Lecture 5 COMM 1000 1st Edition Outline of last lecture l. Attributionlll. Biaseslll. Impression FormationIV. Implicit personality theoryV. Forming impressions of othersVl. Stereo typesVll. Accuracy of perceptionOutline of Current lecture Vlll. Language IX. Symbols and ReferentsX. Kinds of rules Xl. Meaning Xll. CodesXIll. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Current lecture Vll. Language A. What it Language?- A system of symbols and codes used to construct and convey messages Symbols are arbitrary, humane-made- Can simplify a complex reality:- “freedom”- Capable of displacement- Ability to talk of things that are not there - Rule-governed- Grammar, definitions, etc.B. How does language help us communicate?- We “refer” to things & ideas- The referential function of language1. Categorizationo Grouping similar objects & characteristics2. Naming- Peach & Oranges 3. Assign meaning o We assign meaning by knowledge, experience, perception, context, relationshipC. Purpose of Language- Serves as an aid to our memories- Enables abstraction from our experience (displacement) lX. Symbols and referents A. The symbol is the word itself - Arbitrary, random- Has no inherent meaning - Referents are the objects, ideas, things themselves B. Problems with Symbol/ Referent - Less ‘concrete’ the referent, the more difficult it is to agree on the ‘meaning’ of the symbolX. Kinds of rules A. Category #1 - Semantic-rules of word meaning D. Category #2- Syntactic-rules of word organization“She gave her dog the biscuit”“She gave her the dog biscuit”E. Category #3- Pragmatic rules-how language is used practically“Catch the bus”Xl. Meaning A. Two basic types of meaning:- Denotative- Primary association word has for most people (dictionary meaning)- Connotative- Secondary associations a word has for one or more members of a group or population (emotional/evaluative meaning)- Can be idiosyncratic but is often culturally shared B. Connotation- Negative-positive - CT school for imbeciles- CT school for feebleminded- Research using semantic differentials- Test our reactions to words- commitment o Evaluation- good or bado Potency – powerful or weak o Activity – fast or slow C. Meaning - Words- the basic elements of language - With them we create meaning- But words do not “have” meaning- Meanings are not inherent in words- Words are meaningful only after they’ve been associated with something- Words and referents do not alone ‘make up’ language- They work on a social contract - Language helps us communicate by 1. Categorizing 2. Naming 3. Assigning meaning Xll. Codes and Meaning Types A. Remember, meaning isn’t contained in words- So, we might talk about codes- Codes are special types of languages- With special word/meaning relationships B. Types of Codes- Codes are special languages - Private: idiosyncratic to the individual - Shared- corresponded between sender and receiver - Physicians - Clubs, groups- Families- Restricted codes-between intimates- Only understood between people in the relationship - Typical of romantic couples- Codeswitching - Michael’s presentation Xlll. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis - The idea that language sustains culturally different perceptions of the world - In General - Our thoughts are influenced by language - E.g. man and wife; chairman “the kids in my class”- Strong Determinism - Language determines thoughts- Weak Determinism- Language influences our