Intro to Communications Vocab:Chapter 3-4

Culture

the system of shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and norms that guides what is considered appropriate among an identifiable group of people

Culture Shock

psychological discomfort when engaging in a new cultural situation

Code Switch

altering linguistic and nonverbal patterns to conform to the dominant or co-culture

Individualistic

cultures that value personal rights and responsibilities, privacy, voicing one's opinion, freedom, innovation, and self-expression (an example is the united states)

Collectivistic

cultures that value community, collaboration, shared interests, harmony, the public good, and avoiding embarrassment (an example is Japan)

Low-context Culture

speakers use words to convey most of the meaning ; verbal messages are direct, specific, and detailed (an example is the United States)

High-context Culture

much of a speakers message is understood from the context. These cultures use an indirect form of communication

Chronemics

the study of how perception of time differs among cultures

Monochronic

cultures that view time as a series of stimuli units that occur sequentially (an example is the United States)

Polychronic

cultures that view time as a continuous flow (example is Japan)

Power Distance

the extent to which members of culture expect and accept that power will be equally distributed (example is the United States)

High Power Distance

cultures that view unequal power distribution as normal

Lower Power Distance

cultures in which members prefer power to be more equally divided (example in the United States)

Ethnocentrism

the belief that one's own group or culture is superior to others

Participant Observation

learning about a culture or co-culture by living or working with people whose cultural assumptions are different from yours

True

Shelby has culture

Utterance

is a complete unit of talk bounded by the speaker's literal or figurative silence

Turn-taking

the exchange of utterances

Language

is a system of symbols used by people to communicate

Lexicon

is the collection of words and expressions in a language

Phonology

the sounds used to pronounce words

Syntax and grammar

rules for combining words to form sentences and larger units of expression

Language Community

all people who can speak or understand a particular language

Dialect

a unique form of a more general language spoken by specific culture or co-culture

Denotation

the explicit meaning of a word found in the dictionary of a large community

Dictionary

A way of finding a denotative meaning for a word is using a ------

Connotation

the implicit additional meaning we associate with a word

Concrete Language

words that clarify semantic meaning by appealing to the senses

Linguistic Sensitivity

inclusive word choices that demonstrate respect for others

Linguistic Language

use of words that do not apply only to one sex, race, or other group

Pragmatic Meaning

understanding a message related to its conversational context

True

A way to improve pragmatics is to tell the truth

True

A way to improve pragmatics is to provide the right amount of information

True

A way to improve pragmatics is to relate what you say to the topic being discussed

True

A way to improve pragmatics is to acknowledge when your message violates a guideline

True

A way to improve pragmatics is to assume the best first

Sociolinguistic

meaning that varies according to the norms of a particular culture or co-culture

Connotation

expressions whose meanings are different from the literal meaning associated with the words used in them

Direct Verbal Style

language that openly states the speaker's intention in a straightforward and unambiguous way

Indirect Verbal Style

language that masks the speaker's true intentions in a roundabout and ambiguous way

Mindfulness

paying attention to what is happening at any given moment during conversation