Language Use and Communication - review

iconic sign

sign that closely resembles the referent

indexical sign

sign that points to referent

symbolic sign

sign with an arbitrary connection

graded sign

sign that conveys meaning by changes in degree

discrete sign

sign that is clearly distinguished

interchangeability

all members can send and receive messages

feedback

users of the system are conscious of transmitting and they comment on transmission

specialization

the system only serves the function of communication

semanticity

the elements convey meaning through a set of fixed relationships between signifiers, referents, and meanings

arbitrariness

there is no inherent link between a token and its referent

discreteness

the communication system consists of isolatable, repeatable units

displacement

it is possible to refer to events remote in time and space

productivity

new messages might be produced using existing resources

duality of patterning

meaningless units are combined to form arbitrary signs

traditional/cultural transmission

some aspects of language must be learned through interaction with other users

prevarication

the system allows the user to talk nonsense or to lie

learnability

users can learn other variants

reflexiveness

the system can be used to reflect on itself

pictograph

images represent real things in the world

logograph

symbols represent morphemes, words, or phrases

phonograph

symbols represent sounds or phonemes

Crystal

wrote about netspeak

Hymes

wrote about the SPEAKING grid

situation

spatio-temporal characteristics of an event

participants

who participates in the event

ends

goal of the interaction

act sequences

message form and message content

key

the manner of performing or interpreting speech

instrumentalities

medium of transmission

norms

rules that underlie the interaction

genres

types of speech forms recognized within a community

Brown and Levinson

wrote about the theory of linguistic politeness

negative face wants

every competent adult member of a society that their actions be unimpeded by others

positive face wants

every member that their wants be desirable to at least some others

bald on-record

say it in the most direct way without any mitigation

on-record with redress

use face-saving strategies

off-record

hint at something

relative power

people in positions of greater social power than ourselves

social distance

people you are familiar with, people you know really well

cost of imposition

measure of how serious a request is in a particular society

Schultz

wrote about semantic derogation

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

linguistic relativism, language influences perception of the world

Preston

wrote about perceptual dialectology

Labov

language variation through department store study