COMM Exam 2 Combination

language

a structured system of symbols used for communicating meaning

language is symbolic

words represent particular ideas or objects.

language is arbitrary mostly

exception is onomatopoeias

language is governed by rules

phonological rules: sound of words
syntactic rules: sentence structure
semantic rules: word meaning
pragmatic rules: how we use words and context

language has layers of meaning

denotative meaning: actual definition
connotative meaning: implications, what it means to you

semantic triangle

in each corner, portrays the necessary elements for IDing the meaning in language.
1st: (word being communicated)
2nd: referent (word's denotative meaning)
3rd: reference (connotative meaning)

loaded language

words with strongly positive or negative connotations

ambiguous language

language having more than one possible meaning

using words to persuade: ethos pathos logos

ethos: speaker's respectability, trustworthiness, moral character
pathos: refers to listeners' emotions
logos: listeners' ability to reason

credibility

extent to which others perceive us to be competent and trustworthy

cliches

phrases that were novel at one time but have lost their effect because of overuse

dialects

variations on a language that are shared by people of a certain region or social class

equivocations

strategically vague language that disguises the speaker's true intentions

weasel words

terms and phrases intended to mislead listeners by implying something that they don't actually say\`

allness statements

declaration implying a claim is true without exception

choosing credible language

avoid weasel words and allness statements

affection

emotional experience that includes feelings of love and appreciation that one person has for another

intimacy

close familiarity in a personal relationship

comfort

acknowledging the loss, expressing sympathy, offering a positive reflection, offering assistance

healing

words can provide healing

use and abuse of language: humor

pros: can diffuse stress, bring us closer, make social interactions more pleasant
cons: can demean social or cultural groups, can cause embarrassment or sitress

euphemisms

vague, mild expression that symbolizes something more blunt or harsh
pro: provide way to talk about sensitive topics
con: can desensitize people

slang

use of informal or unconventional words that are understood by others in a particular group
can distinguish groups, or make people feel like outsiders

defamation

language that harms a person's reputation or provides a negative image
either libel (in print or a fixed medium) or slander (made aloud within earshot of others)

profanity

vulgar, rude, or obscene language in the context of its use

hate speech

form of profanity meant to degrade, intimidate, or dehumanize people on basis of gender, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, race, disability status, or political or moral views

confirming messages: recognition, acknowledgment, endorsement

statements conveying value for other people
recognition: (that someone exists)
acknowledgement: (other's feelings and thoughts)
endorsement: agreeing with another

types of disconfirming messages

statements that imply lack of regard for others
impervious response: ignoring people
verbal abuse: using words to hurt people emotionally and psychologically

defensive v supportive messages

defensiveness: feeling of excessive concern with guarding ourselves against threat of criticism or attacks to ego
supportiveness: feeling of assurance that others care about us and will protect us

types of messages that promote defensiveness or supportiveness

1) evaluation v description ("this sucks" vs. "there's room for improvement")
2) control v problem orientation ("can't go to park it's raining" vs. "lets do something fun inside")
3) strategy v spontaneity ("r u busy?" vs. "want to hang?")
4) neutrality v empathetic
5) superior v equal
6) certainty v provisionalism

providing effective feedback

non-evaluative feedback: reply that withholds assessment of what speaker has said or done
3 techniques: probe (ask ?s), paraphrase (repeating back in own words), offer support (confirming validity and sharing your perceptions)

evaluative feedback: reply that offers assessment of what speaker has said or done
2 steps: provide praise and/or criticize constructively

owning your thoughts and feelings

using I-statements over you-statements
"I don't understand" vs "you don't make sense"
helps prevent the listener from becoming defensive

separating opinion from fact

opinions are still opinions if you agree with them
factual claims can be untrue
can the statement be proven with objective evidence?

nonverbal communication

behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning without the use of words

characteristics of nonverbal comm

NVC is present in most interpersonal convos
NVC often conveys more info than verbal comm
NVC is often believed over verbal comm
NVC is the primary means of communicating emotion
NVC metacommunicates

functions of nonverbal comm

managing conversations
expressing emotions (vocal and facial)

channels of nonverbal comm

facial displays (identity, attractiveness, emotion), eye behaviors, movement and gestures, touch behaviors (affectionate touch, caregiving touch, power and control touch, aggressive touch, ritualistic touch), vocal behaviors, use of smell, use of space, physical appearance, use of time, use of artifacts

interpreting nonverbal comm

be sensitive to nonverbal messages
decipher meaning of nonverbal messages (be aware of situation, groups of behaviors, culture, and expectation, ask for clarification)

expressing nonverbal messages

work on self-awareness
learn from others
practice being expressive
pay attention to how others react to your behavior

listening

active process of making meaning out of another person's spoken message

how is listening different from hearing

hearing is just receiving input, but listening also creates meaning from what one hears

