Language Used in Academic Texts & Communication Models

Vocabulary flashcards covering academic language concepts, five communication functions, and major communication models discussed in the lecture notes.

Academic Language

The specialized vocabulary and structures used in textbooks, classrooms, tests, and disciplines, differing from everyday social English.

Academic Vocabulary

Discipline‐specific words (e.g., water table, periodic table) that convey key concepts within a field of study.

Academic Structure

Established ways of organizing writing—genres, sentence/paragraph forms, difficulty level, audience, and overall organization—unique to each discipline.

Control/Regulation Function

Communication used to direct or regulate others’ behavior, typically employing authoritative tone and directives.

Social Interaction Function

Communication aimed at connecting with others, characterized by informal language and friendly tone.

Motivation Function

Communication intended to encourage or inspire, marked by direct, forceful words and emphatic gestures.

Emotional Expression Function

Communication that conveys feelings, often using carefully chosen words and supportive non-verbal cues like hugging.

Information Dissemination Function

Communication focused on conveying information clearly, avoiding jargon and often using demonstrations or visuals.

Linear Communication Model

A one-way process in which a sender encodes a message, transmits it through a channel, and a receiver decodes it, with noise possibly interfering.

Aristotle’s Model

Speaker-centered linear model with five elements: Speaker, Speech, Occasion, Audience, and Effect.

Lasswell’s Model

Action‐oriented linear model summarized by ‘Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect?’

Berlo’s SMCR Model

Linear framework emphasizing Source, Message, Channel, Receiver, and the encoding/decoding processes influenced by skills, attitudes, knowledge, social system, and culture.

Transactional Model

Circular view of communication where participants are simultaneous senders and receivers exchanging messages.

Shannon-Weaver Model

Transactional ‘mother of all models’ featuring sender, encoder, channel, decoder, receiver, and noise.

Interactive Model

Two-way ‘convergence’ model highlighting feedback between sender and receiver.

Schramm’s Model

Interactive circular model with roles of Encoder, Interpreter, and Decoder for both participants.

Encoder

The person or device that converts an idea into a message or signal for transmission.

Decoder

The person or device that converts received signals back into a comprehensible message.

Channel

The medium through which a message travels from sender to receiver (e.g., speech, print, radio).

Noise

Any physical or psychological interference that distorts or blocks a message during transmission.

Communication Breakdown

Failure in communication caused by barriers related to sender, message, channel, or receiver.

Verbal Communication

Exchange of information through spoken or written words.

Non-verbal Communication

Transfer of meaning without words, employing facial expressions, gestures, posture, and other cues.

Competition (in text)

A process where beings rival one another to achieve objectives faster or better, driving innovation and survival.

Cooperation (in text)

An agreement among beings to reach a shared aim together, ensuring collective problem-solving and humanity.

Control Analysis

Part of Lasswell’s model; study of the communicator’s role in message creation.

Content Analysis

Lasswell’s term for examining what is said within a message.

Media Analysis

Lasswell’s component focusing on the channels used to deliver a message.

Audience Analysis

Investigation of the intended receivers in Lasswell’s framework.

Effect Analysis

Assessment of the message’s impact on the audience, per Lasswell’s model.