HDFS 142 - Chapter #6

Phonological Rules

Govern how sounds are combined to form words.

Syntactic Rules

Govern the way symbols can be arranged.

Semantic Rules

Govern the meaning of statements.

Pragmatic Rules

Tell us what uses and interpretations of messages are appropriate in a given context.

Linguistic Relativity

A language both reflects and shapes the worldview of those who use it.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The language spoken by Hopi Native Americans represented a view of reality that is dramatically different from most tongues.

- it holds that linguistic terms actively shape the thinking and actions of people.

Convergence

The process of adapting one's speech style to match that of others with whom the communicator wants to identify.

Divergence

Speaking in a way that emphasizes their differences.

Powerless Language

Tentative and indirect word choices with hedging and hesitations.

- tentative, indirect, hedges, hesitations, disclaimers

Powerful Language

Direct and forceful word choices with declarations and assertions.

- direct, forceful, declarations, assertions

Politeness

Communicating in ways that save face for both senders and receivers.

- saves face for both sender and receiver, evasion

Sexist Language

Includes words, phrases, and expressions that unnecessarily differentiate between females and males or exclude, trivialize, or diminish either sex.

Racist Language

Reflects a worldview that classifies members of one racial group as superior and others as inferior.

Ambiguous Language

Consists of words and phrases that have more than one commonly accepted definition.

Abstraction Ladder

Shows how to describe the same phenomenon at various levels of abstraction.

Euphemisms

Innocuous terms substituted for blunt ones. Avoids a direct, literal reference to an event, substituting terms describing its consequence or related events.

Relative Language

Gains meaning by comparison.

Static Evaluation

The usually mistaken assumption that people or things are consistent and unchanging.

"It" Statements

Replace the personal pronouns I and me with the less immediate construction it's.

"I" Language

Clearly identifies the speaker as the source of a message.

- Accepts responsibility

"But" Statements

Statements that take the form of "X-but-Y".

- Cancels the previous thought

"You" Language

Expresses a judgement of the other person.

Assertiveness

Clearly expressing their thoughts, feelings, and wants.

"We" Language

Implies that the issue is the concern and responsibility of both the speaker and receiver of a message.

- implies joint concern and responsibility for the speaker and receiver

Evaluative Language

Seems to describe something but really announces the speaker's attitude toward it.

The Nature of Language

- Language is symbolic; words are arbitrary symbols and have no inherent meaning.

- Language is rule - governed.

Shemomedjamo (Georgian)

Someone knowing he or she is full but continuing to eat anyway.

Tartle (Scottish)

Is that moment of hesitance before introducing someone because you can't remember their name.

Backpfeifengesicht (German)

A face that is asking to be slapped or punched. "Gesicht" means "face," and "backpfeife" is a "slap across the cheek."

Significant differences

Men and women show significant differences in the ways they behave socially, use language. Some scholars describe men and women as members of distinct cultures.

Minor differences

Differences are not as clear-cut. Essentially, women's and men's speech is more similar than different.

Non-gender Influences on Language

- Conversation

- Setting

- Power

Accountable Language

Avoids "it" and "but"