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Language and Verbal Communication - Coggle Diagram
Language and Verbal
Communication
Interpersonal
Communication
the use of language and verbal communication in social interaction.
the communicator might have a specific communicative intention, and they have to translate it into a particular form of words.
this may or may not be a perfect representation of the communicative intention.
what the recipient receives is the message, and their job is to use their communicative capacity to decode and make sense of the message they receive.
the communicator has to send a message using a particular channel > auditory in verbal > speech.
many opportunities for mistakes, misrepresentations, and faulty decoding.
wrong choice of words, the channel may limit the amount of communication that can be conveyed, and the recipient may make mistakes in decoding.
verbal communication is intrinsically difficult, complex, and demanding.
Verbal vs
Communication
differences in
channel capacity (verbal is more limited, usually only one person can speak at a time)
speed (verbal is slower)
level of conscious control (verbal requires more attentive processing)
functions
verbal communication
is conscious, often contains a lot of symbolic, abstract content, and the ability to send messages is constrained by language.
nonverbal communication
is best suited for communicating attitudes (facial expressions, tone of voice, posture), and emotions.
also used for channel control; use nonverbal signals to negotiate how turn-taking in speech will occur.
also effective in managing social situations > initiating, maintaining and terminating social encounters. can only start speaking after you've gained the floor using nonverbal signals, and termination can only occur with subtle disagreement.
usually done without conscious control > automatic.
Verbal Communication:
Human Language Use
is language uniquely human > in what way does human language relate, is different or similar to different communication systems (like in animals)?
the way we can distinguish between human language and animal communication is in terms of analysing the design features in each of the communication systems they have.
hockett > 13 features of human language. only 4 are unique to humans.
productivity:
can generate an unlimited number of new utterances, concepts, and content.
displacement:
can refer to non-present, abstract or imaginary content.
traditional (cultural) transmission:
language passed on through generations, allowing learning and accumulation of experience.
duality:
messages composed of smaller unity that can be re-combined to produce different meanings.
the creative nature of human language > productivity and duality.
figurative language > similies, metaphors, oxymorons, hyperboles.
words can be put together in creative ways to create and communicate new shades of meaning.
Language on the Basis
of Culture and Civilisation
medium of group coordination > survival > evolutionary.
language is essential for transmitting human experience through the ages > preservation, cultural evolution.
essential for the creation and representation of abstract fictional systems like religion, fake news, consensual delusions, and the tribal mind.
group integration and tribal thinking.
Language Acquisition
ability to learn and effectively use language by age 2.
nativist (chomsky, LAD)
humans learn language because they are born with a language acquisition 'device' (LAD) that makes it possible to learn language very quickly at a very young age.
the brain is born programmed to learn the skill.
the role of social interaction (bruner)
most resembles social psychology accounts.
what children learn from the first day of their lives is communication, turn-taking, and responding to the adults in their environment.
very sophisticated nonverbal communication is learned before they even start speaking.
by continuously interacting with the world, children acquire a very sophisticated nonverbal repertoire. once the ability to use language emerges, it takes the place of pre-existing communication capabilities.
learning/reinforcement (skinner)
language acquisition is simply a function of learning and reinforcement > vocalisation by a child gets reinforced as they produce word-like sounds.
however, even young children show creativity in combining language and creative new sentences that have never been reinforced in the past.
unlikely to be a complete explanation.
Language and the
Representation
of Reality
how does language categorise reality?
language is not a precise or accurate representation of reality > different languages use different linguistic terms > culture plays a part.
language tends to use the simplest category system that still maximises communicative content.
there are also historical, cultural and coincidental influences.
the words we have to map reality are partly arbitrary and subject to the coincidence of historical changes.
Language is
Indexical
the meaning of utterances is dependent on and refers to indexes already existing in shared knowledge between the communicator and the recipient.
speech is always incomplete, and its meaning relies on what is already assumed as shared knowledge.
the meaning of any sentence depends on context.
anything can be made to mean almost anything, depending on the pre-existing shared knowledge.
How Language Shapes
the Way We Think
language as the medium of social communication and language as the medium of social thought.
language is the link between communicative (external) and symbolic (internal) functions.
shapir > whorf hypothesis.
cultures have different linguistic repertoires and think about reality in very different ways.
when you have different words, you have a different representation of reality.
Language and
Identity
as groups and communities communicate, they are going to create unique terms that only they use and understand > unique jargon terms.
secondary function: helps us to indicate our belonging to a particular identity group.
medical jargon, legal jargon, psychological jargon.
The Politics of Language: Manipulating
Language to Control Thinking
current language control strategies and political correctness
eliminating and changing disapproved words > people thinking disapproved thoughts will be changed.
forbidden expression; homosexual, specific labels for migrations, specific labels for different races.
whenever a new term is invented, after a while, it tends to gain the negative connotations of the earlier term that it replaced.
cultural attitudes prevail even when the language is intentionally chnaged.
current language control strategies and political correctness
language rules to eliminate binary sex categories by using terms like chest feeding instead of breastfeeding, birthing person instead of woman.
some words are designed to communicate disapproval or abnormality of attitudes that are unacceptable or politically incorrect (homophobic, transphobic, etc).
aspects of social control: woke, cancel culture, call-out, virtue signalling.
if we can regulate the communicative functions of language, we might be able to control or regulate what people think.
if we make sure then people use language in a particular way, then they eventually might not be able to think in any other way.
has been implemented in cultures in the past > nazi germany, soviet union, etc.
inhibit certain forms of language, and insist that people in public communication use language in a particular way that dictators approve of.
historically has had little success > and failed to change the beliefs and attitudes of the citizens.
Language in
Everyday Use
pragmatics, as opposed to semantics (meaning) and grammar (structure)
conversational rules - Grice's (1975) to be an effective communicator
quantity: to be as informative and necessary, but not more so than needed.
quality: truthfulness and reliability
relevance: only relevant information
manner: avoid obscurity and ambiguity, and be brief and orderly.
verbal leakage: revealing unintended information.
eg: using past/present tense indicates whether past traumas are resolved or not.
when experiencing a negative mood, people process information more slowly and more attentively and communicate more effectively.
disqualification/equivocation: using noncommittal language > saying something that means nothing.
word choice (level of abstraction) reveals subconscious preferences and identity.
linguistic intergroup bias.
ingroup descriptions: positive features described in abstract, general terms. negative features in concrete, specific, and limited terms.
outgroup descriptions: positive features described in concrete, specific, and limited terms. negative features in abstract, general terms.