Chapter 4 The World of Words

Topics The Symbolic Nature of Language Principles of Verbal Communication Symbolic Abilities Speech Communities Social Media and Verbal Communication Guidelines for Improving Verbal Communication

After studying Recognize the ambiguity and abstractness of language in a particular interaction. Identify key principles of verbal communication. Report on your own and others expectations of gendered and other speech communities. Become aware of specialized language used in social media. Improve your verbal communication.

German newspapers: «floated above the clouds» with «elegance and lightness».

French newspapers: “immense concrete giant”

Germans saw the bridge in more feminine ways because the German word for bridge, brücke, is feminine. The French word for bridge, pont, is masculine, which may explain why French newspapers extolled the bridge’s size and strength.

Language or verbal communication shapes how we perceive the world. Language is also a primary means by which we present ourselves and build relationships with others.

The Symbolic Nature of Language Words are symbols Symbols are arbitrary Symbols are ambiguous Symbols are abstract

Your name is a symbol that represents you. The word house is a symbol that stands for a particular kind of building. Love is a symbol that represents certain intense feelings.

All language is symbolic, but not all symbols are language. Art, music, and much nonverbal behavior are symbolic representations of feelings, thoughts, and experiences.

3 A’s of Symbols Symbols are arbitrary, meaning that words are not intrinsically connected to what they represent. For example, the word book, has no necessary or natural connection to what you are reading now. Particular words, seem right because members of a particular society or social group agree to use them in particular ways, but they have no natural correspondence with their referents.

The arbitrary nature of language becomes obvious—sometimes humorously so—when we discover that our words don’t mean the same thing in another culture. Because language is arbitrary, the meanings of words can change over time. In the 1950s, gay meant “lighthearted” and “merry”; today it is generally understood to refer to people who prefer same-sex partners.

Calling someone a geek or nerd used to be an insult, but today these terms often convey admiration of someone’s technological expertise. In the 1970s some people noticed that women were referred to as Miss or Mrs., which indicate marital status, whereas men were referred to as Mr., which does not connote marital status.

3 A’s of Symbols Symbols are ambiguous because what they mean isn’t clear-cut. The term affordable clothes means different things to people who earn the minimum wage and to people who are affluent.

In learning language, we learn not only words but also the meanings and values attributed to them by our society. In the United States, most children learn that dogs are four-footed creatures who are friends, members of the family, or are useful in guarding, herding, and so forth. In some other countries, children learn that dogs are four-footed creatures that, like other animals, are food for humans.

Because symbols are ambiguous, there is no guarantee that people will agree on what words mean.

3 A’s of Symbols Finally, symbols are abstract, which means that they are not concrete or tangible. Words stand for ideas, people, events, objects, feelings, and so forth, but they are not the things they represent.

We can lessen the potential for misunderstanding by using less abstract language. It’s clearer to say, “I wish you wouldn’t interrupt when I’m talking” than to say, “Don’t be so dominating.” It’s clearer to say, “On Fridays, men don’t need to wear ties, and women don’t need to wear heels” than to say, “Casual dress is okay on Fridays.”

Principles of Verbal Communication Language and culture reflect each other The meanings of language are subjective Language use is rule-guided Communication rules Regulative rules Constitutive rules Punctuation shapes meaning The Demand-Withdrawal Pattern

Symbolic Abilities Language defines phenomena Language shapes perceptions Language can totalize Language shapes and reflects relationships

Symbolic Abilities Language evaluates Language organizes perceptions Language reflects and shapes perceptions Language can be loaded Language can degrade others Language organizes perceptions Language allows abstract thought Language can stereotype

Symbolic Abilities Language allows hypothetical thought We can think beyond immediate, concrete situations We live in three dimensions of time We can foster personal growth

Symbolic Abilities Language allows self-reflection Self-reflection allows us to monitor communication Self-reflection allows us to manage our image

Speech Communities A speech community exists when people share norms about how to use talk and what purposes it serves. Defined by shared understandings of how to communicate rather than countries or geographic locations

Gender Speech Communities Socialization into gender speech communities Gendered communication in practice Misunderstandings between gender speech communities

Guidelines for Improving Verbal Communication Engage in dual perspective Own your feelings and thoughts Rely on I language rather than you language

Guidelines for Improving Verbal Communication Respect what others say about their feelings and thoughts Strive for accuracy and clarity Be aware of levels of abstraction Qualify language Static evaluations Mental indexing