Language and Meaning

verbal knowledge (extensional)

the bulk of our knowledge (you read it, were told it, watched it on tv, etc.)

experiential knowledge

what you know from direct experience

How trustworthy a vehicle of knowledge is language?

Whenever anyone constructs a message, they are using verbal channels, and the verbal is a highly unreliable channel for conveying knowledge

word magic

to call something by its name is to have power over it (ie. choosing to call you “student”)

naming

to name is to create expectations, to create an emotional as well as intellectual response

denotation

dictionary meaning; the primary associations a word has for most members of a given linguistic community

connotation

additional meaning beyond denotation; other, secondary associations a word has for one or more members of that community; all meanings that adhere to a word beyond its denotation

symbol

– something used for or regarded as representing something else; can take many forms, including words.  Words can refer to (or represent) things, events, properties, actions, relationships, concepts, etc.

the principle of arbitrary selection

serendipitous association of a word with a particular meaning

the principle of conventions

once established, the relationship between a word and its referent becomes predictable, stable

negative-positive connotation

some words evoke a negative response, other evoke a positive response

restricted codes

a) function well within the community which shares that code

b) identify an individual as a member of a community, and identifies nonmembers of that community

elaborated codes

a) transcend differences between communities

b) contain more info on how to use code

code-switch

most skilled communicators can do this- can use the appropriate code for the people with whom one is communicating

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

the world is perceived differently by members of different communities and that this perception is transmitted and sustained by language

“strong” determinism

language has the power to determine our thoughts- our experience of the world

“weak” determinism

our experience of the world is influenced by language but not strictly controlled by it

abstract language

As language becomes more abstract, more vague, our                      changes of misunderstanding increase

dichotomies

that English has an excess of polar words and a relative scarcity of words to describe the wide middle ground

euphemisms

substitution of mild, vague, or less emotionally charged terms for more blunt ones.  They may lack specificity, make conversation dull, and actually misrepresent

equivocal language

having two or more possible interpretations

metacommunication

verbal and nonverbal instructions about how messages should be understood.  Is not always explicit, even if verbal.  Often carried by the relational dimension of the message