CHAPTER 3LANGUAGEI. Nature of LanguageII. A Language of MisunderstandingsIII. Gender and LanguageIV. Culture and LanguageActivity: Have students take out three pieces of paper and have the students write dog, God and mother on them. Have the students tear it up or step on it. Then begin discussion by asking those who did not step on selected words why, because they are just words.Have you ever heard the phrase, “sticks & stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”? Do you agree? Or have you heard your mother say, “If you can’t say anything nice then don’t say it at all,” your mother said this because it is true, words do hurt! What will you teach your kids?I. Nature of Language (def): A collection of symbols governed by rules and used to convey messages between individuals.A. Symbolic (def.): Arbitrary (not intrinsically connected to what the represent) constructions that represent a communicator’s thoughts.B. Meanings are in people not in words.1. E.g. the word “gay”. 2. Meanings are personal.3. Ogden and Richards’s Triangle of Meaning: user (top)---word/symbol (L. Corner)---thing/referent (R. Corner.)II. A Language of MisunderstandingsA. Equivocal Language1. Def: Have more than one correct dictionary definition.2. E.g. “period”B. Relative words1. Def: Gain their meaning by comparison.2. It depends on what you are comparing it too? That exam was difficult, challenging, or impossible.C. Slang1. Def: Language used by a group of people whose members belong to a similar co-culture or other group.2. What are some things you say in your groups, would it be ok if I said those words?D. Jargon1. Def: The specialized vocabulary that functions as a kind of shorthand by people with common backgrounds and experience.2. E.g. Disney and DoctorsE. Overly Abstract Language1. Abstract ladder: Your description would get more and more specific.2. E.g. women-feminist-org.-member.III. Gender and LanguageA. Men and women both use language to build and maintain social relationships. But, how men and women dialogue is different.B. Women’s vs. Men’s Speech1. Women’s Speech: Emphasize on feelings 2. Men’s Speech: Emphasize making conversation fun.3. Who has better communication and does that mean that they have better friendships.C. Conversational Style1. Women’s Style: Women talk less than men in larger mixed-sex groups and women talk more than men in smaller groups. (Indirect/disclaimers)2. Men’s Style: Men interrupt women more than women interrupt men. (Direct)D. Sex Roles1. Def: Their social orientation that governs their behavior- rather than their biological gender.2. Masculine, Feminine & Androgynous. Which words would describe these styles?IV. Culture and LanguageA. High vs. Low Context Styles (Edward Hall)1. High: Value language as a way to maintain harmony. Indirect andtalk around the point. Implied messages. (Asian/Middle EasternCountries) ** E.g. In Japan I was trying to return a shirt and they wouldn’t say no even though they wouldn’t return it.2. Low: Self-expression is valued. Clear, direct and explicit in messages. “Stop beating around the bush.” (US/Canada)B. Language and World View1. Linguistic Determinism: the notion that the worldview of a culture is shaped and reflected by the language its members speak. (Whorf-Sapir Hypothesis)**E.g. Eskimos have 17-100 different words to describe snow, powdery, blizzard and crusty ice. 2. Linguistic Relativism: Language exerts a strong influence on perceptions. “The differences between languages are not so much in what can be said, but in what is relatively easy to say.”**E.g. Lao (Mandarin) A respectful term used for older people, showing their importance in the family and in a
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