speech community
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Transcript speech community
CH: 3
The World of Words
The Symbolic Nature of Language
• Words are symbols
Symbols are arbitrary
Symbols are ambiguous
Symbols are abstract
Principles of Verbal Communication
• Language and culture reflect each other
• The meanings of language are subjective
• Language use is rule-guided
Communication rules
– Regulative rules
– Constitutive rules
• Punctuation shapes
meaning
The Demand-Withdrawal Pattern
Symbolic Abilities
• Language defines phenomena
Language shapes perceptions
Language can totalize
Language shapes and
reflects relationships
Symbolic Abilities
• Language evaluates
Language reflects and shapes perceptions
Language can be loaded
Language can degrade others
• Language organizes perceptions
Language allows abstract thought
Language can stereotype
Symbolic Abilities
• Language allows hypothetical thought
We can think beyond immediate, concrete
situations
We live in three
dimensions of time
We can foster
personal growth
Symbolic Abilities
• Language allows self-reflection
Self-reflection allows us to monitor
communication
Self-reflection allows us to manage our image
Speech Communities
• A speech community exists when people
share norms about how to use talk and what
purposes it serves.
Defined by shared understandings of how to
communicate rather than
countries or geographic
locations
Gender Speech Communities
• Gender speech communities
Socialization into gender speech communities
Gendered communication in practice
Misunderstandings between gender speech
communities
Guidelines for Improving
Verbal Communication
• Engage in dual perspective
• Own your feelings and thoughts
Rely on I language rather than you language
Guidelines for Improving
Verbal Communication
• Respect what others say about their feelings
and thoughts
• Strive for accuracy and clarity
Be aware of levels of abstraction
Qualify language
– Static evaluations
– Mental indexing