Language: Barrier or Bridge
Chapter Summary
•Language Is Symbolic
•Understanding and Misunderstanding
•The Impact of Language
•Gender and Language
•Culture and Language
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
1
Language is Symbolic
Signs
•Signs have a direct connection with communication.
•Language is symbolic.
•Symbols enable more effective communication.
•Not all languages use the same symbols.
•Messages mean different things to different people.
•“Take a little off the top,” means one thing to you and another to
the barber.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
2
Understanding and
Misunderstanding
Understanding Words
•Semantic Rules
•The way users of language assign meaning to a word
•Bikes are for riding, and books are for reading.
•Equivocation
•Statements that have more than one associated meaning
•Some amusing newspaper headlines:
•“Family Catches Fire Just in Time; “Trees can break wind”; and
“Man Stuck on Toilet - Stool Suspected.”
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
3
Understanding and
Misunderstanding
Understanding Words
•Relative Language
•Words that gain meaning by comparison
•“Fast and Slow,” “Smart and Stupid,” “Short and Long”
•Relative language is not always clear.
•How cheap is cheap?
•Static Evaluation
•Statements that contain or imply the word “is”
•Subscripting is a device that reduces static evaluation.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
4
Understanding and
Misunderstanding
Understanding Words
•Abstraction
•Abstract vs. Behavior Language
•Specific things people do or say
•Overly abstract language can lead to
serious problems.
•Specific language can be undesirable and
even seen as rude.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
FIGURE 5.1
Page 161
5
Understanding and
Misunderstanding
Understanding Structure
•Syntactic Rules
•Govern the grammar of language
•Tend to be noticed when they’re violated
•African-American English (AAE)
•Important to look past syntax in order to avoid
miscommunication
•“I be angry,” vs. “I am angry.”
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
6
Understanding and
Misunderstanding
Understanding Context
•Pragmatic Rules
•Pragmatic rules govern the way speech works in everyday
interaction.
•Pragmatic rules govern common sayings such as:
•“How’s it going?” and “What’s up?”
•If someone were to answer these questions literally, we’d be
confused.
•Even email has PRAGMATIC RULES!!! (stop yelling)
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
7
The Impact of Language
Naming and Identity
•Research suggests that names are more than just
means of identification.
•Names can shape and reinforce a child's identity.
•Naming a child after a family member can create a bond.
•Names also play a role in the identity of groups.
•Labeling of ethnic groups has changed as our culture has
developed different sensitivities.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
8
The Impact of Language
Affiliation
•Communicators are attracted to those with similar
speaking styles.
•Communicators who wish to show group affiliation will adapt.
•This process is called convergence.
•Convergence can also take place in the virtual world.
•E-mail and IM users have commonly recognized acronyms:
•“LOL,” “ROTFL,” “JK,” and “BRB.”
•Can you think of any others?
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
9
The Impact of Language
Power
Notice the difference between the two statements:
“Excuse me, sir. I hate to say this, but I . . . uh . . . I guess I won’t be
able to turn in the assignment on time. I had a personal emergency,
and . . . well . . .it was just impossible to finish it by today. I’ll have it on
your desk on Monday, OK?”
or
“I won’t be able to turn in the assignment on time. I had a personal
emergency, and it was impossible to finish it by today. I’ll have it on
your desk Monday.”
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
10
The Impact of Language
Disruptive Language
•Opinion Statements
•Opinion statements can never be proved or disproved.
•Consider these examples from page 173.
Fact
Opinion
You forgot my birthday.
You don’t care about me.
You keep interrupting me.
You’re a control freak.
You tell a lot of ethnic jokes.
You’re a bigot.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
11
The Impact of Language
Disruptive Language
•Fact-Inference Confusion
•Conclusions arrived at from an interpretation of evidence
•Instead of trying to guess the other person’s emotion, use the
skill of perception checking we learned in Chapter 3.
•Emotive Language
•Seems to describe something but actually announces the
speaker’s attitude toward it
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
12
The Impact of Language
Disruptive Language
•Remember to take responsibility for your emotions.
•Non-emotive statements are more accurate and have
a better chance of being received accurately by others.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
13
The Impact of Language
The Language of Responsibility
•“It”
•These statements replace the personal pronoun “I” with “it.”
•“I” language clearly Identifies the speaker.
•“But”
•The word “but” cancels the thought before it.
•“You’re a really great person, but I think we should see other people.”
•“You’ve done great work for us, but we’re going to have to let you
go.”
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
14
The Impact of Language
The Language of Responsibility
•“I” and “You” Language
•“I” language accepts responsibility.
•“You” expresses judgment.
•“You left this place a mess!”
•“You didn’t keep your promise!”
•“You” language doesn’t have to contain the word “you.”
•“That was a stupid joke,” translates to “Your jokes are stupid.”
•“Mind your own business,” translates to “You’re too nosey.”
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
15
The Impact of Language
The Language of Responsibility
•A complete “I” statement has four elements. It describes
•the other person’s behavior;
•your interpretation;
•your feelings;
•the consequence that the other person’s behavior has for you.
•Even the best “I” statements won’t work unless they’re
delivered correctly.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
16
The Impact of Language
The Language of Responsibility
•“We” Language
•Implies the issue is the concern of both parties
•“We need to figure out a budget that doesn’t bankrupt us.”
•“We aren’t doing a very good job of keeping this place clean.”
•“We” language suggests that “we’re” in this together.
•“We” statements are not always appropriate.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
17
Gender and Language
Content
•Conversation Traits
Male
Female
•Music
•Current events
•Sports
•Business
•Other men
•Personal and domestic subjects
•Relationships
•Family
•Health
•Reproductive matters
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
18
Gender and Language
Reasons for Communicating
•The goals of almost all ordinary conversations contain
•Being friendly;
•Showing interest;
•Talking about topics that interest the other person.
•If these rules are ignored, the conversation can become
unpleasant for all who are involved.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
19
Gender and Language
Conversational Style
•Women ask more questions in mixed-sex conversations.
•Men tend to interrupt more in mixed-sex conversations.
•Women use conversation to pursue social needs.
•Statements of emotion are much more common:
•“I’ve felt the same way myself.”
•“How did you feel about that?”
•Accommodating language is not always a disadvantage.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
20
Gender and Language
Nongender Variables
•The link between gender and language is not clear cut.
•The language between the sexes is more similar than different.
•Woman use less powerful language.
•Historical role in society at large
•Powerless speech can help build rapport.
•Men and women speak within their gender roles.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
21
Culture and Language
Verbal Communication Styles
•Each language has its own unique style.
•Verbal styles vary in their directness.
•High-context cultures
•Value language to maintain social harmony
•Low-context cultures
•Value language to express thoughts and feelings
•Is the language Elaborate or Succinct?
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
22
Culture and Language
Language and Worldview
•Linguistic Relativism
•The worldview of a culture is shaped and reflected by
the language its members speak.
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
23
Language: Barrier or Bridge
Chapter Summary
•Language Is Symbolic
•Understanding and Misunderstanding
•The Impact of Language
•Gender and Language
•Culture and Language
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
24