Understanding Human Comm Chapter 4

Question 1

Language is Symbolic

Answer 1

Language: a collection of symbols governed by rules and used to convey messages between individuals.

Symbols: arbitrary constructions that represent a communicator’s thought.

Question 2

Meanings Are in People, Not Words

Answer 2

Ogden and Richard Triangle of Meaning

Question 3

Language is Rule Governed

Answer 3

1. Phonological Rules
2. Syntactic Rules
3. Semantic Rules
4. Pragmatic Rules

Question 4

Phonological Rules

Answer 4

Govern how words sound when pronounces.

Question 5

Syntactic Rules

Answer 5

Govern the structure of language- the way symbols can be arranged.

Question 6

Semantic Rules

Answer 6

Deal with the meaning of specific words.

Question 7

Pragmatic Rules

Answer 7

Govern how people use language in everyday interaction, which communication theorists have charactorized as a series of speech acts.

Question 8

Language Shapes Attitude

Answer 8

• Naming
• Credibility
• Status
• Sexism and Racism

Question 9

Language Reflects Attitude

Answer 9

• Power
• Affiliation
• Attraction and Interest
• Responsibility

Question 10

Troublesome Language

Answer 10

• Equivocal Language- have more than one correct dictionary definition.
• Relative Words- gain their maening by comparison.
• Slang and Jargon- Slang is language used by a group of people whose members belong to a similar coculture or other group. Jargon- specialized vocabulary that functions as a kind of short hand for people with common background and experiance.
• Overly Abstract Language- objects, events, and ideas can be described with varying degrees of specificaty.

Question 11

Disruptive Language

Answer 11

• Confusing Facts and Opinion.
• Confusing Facts and Inferences- conclusion arrived from interpretation of evidence.
• Emotive Language- descripition anouncing attidude.

Question 12

Evasive Language

Answer 12

• Euphemisms
• Equivocation- a deliberately vague statement that can be interpreted in more than one way.

Question 13

Gender and Language

Answer 13

• Content
• Reasons for Communicating
• Conversational Style
• Nongender Variables

Question 14

Culture and Language

Answer 14

• Verbal Communication Language
  
  • Direct-Indirect
  • Elaborate-Succinct
  • Formal-Informal

Question 15

Language and Worldview

Answer 15

Linguistic Relativism- language exerts a srtong influence on the perception of the people who speak it.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis- theory that the structure of a language shapes the worldview of its users.