LANGUAGE:

BARRIER AND BRIDGE

CHAPTER TOPICS

Language is Symbolic
Understandings and Misunderstandings
The Impact of Language
Gender and Language
Culture and Language

Looking Out/Looking In
Thirteenth Edition

Language is Symbolic
The Natural World
Smoke means something is burning
A fever means someone is ill

Language is Symbolic
Connection between words and the ideas or
things they represent is arbitrary

LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE

Understanding and
Misunderstanding
Understanding Words
Semantic rules
Bikes are for riding and books are for reading

Equivocation
Statements that have more then one commonly
accepted definition
Newspaper Headlines:
Family catches fire just in time.
20-year friendship ends at the altar.
Trees can break wind.
LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE

Understanding and
Misunderstanding
Relative Language
Words that gain their meaning by comparison

Do you attend a large or small school?

Fast and slow
Smart and stupid
Short and long

Static Evaluation
Statements that contain or imply the word is
lead to mistaken assumptions about people
LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE

Understandings and
Misunderstandings
Abstraction
Is vague in nature
Behavior language is specific
to things people do or say

Abstraction Ladder
Abstract language can lead
to miscommunication

Figure 5.1 Page 165

LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE

Understandings and
Misunderstandings
Syntactic Rules
Govern the grammar of language

Pragmatic Rules
Govern the way speech works in everyday
interaction
Consider the difference between:
I love you
I love ya
I luv U
LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE

Understandings and
Misunderstandings
Pragmatic Rules
What do infer by the following sentences?
Would you like a drink?
Would you like something to drink?

Pragmatic Rules of Email

When reading an email what do you think when
you come across CAPITAL LETTERS!

LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE

The Impact of Language

Naming and Identity
Names are more than just a simple means of
identification
They shape the way others think of us
They shape the way we view ourselves
1900s most popular names
Bertha, Mildred and Ethel

2008s most popular names

Madison, Ava and Chloe
LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE

The Impact of Language

Affiliation
Speech can build and demonstrate solidarity
with others
Convergence
The process of adapting ones speech style to
match others

Divergence
Speaking in a way that emphasizes ones
differences from others
LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE

The Impact of Language

Power
Power difference between two statements:
Excuse me, sir. I hate to say this, but I . . .I . . .I
guess I wont 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. Ill have it on
your desk Monday, OK?
I wont be able to turn in the assignment on time. I
had a personal emergency, and it was impossible to
finish by today. Ill have it on your desk Monday.
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The Impact of Language

Powerless Language
Hedges:
Im kinda disappointed . . . I think we should . . . I guess Id
like to . . .

Hesitations:
Uh, can I have a minute of your time?
Well, we could try this idea . . .
I wish you wouldertry to be on time.

Tag questions:
Its about time we got started, isnt it?
Dont you think we should give it another try?
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The Impact of Language

Disruptive Language
Three linguistic habits to avoid
Fact-Opinion Confusion
Fact

Opinion

You forgot my birthday.

You keep interrupting me.
You tell a lot of ethnic jokes.

You dont care about me.

Youre a control freak.
Youre a bigot.

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The Impact of Language

Disruptive Language
Fact-interference confusion
A: Why are you mad at me?
B: Im not mad at you. Why have you been so
insecure lately?
A: Im not insecure. Its just that you've been so
critical.
B: What do you mean, critical? I havent been
critical. . . .

LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE

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The Impact of Language

Disruptive Language
Emotive Language
Seems to describe something but actually announces
the speakers attitude toward it

If you approve, say

If you disapprove, say

Thrifty
Traditional
Extrovert
Cautious

Cheap
Old-fashioned
Loudmouth
Cowardly

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The Impact of Language

Language of Responsibility
It Statements
Note the difference in each set of sentences:

It bothers me when youre late.

Im worried when youre late.
Its nice to see you.
Im glad to see you.
Its a boring class.
Im bored in the class.

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The Impact of Language

Language of Responsibility
But Statements
In each sentence the word but cancels the
thought that precedes it:
Youre really a great person, but I think we should
see other people.
Youve done good work for us, but were going to
have to let you go.
This paper has some good ideas, but Im giving
you a D grade because its late.
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The Impact of Language

Language of Responsibility
Questions
Some questions are used to avoid making a
declaration
What are we having for dinner? Could mean, I
want to eat out.
How many textbooks are assigned in that class?
Could mean, Im afraid to get into a class with too
much reading.
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The Impact of Language

Language of Responsibility
I and You Language
I statements accept responsibility for a
message
You statements express judgment
You left this place a mess!
You didnt keep your promise!
Youre really crude sometimes!

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The Impact of Language

Language of Responsibility
I and You Language
An I statement has four elements:

The persons behavior

Your interpretations
Your feelings
The consequences that the other persons
behavior has for you

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The Impact of Language

Language of Responsibility
I and You Language
Example:
I get embarrassed (feeling) when you talk
about my bad grades in front of our friends
(behavior). Im afraid theyll think Im stupid
(interpretation). Thats why I got so worked up
last night (consequence).
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The Impact of Language

Language of Responsibility
Reservations about I language
I get too angry to use I language
Even with I language, the other person gets
defensive
I language sounds artificial

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The Impact of Language

Language of Responsibility
We Language
Implies the issue is the concern of both
parties
We need to figure out a budget that doesnt
bankrupt us.
I think we have a problem. We cant seem to talk
about money without fighting.

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Gender and Language

Content
Female friends spent more time discussing:
Relationship problems, family, health

Male friends spent more time discussing:

Current events, music, sports, business

Consider the genders impact on language:

I want to talk about important things, like how
were getting along. All he wants to do talk about
the news or what well do this weekend.
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Gender and Language

Conversation Style
The myth that women are more talkative than
men does not hold up under scientific scrutiny
Mens speech is characteristically:
More direct, succinct, and task-oriented

Womens speech is more typically:

indirect, elaborate, and focused on relationships

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Gender and Language

Nongender Variables
The link between gender and language isnt
as clear-cut as it might seem
The language between sexes is more similar
than it is different.
One scholar suggested that the popular book,
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus
should be changed to Men Are from North Dakota,
Women Are from South Dakota.

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Culture and Language

Verbal Communication Styles
Low-context cultures
Generally value language to express thoughts,
feelings, and ideas as directly as possible.

High-context cultures
Generally value using language to maintain social
harmony.
Learn to discover meaning from the context in
which a message is delivered: nonverbal
behaviors, history of the relationship, etc
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Culture and Language

Verbal Communication Styles
Language and Worldview
Linguistic relativism
The worldview of a culture is shaped and reflected by the
language its members speak.
The Eskimos have a large number of words for snow

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Chapter Review

Language is Symbolic
Understandings and Misunderstandings
The Impact of Language
Gender and Language
Culture and Language

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