1 7 th Edition John D. DeLamater University of Wisconsin–Madison Daniel J. Myers University of Notre Dame

2 Chapter 6 Symbolic Communication and Language

A few sentences  “Picasso enjoyed painting his models nude.”  “Visiting relatives can be boring.”  “My son has grown another foot.”  “I saw the man with binoculars.”  “The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.”  “I cannot recommend this person too highly.”

To Communicate...  The Latin verb communicare means “to make common to many, share, impart, divide.”

When you communicate:  You share, or make common, your knowledge and ideas with someone else.  Communication: The sharing of meaning by sending and receiving symbolic cues.

Triangle of Meaning ( Charles Ogen & I. A. Richard’s)  The interpreter –Person communicating with symbols  The symbol –Anything to which people attach a meaning  The referent –Object or idea for which symbol stands

Interpreter (Speaker or Listener) Symbol Referent ……… The Triangle of Meaning Jaguar

SPEAKERLISTENER Message Feedback Noise CHANNEL Noise Encoder Decoder Environment Interactive Model of Communication CHANNEL

Communication and Symbols 10

11 Communication and Symbols  Communication: –How people transmit information about ideas, feelings, & intentions  Symbols: –Arbitrary forms that refer to ideas, feelings, intentions, and objects –Represent our experiences so that others can perceive them through sounds, gestures, pictures…

12 Language and Verbal Communication  Spoken language: –Socially acquired system of sound patterns – with meanings agreed on by the members of a group  Words: –Symbols basis for language construction

13 Advantages of Language 1. Frees us from constraints of here and now. 2. Allows us to communicate with others about experiences we do not share directly. 3. Enables us to transmit, preserve, and create culture.

14 Verbal & Non-verbal Communication

15 The Encoder-Decoder Model  Communication as a process: –An idea or feeling is encoded into symbols by a source, –transmitted to a receiver and –decoded into the original idea or feeling.

The Encoder-Decoder Model 16

17 Class Activity and Discussion  Take turns communicating with the student next to you using only nonverbal symbols.  Afterwards, find out what your classmate thought you were communicating. –Was it what you intended to communicate?

18 Linguistic Communication Spoken languages include:  Sounds,  Words,  Meanings, and  Grammatical rules

Linguistic Communication  Components that must be recognized for people to understand a string of words: 1. Distinct sounds (phonetic components) 2. Combination of sounds into words (morphologic component) 3. Conventions for putting words together (syntactic component) 19

20 Intentionalist Model  Communication involves the exchange of communicative intentions.  Messages are means to this end. –On the screen at the local theatre there is an announcement, “Please silence your cell phone, Thank you”. –Viewers understand the intent of message is not to disturb other viewers.

21 Intentionalist Model  Basic unit of communication is the message –Desire of speaker to communicate  No fixed, one-to-one relation between words and intended effects  Speaker can use a variety of messages to achieve intended effect 

22 “Get me a drink of lemonade.” 1. Get me a glass of lemonade. 2. Can you get me some lemonade? 3. Would you get me some lemonade? 4. Would you get me something to drink? 5. Would you mind if I asked you to get me some lemonade? 6. I’m thirsty. 7. How is that lemonade we bought? 8. Did you buy some lemonade at the store?

23 Speech Act Theory  Utterances: State something and Do something.  All utterances (previous slide) perform an action; each has the force of a request.  Significance is not its literal meaning,  But what it contributes to the work of the interaction in which it occurs.

24 The Perspective-Taking Model  Process of communication as both –(1) Creating and –(2) Reflecting a shared context  Communication: –Requires reciprocal role taking

25 Intersubjectivity  Participant needs information on: –Other’s status, –Definition of situation, and –Plans or intentions

26 Types of Nonverbal Communication  Paralanguage –Vocal aspects of speech other than words  Body language –Silent movement of body parts

27 Types of Nonverbal Communication  Interpersonal spacing cues –Positioning selves at varying distances and –Angles from others  Personal effects –What a person wears that communicates information about that person.

Types of Nonverbal Communication  Approximate 250,000 different facial expressions  Nonverbal communication uses many other bodily and gestural cues 28

29 Types of Nonverbal Communication

30 President Bush’s 2005 Inauguration  President Bush did not know that:  In Mediterranean cultures, this gesture implies that a man has an unfaithful wife.  In parts of Africa it is used to impose a curse on another person.

31 11/1 The Complexity of Communication  Combining:  Languages,  Interpersonal spacing,  Body language  to share a secret

32 Combining Nonverbal and Verbal Communication  Multiple cues:  Convey added information,  Reduce ambiguity, and  Increase accuracy of communication  Resolve inconsistencies –Messages can be evaluated separately and weighted –Facial cues first, –Then paralanguage and –Verbal cues

33 Communicating Status and Intimacy  Status –Exercise of power and control  Intimacy –Expression of affiliation and affection  Verbal and nonverbal communication express and maintain particular levels of intimacy and relative status

34 Quiz Question  Which of the following statements are correct? (select more than one) a.Superiors use formal address (title and last name) for their inferiors. b.Superiors address inferiors with familiar forms (first name or nickname). c.Status equals use the same form of address with one another. d.Inferiors use formal address (title and last name) for their superiors.

35 Code Switching  Choosing a language for a particular situation –May reflect the desire to maintain or revitalize an ethnic community Example:  San Juan Pueblo councilmen would switch back and forth between speaking Tewa and speaking English during council meetings.

36 Theory of Speech Accommodation Individuals to express liking alter their 1.pronunciation 2.speech rate 3.vocal intensity 4.pause lengths 5.utterance lengths To match those of their partner To communicate disapproval  Modify these vocal behaviors to be different from partner’s

Fallacies about Listening  Listening is not my problem!  Listening and hearing are the same  Good readers are good listeners  Smarter people are better listeners  Listening improves with age

Listening  Learning not to listen  Thinking about what we are going to say rather than listening to a speaker  Talking when we should be listening  Hearing what we expect to hear rather than what is actually said  Not paying attention ( preoccupation, prejudice, self- centeredness, stereotype)  Listening skills are difficult to learn 38

How to Be an Effective Listener  Understand complexities of listening  Prepare to listen  Adjust to the situation  Focus on ideas or key points  Capitalize on the speed differential  Organize material for learning

How to Be an Effective Listener  Want to listen  Delay judgment  Admit your biases  Don’t tune out “dry” subjects  Accept responsibility for understanding  Encourage others to talk

How to Be an Effective Listener  Establish eye contact with speaker  Take notes effectively  Be a physically involved listener  Avoid negative mannerisms  Exercise your listening muscles  Follow the Golden Rule