Verbal Messages
- 1. Verbal Messages Message production Producing message is as fundamental to our lives as receiving them. Virtually every aspect of our behavior is a potential source of information that may be selected for attention, interpreted, remembered, and acted upon by others. Encoding and decoding In a situation such as the one described, each party is putting forth a good deal of effort to provide information and to create particular kinds of impressions. The individuals involved have specific goals in mind and communicate in ways designed to achieve them. This process-converting an idea into a message-is termed encoding. Some of the messages that become significant for others are intentionally encoded. Our hope is that individuals for whom our messages are prepared will decode the-translate the message into an idea-more or less as we intend. The messages we produce fall into two broad categories: verbal and nonverbal. Process-versus Meaning-Centered Models of Communication Many of the major models of communication emphasize the process of communication. These models focus on message transmission and are concerned with the channel, sender, receiver, noise and feedback. Such models, and some of our discussion of verbal messages, focus on sending and receiving a message. Looking at communication in this way has several advantages. The models allow us to examine how
- 2. messages may get lost or distorted in the communication process and how receivers may miss the message sent. John Fiske describes this model by saying: For communication to take place I have to create a message out of signs. This message stimulates you to create a meaning for yourself that relates in some way to the meaning that I generated in my message in the first place. The more we share the same codes, the more we used the same sign systems, the closer our two “meanings” of the message will approximate. Note that this definition relies on concepts such as signs, codes, and meaning. In this view, messages are constructed of signs which produce meaning in interaction with receivers. Codes are the systems into which signs are organized. This view emphasizes the meaning while the process model emphasize the sender and receiver. The Nature of Language Every language has an identifiable pattern and set of rules relative to: Phonology. The way sounds are combined to form words. Syntax. The way words are combined into sentences. Semantics. The meanings of words on the basis of their relationship to one another and to elements in the environment. Pragmatics. The way in which language is used in practice. Physiological Factors
- 3. The position of the tongue, lips, and jaw are the primary factors involved in the creation of the vowel sounds in English. Cognitive Factors Human physiology only partially explains the workings of the communication process. Controlling these mechanisms are the brain and nervous system, which enables us to sense of, and relate to our environment and one another. Here, the differences between humans and other animals are striking. Language acquisition There are two broad perspectives on language development-the psycholinguistic approach and the sociolinguistic approach: 1. The psycholinguistic approach. Early utterances-protowords (the forerunners of words) and words themselves-are based on a child’s personalized understanding of the world. Language is a means for the expression of meanings he or she has learned. 2. The sociolinguistic approach. Language development occurs when a child experiences a need to communicate. Language is learned through social interaction and is a means for accommodating the demands of social life. Language is an incredibly powerful tool. We can classify the major everyday uses of language into three categories: (a) representation; (b) conversation; and (c) social and public communication.
- 4. a. Representation Language and reality Through language, we are able to manipulate symbols in our thinking. Although the language system available to us has a major impact on our perceptions, our ability to understand external reality is not controlled entirely by our language. The realities which confront us have a great impact on our language and the patterns we develop and use. Limitations of Language for Representation The principle of nonidentity (A is not A). The principle of nonidentity reminds us that words are not the same order of “stuff” as the “realities” to which they refer. The world is constantly changing, while the language avalailable for making sense of it may not. The reverse may also occur when language changes but the reality it refers to doesn’t. The principle of non-allness (A is not all A). The principle of non-allness asserts that “the map is not the territory”-our language can never represent all of the object, event, or person to which we are reffering. The principle of self-reflexiveness. The principle of self-reflexiveness calls attention to the problem that can arise when we use language to talk about our use of language.