind the theories of connotation and the photographic message?

Answer 52

Roland Barthes.

Question 53

Barthes says signs communicate through connotations. Please mention the different types of connoted messages and elaborate on their effect/meaning.

Answer 53

• The connoted linguistic message (captions+labels)
• The coded iconic message (the connoted image, multiple readings/connotions are possible, is culturally coded)
• The un-coded iconic message (“Trust me, I’m a photographer”, cleared of connotations, should be objective, makes sign og culture seem like signs of nature)

Question 54

Please explain the difference between anchorage and relay.

Answer 54

They are both verbal text, that points to the meaning of the image.
Anchorage gives a tunnel sight to the viewer.
Relay is the relation in which the text adds or alters the meaning of the image, so when you look at the first written text the meaning could be one, but when reading the other the meaning changes.

Question 55

Please elaborate on the concept the photographic paradox (Barthes photographic message).

Answer 55

The photographs paradox states that photography is an analogical medium, it appears to be a denoted message. Barthes believes this to be fake.

Question 56

Barthes says the first layer of meaning in a photograph is productive vs. receptive connotation. Please explain these concepts.

Answer 56

Productive is based on selection, composition and treatment of the photo.
Receptive is based on the receiver and how this connects the sign of the image to a stock of signs.

Question 57

Please mention Barthes 7 photographic connotators:

Answer 57

• Trick effects: intervention on the denotative level.
• Pose: denotation, connotation, signification.
• Object signs: adding meaning as props, refers to stock of signs
• Photogenia: connotation through embellishment (lightning, exposure, colour, blurring)
• Aestheticism: visual intertextuality
• Syntax: suprasegmental connotation – a series of photo fragments combined to create new connotations.