Chp 3 - Human Comms

Ageist language

language that denigrates ppl for being young or old

Cliche

an expression that has lost originality & force through overuse (overly use)

Concrete language

words & statements that are specific rather than abstract or vague

Connotative meaning

an individualized or personalized meaning of a word, which may be emotionally laden (subjective)

Culture

a unique combination of rituals, religious beliefs, ways of thinking, & ways of behaving that unify a group of ppl

Dating

specifying when you made an observation, since everything changes over time

Decode

the process of assigning meaning to others’ words in order to translate them into thoughts of your own

Denotative meaning

the agreed-upon meaning or dictionary meaning of a word

Descriptiveness

the practice of describing observed behavior or phenomena instead of offering personal reactions or judgements

Encode

 the process of translating your thoughts into words

Euphemism

a more polite, pleasant expression used instead of a socially unacceptable form

Frozen evaluation

an assessment of a concept that does not change over time

Gender-biased language

language that privileges a certain gender over another

Heterosexist language

language that implies that everyone is heterosexual

Indexing

identifying the uniqueness of objects, events, & ppl

Jargon

language particular to a specific profession, work group, or culture & not meant to be understood by outsiders

Language

a collection of symbols, letters, or words w/ arbitrary meanings that are governed by rules & used to communicate

Operational definition

 a definition that identifies something by revealing how it works, how it is made, or what it consists of

Paraphrasing

restating another person’s message by rephrasing the content or intent of the message

Phatic communication

communication that is used to establish a mood of sociability rather than to communication information or ideas (small talk)

Pragmatics

the study of language as it’s used in a social context, including its effect on the communicators (small talk)

Profanity

a type of swearing that uses indecent words or phrases

Racist language

language that insults a group b/c of its race or ethnicity

Regionalisms

words & phrases specific to a particular region or part of the country

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

a theory that our perception of reality is determined by our thought processes, our thought processes are limited by our language, & therefore language shapes our reality & our behaviors

Semantics

the study of the way humans use language to evoke meaning in others

Slang

informal, casual language used among equals w/ words typically unsuitable for more formal contexts

Syntax

the way in which words are arranged to form phrases & sentences

Language

a collection of symbols, letters, or words w/ arbitrary (made up) meanings that are governed by rules & used to communicate

decode

assign meaning to their words

receiver does this

encode

translating your own thoughts into words in order to communicate

the sender does this

Observations

descriptions of what is sensed

Inferences

conclusions (judgements/assumptions) drawn from observations