Oral Communication Chapter 3

symbols

something that stands in for or represent something else

codes

culturally agreed on and ever-changing systems that help us organize, understand, and generate meaning

displacement

property of language

triangle of meaning

a model of communication that indicates the relationship among a thought, symbol, and referent and highlights the indirect relationship between the symbol and referent

definitions

narrow the meaning of particular symbols, which also narrows a symbol's possible referents

denotation

definitions that are accepted by the language group as a whole, or the dictionary definition of a word

arbitrary

they have no meaning until we assign it to them

grammar

the rules that govern how words are used to make phrases and sentences

directives

utterance that try to get another person to do something

neologisms

newly coined or used words

slang

new or adapted words that are specific to a group, context, and/or time period

supportive messages

messages communicated in an open, honest, and non-confrontational way, people are sure to come together

unsupportive messages

make others respond defensively, which can lead to feelings of separation and actual separation or dissolution of a relationship

global labels

labeling someone irresponsible, untrustworthy, selfish, or lazy calls his/her whole identity as a person into question

sarcasm

it represent passive-aggressive behavior through which a person indirectly communicates negative feelings

negative comparisons

holding someone to supposed standards or characteristics of another person can lead to feelings of inferiority and resentment

threats

threatening with violence or some other negative consequence usually signals the end of productive communication

affective language

language used to express a person's feelings and create similar feelings in another person

individual differences

some people differ in their interpretations of civility in various settings, and some people have personality traits that may lead to actions deemed uncivil on a more regular basis

ignorance

people may not know what social norms and expectations are

negative intent

people that break or challenge the social norms are openly uncivil

Judgments

expressions of approval or disapproval that are subjective and not verifiable

inference-observation confusion/misperception of an inference

frequent source of miscommunication

cultural bias

a skewed way of viewing or talking about a group negatively

language

code: using symbols that are organized to tell meaning

connotation

a word that has meaning from your frame of reference and culture

language is dynamic

words are always being made, inventing new definitions, and dropping words and is always moving forward

stereotyping cultures

assuming people who look or speak a language are associated with general culture even if they are from a different culture