Dr. Holly Kruse Interpersonal Communication Verbal Communication Dr. Holly Kruse Interpersonal Communication

Verbal Communication Verbal communication is all communication that uses words. Word meanings are usually arbitrary: no necessary relationship between word itself and what it represents

Verbal Communication Words are symbols Words symbolize concrete or abstract meaning Words symbolize denotative and connotative meaning

Verbal Communication

Verbal Communication: Gender Tendency to differ by gender on whether one is communicating power or supportiveness. Who speaks more in cross-sex conversations: men or women?

Verbal Communication: Utterance vs Sentence Spoken words occur in utterances, not sentences. Sentence: Abstract grammatical structure, not a concrete message. Utterance: Linguistically meaningful message spoken in real interaction.

Verbal Communication: Utterance vs Sentence Example from an interview

Meaning Levels Semantic What words themselves mean Both connotative and denotative May agree on denotative meaning but not connotative meaning

Connotation vs. Denotation

Meaning Levels Pragmatic The goal of the utterance Can miss the point even if one understands all of the words Context plays a big role

Meaning Levels Social How what we says conveys attitudes towards person to whom we’re talking. Formality of language: for instance, convergence vs. divergence. Power of naming (Miss, Mrs. Ms.)

Conversation Turn-taking Through these sequences, patterns develop in relationships These tell us a lot about power in relationships Example from interview

Language & Culture We learn words from others in social settings We learn who can use what words. Verbal communication denotes social group/identity Cultural differences & words Words and cultural/institutional power

Language & Culture Language shapes our understanding of reality. This is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. There are certain thoughts of an individual in one language that can’t be understood by those who live in another language.

Language & Culture: Tarahumara vs English-Speakers