ING105 Effective Communication LECTURE 6: LANGUAGE 1 Asst. Prof. Dr. Emrah Görgülü.

Asst. P

rof. Dr. E

mrah G

örgülü

1

ING105 Effective CommunicationLECTURE 6: LANGUAGE

2Objectives

Explain the concept of symbols

Define denotative and connotative meaning

Understand content and relationship levels of meaning

Describe how language influences our thoughts

Explain the concept of rhetorical sensitivity

Analyze your own use of rhetorical sensitivity

3Language

Lupita (Spanish) Anita (American) Overweight guy

Anita: Wow! Look at that couch potato!Lupita: What?! I can’t see any sofa or potato!

4Language (cont’d)

John: How was the exam?

Sarah: It was a piece of cake

David: Sue has a lead foot!

Angela: Really, I didn’t know that.

5Language (cont’d)

Q: What is language anyway?

A: Language is the common tool everyone uses to communicate in their daily life.

In a basic communication course it is important for you to understand the fundamentals of the language process.

That way you can use the language effectively, make the appropriate remarks in your speech and avoid misunderstandings.

Communication is a daily process and solid language skills are essential for everyone.

6Symbols

We use symbols to communicate with others. All words are symbols. Symbols are arbitrary representations.

We choose a word to represent an object or a concept and then send the word through a channel to someone else.

horse friendship

at arkadaşlık

equus amicitia

7Symbols (cont’d)

There are some words that mean what they describe. These words are called onomatopoeic words.

meow – The cat meowed all day.

honk – Do not honk the horn

clink – The coins clinked together

murmur – He murmured something

8Symbols (cont’d)

Even when we carefully select symbols, we can run into problems conveying meaning because symbols are arbitrary and ambiguous.

Symbols are arbitrary because there is no innate connection between an object or thought and the word used to represent it.

Sometimes symbol used to define objects or thoughts may vary from region to region or from country to country. This might cause a problem in communication. What does pasta mean in English and Turkish?

How about sympathetic?

What about camera?

9Symbols (cont’d)

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

10Symbols (cont’d)

Can you think of a time when someone used a symbol that was unfamiliar to you?

Do you know what these words mean in Turkish? Teyyare

İşkilli

Alengirli

Gafakoçanı

Martaval

Nüktedan

Nobran

11Symbols (cont’d)

Another problem in trying to create meaning for another person is that symbols are ambiguous.

Because meanings are in people and not in words, this language vagueness makes effective ommunication quite a challenge.

Each communicator decides what certain phrases mean.

Think about the phrases such as: a lot of

expensive

Such words are ambiguous without a context. (do Try It p. 39)

12Symbols (cont’d)

Emrah: That sure is a tall building!

Speakers shoud be careful to choose the most concrete terms that are available when creating their message.

13Symbols (cont’d)

Creative ambiguity

There are times when speakers specifically choose creative ambiguity to mask a message that might be aggressive and hurtful. Your friend: What do you think of my new shirt?

You: Oh, it is really interesting! / The other one looks better on you.

You do not want to say the shirt does not look good, so you are deliberately ambiguous.

If the receiver is perceptive, the message allows both parties to get out of the exchange without any hurt feelings.

(do Critical Th. / handout on p. 38)

14Symbols (cont’d)

Some speakers choose creatively ambiguous terms to mislead the receiver. Student A: I have a family emergency.

What is family emergency? Nine times out of 10, it means that the student wants to miss class

but does not want to admit why.

Typically if there is a true emergency, you provide details such as “My very close uncle is in the hospital and his condition is life threatening. I need to be there.”

15Denotative and Connotative Meanings

Symbols (i.e. words) have different meanings. A word has a denotative meaning and may have a connotative meaning.

A denotative meaning is the dictionary definition of a word. The primary meaning

The most usual meaning

The word swim means to move your body through the water by moving your arms and legs.

The word fame means the state of being well known. An actor of international fame

16Denotative and Connotative Meanings (cont’d)

A connotative meaning includes the feelings and emotions people attach to a word. The connotation of a word has positive or negative associations. Moist / dump: (slightly wet) have the same basic meaning

Moist has favorable connotations: a moist chocolate cake

Dump has unfavorable connotations: a dump cake

slender / skinny

snake

A scary legless reptile

Danger or evil (watch the clip)

17Content and Relatonship Levels of Meaning

There are at least two levels of meaning for every statement.

Content level: It refers to the factual interpretation of words. If you say to your friend or spouse: “I see you did not do the dishes.”

The content level of the meaning is that there are dirty dishes in the sink.

Relationship level: On the relationship level the statement means “You lazy person, what have you been doing all day?”

The relationship level of meaning is ambiguous and can lead to serious misunderstandings. Even when the message is clear, people may look for ‘hidden’ meaning.

18Content and Relatonship Levels of Meaning (cont’d)

Lets examine the scenario below

Laura asks Scott if he is mad at her.

Laura: Are you mad at me?

Scott: No!

Instead of accepting the content level of meaning, Laura begins an analysis in her head. “Well, he said it in a funny way, I wonder if he is really mad.”

Laura: Are you sure you are not mad at me?

Scott: (raises his voice) No, I am not mad.

When Laura hears the raised voice, she interprets the irritated tone as evidence that her doubts were correct. (watch the clip)

19Content and Relatonship Levels of Meaning (cont’d)

Determine at least two relational messages for each of the content messages from an employer or manager. Explain your answer for the relational messages you identify:

See me in my office in a half-hour.

How did you come up with that answer?

Let me check that out!

What time did you say the meeting begins?

20The Influence of Language

The language we choose influences the way we think about things.

As we make symbol choices, it is imperative to think about how we view the world based on the words we use to describe it.

Example

Think of a person who is on a diet. This person eats six chocolate chip cookies a day. There is a big difference in how the person will view the situation if they choose the words. I cheated

I made an unhealthy eating choice

21The Influence of Language (cont’d)

I cheated

This one has moral connotations. It makes the person feel unethical (i.e. immoral, wrong), weak and appalling (i.e. very bad).

I made an unhealthy eating choice.

It focuses on the event itself rather than making a judgment.

An individual can peceive the event as evidence of personality flaw or an unfortunate incident under his control. The choice of language will influence how the person thinks about himself.