listening styles

relational style: emphasizes concern for others' emotions and interests
task-oriented: transactional
critical style: emphasizes intellectual challenges
analytical: withhold judgement while listening and consider all sides before responding

listening effectively and its importance

listening w the conscious and explicit goal of understanding what the speaker is attempting to communicating;
important bc listening takes up most of our time, can lead to success

misconceptions of listening

hearing is the same as listening
listening is natural and effortless
all listeners hear the same message

stages of effective listening

hearing
understanding
remembering
interpreting
evaluating
responding

types of listening

informational listening: listening to learn
critical listening: evaluating or analyzing
empathic listening: IDing with speaker by understanding and experiencing what they are thinking or feeling
inspirational listening
appreciative listening

common barriers to effective listening

noise
pseudolistening: pretending to pay attention
selective attention: listening only to what you want to hear
information overload
glazing over: dividing attn between listening and daydreaming
rebuttal tendency: propensity to disrupt our listening to debate
close-mindedness: tendency not to listen to something one disagrees with
competitive interrupting: interjecting to take control

becoming a better listener

separate what is and isn't said
avoid confirmation bias
listen for substance more than style

emotion v mood

emotion is the body's multidimensional response to any event that enhances or inhibits a person's goals
mood: feeling that has no specific identifiable cause

joyful/affectionate emotions

happiness, love, passion, liking

happiness

state of contentment, joy, pleasure, cheer
all cultures show w smiling, laughing, being energetic

love

caring for, feeling attracted to, and deeply connected to someone
can be romantic, with friends, self, or faith
can make us crazy

passion

mixes joy and surprise with experiences of excitement and attraction
based on surprise, brings people together, fades

liking

product of evaluation of someone

hostile emotions

anger, contempt, disgust, jealousy, envy

anger

emotional response to perceiving that you have been wronged

contempt

a feeling of superiority over, and disrespect for, others

disgust

feeling of revulsion when confronted with something you find offensive or repellent

jealousy

feeling an important relationship is threatened by a third party

envy

wanting what another has

sad/anxious emotions

sadness, grief, fear, anxiety

sadness

feeling unhappy, sorrowful, discouraged

grief

sadness experienced when a loss is profound

fear

mind and body's response to perceived danger

social anxiety

fear of not making a good impression on others

emotions are multidimensional

physiological, cognitive, behavioral, social, cultural

emotions vary in valence and intensity

can be positive or negative and of different intensities

primary and secondary emotions

primary emotions: distinct emotional experiences (happy, sad, anger, fear, disgust, surprise
secondary emotions: primary emotions combined in various ways

display rules

social group's norms for how emotions should be expressed
intensification: exaggerating emotions
de-intensification: downplaying emotions
simulation: pretending to feel an emotion you aren't
inhibition: acting indifferent or emotionless when you aren't
masking: expressing the opposite of how you feel

emotional contagion

tendency to mimic emotional experiences and expressions of others

sex and gender differences in emotion

jealousy: men\>women sexually, women\>men emotionally
emotional expression: androgynous ppl more expressive

how personality affects emotional experience

agreeableness, extroversion, neuroticism

emotional intelligence

one's ability to perceive and understand emotions, use emotions to facilitate thought, and manage emotions constructively;; self-awareness, regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills

sharpening your emotional communication skills

ID Emotions, listen to your Body, pay attention to your Thoughts, take stock of the Situation, Reappraisal, separate emotions from Actions (BREAST)

emotional reappraisal

changing the way you thing about the situation that gave rise to negative emotions to reduce the effect of the emotion

Definition of language

A structured system of symbols used for communicating meaning

Language is symbolic

The word itself is not the structure; rather, it merely symbolizes it

Language is arbitrary

words have no real connection to their meanings

\***onomatopoeia

\***A word formed by imitating the sound associated with its meaning

Phonological rules

deals with the correct pronunciation of a word, and they vary from language to language

Syntactic rules

the way we put words and phrases to create well-formed sentences

Semantic rules

govern the meanings of individual words

Pragmatic rules

address how we use social and cultural information to determine the meaning of statements

denotative meaning

A words literal meaning or dictionary definition

connotative meaning

A words implied or secondary meaning, in addition to its literal meaning

semantic triangle

Loaded language

Terms that carry strongly positive or strongly negative connotations

Ambiguous language

Language having more than one possible meaning

Ladder of Abstraction

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

The idea that language influences the ways that members of a culture see and think about the world

Using words to persuade

Ethos, logos, pathos

**ethos

**A speakers respectability, trustworthiness, and moral character

**logos

**Listeners ability to reason

reason

To make judgments about the world based on evidence rather than emotion or intuition.

**pathos

**Listeners emotions

Credibility

The extent to which others find someones words and actions trustworthy

Cliches

phrases that were novel at one time but have grown overused and lost their effect

Dialects

variations on language in a certain area or social class

Equivocation

being strategically vague in language to disguise true intentions

Weasel words

terms and phrases used to mislead listeners by implying something rather than actually saying it