Download To Communicate

7th Edition
John D. DeLamater
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Daniel J. Myers
University of Notre Dame
1
Chapter 6
Symbolic Communication and
Language
2
A few sentences

“Picasso enjoyed painting his models
nude.”

“Visiting relatives can be boring.”

“My son has grown another foot.”

“I saw the man with binoculars.”

“The man who hunts ducks out on
weekends.”
“I cannot recommend this person too
highly.”

To Communicate . . .

The Latin verb communicare means “to make
common to many, share, impart, divide.”
When you communicate:

You share, or make common, your
knowledge and ideas with someone else.

Communication: The sharing of meaning by
sending
and receiving
symbolic cues.
Triangle of Meaning
(Charles Ogen & I. A. Richard’s)



The interpreter
– Person communicating with symbols
The symbol
– Anything to which people attach a
meaning
The referent
– Object or idea for which symbol
stands
The Triangle of Meaning
Interpreter
(Speaker or Listener)
Jaguar
Symbol
………
Referent
CHANNEL
Message
SPEAKER
LISTENER
Decoder
Encoder
Decoder
Encoder
Feedback
CHANNEL
Interactive Model of
Communication
Communication and Symbols
10
Communication and Symbols

Communication:
– How people transmit information
about ideas, feelings, & intentions

Symbols:
– Arbitrary forms that refer to ideas,
feelings, intentions, and objects
– Represent our experiences so that
others can perceive them through
sounds, gestures, pictures…
11
Language and Verbal Communication

Spoken language:
– Socially acquired system of sound
patterns
– with meanings agreed on by the
members of a group

Words:
– Symbols basis for language
construction
12
Advantages of Language
Frees us from constraints of
here and now.
2. Allows us to communicate with
others about experiences we do
not share directly.
3. Enables us to transmit, preserve,
and create culture.
1.
13
Verbal & Non-verbal Communication
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfDWQG47pAQ
14
The Encoder-Decoder Model

Communication as a process:
–An idea or feeling is encoded
into symbols by a source,
–transmitted to a receiver and
–decoded into the original idea or
feeling.
15
The Encoder-Decoder Model
16
Class Activity and Discussion

Take turns communicating with the
student next to you using only
nonverbal symbols.

Afterwards, find out what your
classmate thought you were
communicating.
– Was it what you intended to
communicate?
17
Linguistic Communication
Spoken languages include:
 Sounds,
 Words,
 Meanings, and
 Grammatical rules
18
Linguistic Communication

1.
Components that must be recognized
for people to understand a string of
words:
Distinct sounds (phonetic components)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8bIXVG-7zc&feature=related
2. Combination of sounds into words
(morphologic component)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwjuNMoNBHU
3. Conventions for putting words together
(syntactic component)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOQqVXLuv-M
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Intentionalist Model

Communication involves the exchange
of communicative intentions.

Messages are means to this end.
– On the screen at the local theatre
there is an announcement, “Please
silence your cell phone, Thank you”.
– Viewers understand the intent of
message is not to disturb other
viewers.
20
Intentionalist Model

Basic unit of communication is the
message
– Desire of speaker to communicate

No fixed, one-to-one relation between
words and intended effects
Speaker can use a variety of messages
to achieve intended effect

21
“Get me a drink of lemonade.”
1.
Get me a glass of lemonade.
2.
Can you get me some lemonade?
3.
Would you get me some lemonade?
4.
Would you get me something to drink?
5.
Would you mind if I asked you to get me some
lemonade?
6.
I’m thirsty.
7.
How is that lemonade we bought?
8.
Did you buy some lemonade at the store?
22
Speech Act Theory

Utterances: State something and Do
something.

All utterances (previous slide) perform
an action; each has the force of a
request.

Significance is not its literal meaning,
But what it contributes to the work of
the interaction in which it occurs.

23
The Perspective-Taking Model

Process of communication as
both
–(1) Creating and
–(2) Reflecting a shared context

Communication:
–Requires reciprocal role taking
24
Intersubjectivity

Participant needs information on:
–Other’s status,
–Definition of situation, and
–Plans or intentions
25
Types of Nonverbal Communication

Paralanguage
–Vocal aspects of speech other
than words

Body language
–Silent movement of body parts
26
Types of Nonverbal Communication


Interpersonal spacing cues
– Positioning selves at varying
distances and
– Angles from others
Personal effects
– What a person wears that
communicates information about
that person.
27
Types of Nonverbal
Communication

Approximate 250,000
different facial expressions

Nonverbal communication
uses many other bodily and
gestural cues
28
Types of Nonverbal
Communication
29
President Bush’s 2005 Inauguration



President Bush did not
know that:
In Mediterranean
cultures, this gesture
implies that a man has
an unfaithful wife.
In parts of Africa it is
used to impose a curse
on another person.
30
11/1 The Complexity of
Communication

Combining:
 Languages,

Interpersonal
spacing,

Body language
 to share a secret
31
Combining Nonverbal and Verbal
Communication





Multiple cues:
Convey added information,
Reduce ambiguity, and
Increase accuracy of communication
Resolve inconsistencies
– Messages can be evaluated separately and
weighted
– Facial cues first,
– Then paralanguage and
– Verbal cues
32
Communicating Status and
Intimacy

Status
– Exercise of power and control

Intimacy
– Expression of affiliation and affection

Verbal and nonverbal communication
express and maintain particular levels of
intimacy and relative status
33
Quiz Question

Which of the following statements are
correct? (select more than one)
a. Superiors use formal address (title and
last name) for their inferiors.
b. Superiors address inferiors with familiar
forms (first name or nickname).
c. Status equals use the same form of
address with one another.
d. Inferiors use formal address (title and last
name) for their superiors.
34
Code Switching

Choosing a language for a particular
situation
– May reflect the desire to maintain
or revitalize an ethnic community
Example:
 San Juan Pueblo councilmen would
switch back and forth between
speaking Tewa and speaking English
during council meetings.
35
Theory of Speech Accommodation
Individuals to express liking alter their
1. pronunciation
2. speech rate
3. vocal intensity
4. pause lengths
5. utterance lengths
To match those of their partner
To communicate disapproval
 Modify these vocal behaviors to be different
36
from partner’s
Fallacies about Listening
 Listening is not my problem!
 Listening and hearing are the



same
Good readers are good
listeners
Smarter people are better
listeners
Listening improves with age
Listening
 Learning not to listen
 Thinking about what we are going to
say rather than listening to a
speaker
 Talking when we should be listening
 Hearing what we expect to hear
rather than what is actually said
 Not paying attention
( preoccupation, prejudice, selfcenteredness, stereotype)
 Listening skills are difficult to learn
38
How to Be an Effective Listener
Understand complexities of
listening
Prepare to listen
Adjust to the situation
Focus on ideas or key points
Capitalize on the speed differential
Organize material for learning
How to Be an Effective Listener
Want to listen
Delay judgment
Admit your biases
Don’t tune out “dry” subjects
Accept responsibility for
understanding
Encourage others to talk
How to Be an Effective Listener
Establish eye contact with speaker
Take notes effectively
Be a physically involved listener
Avoid negative mannerisms
Exercise your listening muscles
Follow the Golden Rule