Language

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Language

• The World of Words

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The Nature of Language
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Language is Symbolic

• Symbols are Arbitrary
• Symbols are Ambiguous
• Symbols are Abstract

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Language is Rule-Guided

• Phonological Rules how language sounds
• Syntactic Rules how symbols are arranged
• Semantic Rules meanings attributed to symbols
• Pragmatic Rules inform about appropriate
  interpretations of symbols
• Regulative rules
• Constitutive rules

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Language is Subjective

• We each ascribe different meanings to the same
  words/language.
• Meanings are in people, not in words
• Its punctuation again!

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Dear John I want a man who knows what love is all
about you are generous kind thoughtful people who
are not like you admit to being useless and
inferior you have ruined me for other men I yearn
for you I have no feelings whatsoever when we're
apart I can be forever happy will you let me be
yours Gloria
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Dear John, I want a man who knows what love is
all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful.
People who are not like you admit to being
useless and inferior. You have ruined me for
other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings
whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever
happy - will you let me be yours? Gloria
Dear John, I want a man who knows what love is.
All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful
people, who are not like you. Admit to being
useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For
other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings
whatsoever. When we're apart, I can be forever
happy. Will you let me be? Yours, Gloria
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Discuss your groups quotation, and come up with
a concrete example of the point being made in the
quotation. Group 1 I know you believe you
understand what you think I said, but Im not
sure you realize that what you heard is not what
I meant. Group 2 When I use a word, Humpty
Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, it
means just as I choose it to mean neither more
nor less. Group 3 Learn a new language and
get a new soul. Group 4 What s in a name?
That which we call a rose by any other name
would smell as sweet.
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(No Transcript)
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The Impact of Language
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We can think about language as being
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We can think about language as being
Expressive
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We can think about language as being or
Expressive
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We can think about language as being or
Expressive
Oppressive
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Naming and Identity
CAT

• Language shapes our identity
• Language shapes our perceptions of others
• Naming something makes it real to us
• Naming the problem
• Validation

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Credibility and Status

• Your use of language influences how credible
  others perceive you to be, and how much status
  they afford you.
• You make judgments about others credibility
  and status based on their language use.
• so
• By monitoring how you use language, you can
  help
• others see you as having more power and
  credibility.
• But we also stereotype about others based on
  what we think is proper or improper
  language, and others stereotype us.

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Affiliation, Attraction, and Interest
The language we use helps us to fit in with
others, or to differentiate ourselves from
others. Convergence Divergence
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Power

• Powerful (?) speech mannerisms
• Directness
• Conversational control
• Less responsive

• Less powerful (?) speech mannerisms
• Hedges
• Hesitations
• Intensifiers
• Polite forms
• Tag questions
• Disclaimers

Gender and Culture Variations
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Racism and Sexism

• Language defines race and gender
• Can be inclusive or exclusive (e.g., firemen vs.
  firefighters he vs. he or she)
• Definitions based on different criteria (e.g.,
  Smith wins election! Vs. Black leader wins
  election! Vs. Smith becomes first lady governor!)
• Language names what exists (e.g., discrimination)
• Language organizes perceptions of race and gender
• (e.g., girl, chick, lady, bitch, woman)
• (e.g., Negro, Black, African-American, person of
  color)
• Language evaluates race and gender
• Language is frequently demeaning to women and
  people of color
• Language allows self-reflection
• Language allows us to think about ourselves and
  how we want to define ourselves and others
• Language is a process
• Language can change to be more inclusive and less
  oppressive (e.g., Ms., harassment, racial
  profiling)

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Communication Cultures
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Communication Cultures

• Exist when people share norms about how to use
  talk and what purpose it serves.
• Are defined by shared understandings of how to
  communicate
• Have distinct rules
• Can be based on
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• SES
• Less formal characteristics (age, occupation,
  etc.)

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Some Specific Types of Language and Suggestions
for Improving Verbal Communication
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Communicating Precisely or Vaguely

• Equivocal Language
• Words/Phrases with multiple meanings
• Listeners questions and feedback are important
• Abstractions
• Can lead to stereotyping, confusion, relationship
  miscommunications
• Using behavioral descriptions can be helpful
• Euphemisms
• Relative Language (e.g., fast, slow, easy, hard)
• Try giving specifics, or scaling
• Static Evaluations
• Stable characteristic vs. behavior

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Conveying Responsibility

• It Language
• You Language
• I Language
• I Statement
• The other persons behavior
• Your feelings
• The consequences the other persons behavior has
  on you
• We Language
• But Statements

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A Few Common Errors

• Fact-Opinion Confusion
• Can clarify when a statement is an opinion
• Fact-Inference Confusion
• Identify the facts that have led to your
  interpretation, and ask for feedback
  (Perception-Checking)
• Emotive Language
• May be helpful to use more neutral language

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Some Suggestions

• Strive for Accuracy and Clarity
• (especially when you dont have much shared
  understanding /or when conflict is present)
• Own Your Own Thoughts and Feelings
• Engage in Dual Perspective (Empathy)
• Respect What Others Say About Their Feelings and
  Ideas