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Chapter 4: Language (Gender and Language (Men and women communicate for…
Chapter 4: Language
Gender and Language
Men and women communicate for different reasons. Often true
Women are emotionally expressive. Often true
Where romance is concerned, it's complicated. Undeniable.
Men don't show their feelings. Partly true, partly false
Men and women talk about different things. True sometimes
Women's speech is typically powerless, and men's is more powerful. False
Women talk more than men. False
Men and women are hardwired to communicate differently. Partly true, but less than many people assume
Metaphorically speaking, men are from Mars, and women are from Venus. False
Men and women are socialized to communicate differently. True
The Nature of Language
Meanings Are In People, Not Words
As with symbols, the place to look for meaning in language isn't in the words themselves but rather in the way people make sense of them. This model show that there's only an indirect relationship-indicated by a broken line-between a word and what it claims to represent.
dialect
: A version of the same language that includes substantially different words and meanings
denotative message
: Formally recognized definitions for words, as in those found in a dictionary
language
: A collection of symbols, governed by rules and used to convey message between individuals
connotative message
: Informal, implied interpretation for words and phrases that reflect the people, cultures, emotion and situations involved
The spoken word belongs half to the one who speaks it and half to the one who hears
Language Is Rule Governed
Language contain several types of rules
phonological rules
: Linguistic rules governing how sounds are combined to form words
For example:
He could lead if he would get the lead out
A farm can produce produce
The dump was so full it had to refuse refuse
The present is a good time to present the present
From my own experience:
He commented a really impressive comment on Facebook
syntactic rules
: Rules that govern the ways in which symbols can be arranged as opposed to the meanings of those symbols
For example:
Have you the cookies brought? (German order)
Technology ha spawned versions of English with their own syntactic rules. (@ =at, cause=cuz, tomorrow=tmr, TTLT= talk to you later, etc.
From my own experience:
In my country, to teenagers, when using social media such as chatting with each other, we have created "teencode" which means using our original language, but being informal and shorten the words so as to save time and to bemore unique.
Semantic rules:
Rules that governs the meaning of language as opposed to its structure
For example:
The peacemaking meeting schedule for today has been canceled due to a conflict
Pragmatic rules:
Rules that govern how people use language in everyday interaction
The episode in which the comment occurs
Perceived relationship
Each person 's self-concept
Cultural Background
reapproprition:
The process by which members of a marginalized group reframe the meaning of a term that has historically been used in a derogatory way
Language is Symbolic
Not all linguistic symbols are spoken or written words. Sign language, as "spoken" by most Deaf people, is symbolic in nature and not the pantomime it might seem to nonsigners.
Symbols are more than just labels: They are the way we experience the world.
The naming process operates in the virtually every situation.
Troublesome Language
The Language of Misunderstandings
Equivocal Language
: Words that have more than one dictionary definition
Useful strategies for reducing equivocal misunderstandings.
If you are the receiver, double check the sender’s meaning of equivocal terms.
If you are the sender, use lower-level abstractions to clarify the meaning of equivocal terms.
If you are in a multicultural context, ask the receiver to verify their understanding of your message, especially if their nonverbal suggest confusion.
Relative Words
: Words that gain their meaning by comparison
Slang and Jargon
slang
: Language used by a group of people whose members belong to a similar coculture or other group
jargon
: Specialized vocabulary used as a kind of shorthand by people with common backgrounds and experience
Overly Abstract Language
abstraction ladder
: A range of more- to less-abstract terms describing an event or object
abstraction language
: Language that lacks specificity or does not refer to observable behavior or other sensory data
behavioral description
: An account that refers only to observable phenomena
In what circumstances does the behavior occur?
Who is involved?
What behaviors are involved?
Disruptive Language
Confusing Facts and Inferences
inferential statement
: A conclusion arrived at from an nterpretation of evidence
Confusing Facts and Opinions
factual statement
: A statement that can be verified as being true or false
opinion statement
: A statement based on the speaker's beliefs
Emotive Language
: Language that conveys an attitude rather than simply offering an objective description
Evasive Languge
euphemism
: A mild or indirect term or expression used in place of a more direct but less pleasant one
equipvocation:
A deliberately vague statement that can be interpreted in more than one way
The Power of Language
Language Reflects Values, Attitudes, and Beliefs
Affiliation
: Power isn't the only language reflects the status of relationships. Language can also be a way of building and demonstrating solidarity with others. Communicators can experience convergence online as well as in face-to-face interactions. Members of online communities often develop a shared language and controversial style, and their affiliation with one another can be seen in increased uses of the pronoun we.
convergence
: Accommodating one's speaking style to another person, usually a person who is desirable or has higher status
linguistic intergroup bias
: The tendency to label people and behaviors in terms that reflect their in-group or out-group status
divergence
: A linguistic strategy in which speakers emphasize differences between their communicate style and that of others to create distance
Attraction and Interest
: Social customs discourage us from expressing like or dislike in many situations. Even when people are reluctant to speak candidly, the language they use can suggest their degree of interest and attraction toward a person, object, or idea.
Negation
Sequential placement
Demonstrative pronoun choice
Power
: Americans typically consider language powerful when it is clear, assertive, and direct. By contrast, language is often labeled powerless when it suggests that a speaker is uncertain, hesitant, intensely emotional, deferential, or nonassertive
Responsibility
In addition to suggesting liking and importance, language can reveal the speaker's willingness to accept responsibility for a message
"But" statements
Questions versus statements
"You" versus "I" statements
"It" versus "I" statements
Language Shapes Values, Attitudes, and Beliefs
Naming
: At the most fundamental level, some research suggests that even the phonetic sound of person's name affects the way we regard him or her, at least when we don't have other information available. Names also play a role in shaping and reinforcing indentity
From my own experience:
In my country, the way for parents to have their children' name often come up with the meaningful things. For example: My name is Tran, which means something really precious and valuable in Vietnamese. It shows that I am very important to my parents.
Credibility
: Speech style - and the credibility associated with it - also influence perception. Scholarly speaking is a good example: Even an impostor who sounds smart and speaks well may impress an audience.
From my experience
: Having the same story to audience, however, the meaning and feeling of audience after listening might be slightly or significantly different depending on the narrators. It will be more impressive with the creditable narrators, who have more communicating skill and more alluringness than the another one.