Download VERBAL MESSAGES

VERBAL MESSAGES
OUR FOUR MAJOR CONCERNS WILL BE:
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WORDS AND MEANING
FORMULATING VERBAL MESSAGES
LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT
WORDS IN ACTION
WORDS AND MEANING
 Words, the basic elements of language, are verbal
symbols.
A word is merely “a verbal symbol of the object for which it
stands”.
Iron
verbal symbol

referent
 a symbol is something used for or regarded as something
else. (the image of a lion can serve as a symbol of courage).
(Güneş- sun-sonne). (a musical sign-symbol)
Sign  when you speak to someone you are making signs at
them.
Once we learn a system of verbal symbols (signs) we can use
language to communicate.
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Words are meaningful only after we associate them with
some referrents.
It is human beings who assign meanings to words.
DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION
Denotation : the primary associations a word has for most
members of a given linguistic community.
Connotation: secondary associations a word has for one
or more members of that community.
Negative – Positive Connotation
Words can elicit such powerful emotional reactions, they
are often said to have negative or positive connotations for
people.  senior citizens (instead of elderly)
Reebok example.
 Culture and Connotation – in class.
PRIVATE AND SHARED MEANINGS
...when examined closely the distinction between them
seems to breakdown.
Because even within the members of the same linguistic
community, certain groups may exist, for whom the
denotations, the primary associations,of a given word are
different.
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Private meaning
Assigning meaning to words without agreement, and in
effect, creating our own private language. To call “red” to
a“tree”.
Shared meaning
We can communicate with someone only if we let that
person what the referents of our words are.
Shared meanings requires some correspondence between
the message as perceived by the sender and the receiver.
MESSAGE ENCODING (FORMULATING VERBAL
MESSAGES)
There are many ways of formulating a single message. Encoding
occurs differently in different communication contexts.
Encoding: an internal activity in which verbal and nonverbal
behaviors are selected and arranged according to the rules of
grammer and syntax applicable to the language being used to
create messages.
Decoding: (the other half of the process): the receiver’s internal
processing of a message and the attribution of meaning to the
source’s behaviors.
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Language does two important things:
1) Aids Memory: It makes memory more
efficient by allowing us to code events as
verbal categories. It is believed that an
adult’s memory is primarily verbal.
2) Abstract from our experience.
(something animals unable to do.
LANGUAGE PROBLEMS
How we use language causes communication
problems.
An imprecise use of language interferes with our
thought processes. Languge can sometimes
interfere with our ability to think critically:
1. Abstract Language: vagueness of words.
As concepts become vague, or abstract, it gets harder
to decode the intended message. The more abstract
the term, the greater our chances of misunderstanding.
 to avoid ambiguity we must use precise wording to
clarify meaning; as in legal contracts.
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2. Inferences:conclusions/judgments derived from
evidence or assumptions.
 Inferences are common/essential to everyday life.
 To improve we must listen to distinguish between
fact amd interference.
 In English “to be” verbs make no distinction
between fact and inference.
3. Dichotomies: polar words.
 English is two valued rather than “multivalued”
" has an excess of polar words and a
relative scarcity of words to describe the wide
middle ground between these opposites. The child
is “good” or “bad”.
 False dichotomies oversimplify and lose
information.
 To avoid false dichotomies ask “how much” or “to
what extent”.
4. Euphemism: mild words to substitute more
blunt words.
 Often the problem created by using euphemisms is
that the intent may be conveyed but not the degree
to which the intent is felt.
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5. Equivocal Language has two or more possible
interpretations.
Misunderstandings occur because people assume that a
word or a phrase or even a sentence is unequivocal- that
is, it has only one meaning.
 The term “ ‘one word one meaning’ fallacy” refers
to the assumption that one word have only one
meaning .
 Two sources of confusion about words or phrases:
1) if we use the same word, we must agree (but
each of us interpret the ord differently)
2) if we use different words, we musy disagree
(but we may be using different words that have the
same referrent).
3) Five variables operate in interpreting words:
-context, -knowledge of the speaker and the
speaker’s use of language, -our own associations
with words, -our previous relationship, and -the
messages we have alraedy exchanged.
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WORDS IN ACTION
HOW LANGUAGE INFLUENCES HUMAN
ACTION
 In ancient times words were believed to have
direct magical power.
 Emprical studies show that a a speaker’s use
of profane words affects our judgment of
his/her credibility. Three classes of profanity
were used: religious, excretory, sexual.
sexual profanity –provoked or unprovokedseemed to bring the speaker significantly lower
credibility ratings.
 In public speaking eloquence (effective use of
language) is dramatic/stirring use of language.
 Some words have more perceived prestige than
others. Sometimes our decisions are based on
how a thing is labelled: a “classic” car instead
of old.
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SEXIST LANGUAGE
 It is discussed that: English is sexist: it reflects a
bias affecting how women are perceived and
treated by others, and sometimes how they
regard themselves.
 Males are often associates with positive
connotations, females with negative ones
(strong vs. fickle)
 In a research, it was found that more negative
words were used for females than males.
 Names for women are formed by adding the
“ess” marker. (actress, waitress)
 Metaphors used for men and women also differ.
Women are often referred to using animal
(chick) or food (cookie) metaphors.
 Generic term usage of “man”and “his” makes
women invisible. In the last decade, the use of
such variants as “his or her”, “he/she” became
more widespread.
(businessmanbusinessperson”
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POWERFUL AND POWERLESS LANGUAGE
 Powerless speech includes
tag questions “isn’t it?”
hegdes (kinda) – “I think”
disclaimers “I probably shouldn’t say this”,
hesitations “ımmmm, well”
 Feminine type of politeness: exaggeration,
hedging, illogical sequence, nonassertation is
perceived as less competent but warmer.
 Powerful style is considered more competent
and attractive.
METACOMMUNICATION
Metacommunication is communication about
communication.
 Any comment directed at the way in which a
person communicates is an example of
metacommunication.
 It conflicts about relationships, metacomm. is
difficult.
 In more supportive situations, it helps build
self-awareness.
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