Purposive Communication: Local and Global Communication & Cultural Texts

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key communication concepts, language registers, Martin Joo's spoken English styles, communication barriers, and cultural text analysis.

OK Gesture

A hand gesture that carries different cultural interpretations: meaning "okay" in the UK and USA, "money" in Japan, "zero" in Russia, and an insult in Brazil.

Language Registers

The style of language appropriate to a certain communicative situation.

Formal Register

A language register used in academic and professional writing governed by strict grammar rules, such as in essays, reports, and business letters.

Informal Register

A casual language register used with people who are well known to each other, such as in personal emails, text messages, diaries, and blogs.

Neutral Register

A non-emotional, fact-based language register that is neither formal nor informal, commonly used in review articles and technical writing.

Joo's Five Styles of Spoken English

A model of spoken language registers introduced by Martin Joo (1961), consisting of Frozen, Formal, Consultative, Casual, and Intimate styles.

Frozen Style

A spoken language register characterized by unchanging, fixed, memorized, or ceremonial language, such as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or Panatang Makabayan.

Formal Style

A spoken language register featuring official, prepared, one-way communication with technical vocabulary and no interruptions, such as in presentations or speech campaigns.

Consultative Style

A professional two-way spoken language register where background information is provided and back-channel cues are permitted, such as between a teacher and student or doctor and patient.

Casual Style

A relaxed spoken language register used among peers or friends, featuring slang, ellipsis, in-group expressions, and common interruptions.

Intimate Style

A private spoken language register used between family members or close friends, where non-verbal cues and intonation carry more weight than formal wording.

Language Barrier

A barrier to communication caused by differing vocabulary and word meanings across cultures, leading to potential confusion.

Personality Barrier

A barrier to communication driven by an individual's personal style, including variations in volume, directness, and formality.

Medium Barrier

A barrier to communication where the choice of channel alters how a message is delivered and received.

Culture Barrier

A barrier to communication where shared beliefs and social norms shape how words and gestures are interpreted.

Written Words

Actual words in a book, article, or document, distinguished from pictures or notes.

Digital Message

A short text message (SMS) sent from a mobile device.

Original Wording

The exact words written by an author, as opposed to a summary or translation.

Broad Communication Text

In literary and media studies, any object or work—such as a film, song, or painting—that communicates meaning and can be analyzed.

Cultural Text

Any object, action, behavior, or media created by humans that reveals the shared values, beliefs, and social customs of a society.

Mano po

A local Filipino cultural gesture of respect where one touches an elder's hand to their forehead to ask for a blessing.

Barong Tagalog

A formal embroidered garment in the Philippines that serves as a cultural text reflecting national identity and heritage.

Removing Shoes

A cultural action of taking off footwear prior to entering a home, signaling cleanliness and respect for domestic space.

Persuasive Text

A category of text designed to encourage or convince an audience, such as an advertisement.

Instructive Text

A category of text intended to instruct or command a specific procedure, such as a user guide.

Informative Text

A category of text designed to inform using facts or step-by-step information, such as news articles or bulletin announcements.

Descriptive Text

A category of text that uses sensory details to describe a subject, such as a personal letter describing a vacation.