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Lecture 3

Language and
Communication

Chapter Outline

What is language?
How is language related to culture?
How did language begin?

What Is Language?

A system for the communication, in


symbols, of any kind of information.
Through language, people share their
experiences, concerns, and beliefs and
communicate these to the next
generation.

The Nature of Language

There are approximately 6,000


languages.
All languages are organized in the same
basic way.
Spoken languages use sounds and rules
for putting the sounds together.
Sign languages use gestures rather
than sounds.

Linguistics

Linguistics is the study of all aspects of


language:
Phonetics
Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
Grammar

Studying a Language
1.

2.
3.

Isolate the phonemes, or the smallest


classes of sound that make a
difference in meaning.
Determine all groups or combinations
of sounds that seem to have meaning.
See how morphemes are put together
to form phrases or sentences.

The Biology of Human


Speech

The Sapir-Whorf
Hypothesis

A language is not simply an encoding


process but is rather a shaping force.
Language guides thinking and behavior
by predisposing people to see the world
in a certain way.
There has been a recent renewal of
interest in this hypothesis.

Indo-European languages

Origin of Language: One


Theory

Early hominines, began using gestures to


communicate intentions within a social setting.
When Homo erectus moved out of the tropics,
they needed to plan and communicate to
survive seasons of cold temperatures.
By the time archaic Homo sapiens appeared,
finely controlled movements of the mouth and
throat had given rise to spoken language.

Gesture-Call System

Inherited from our primate ancestors.


Gesture component consists of body
motions used to convey messages.
Call component consists of
extralinguistic noises involving various
voice qualities and vocalizations.

Hidden Aspects of
Communication

What do you think this couple


is communicating non-verbally?
Look at them carefully.

Test your knowledge of North American/European


body language. Look at the couple walking
together. What does it mean to be so close
with their arms around each other this way?
Could they be strangers?

Proxemics
____________________
DISTANCE BETWEEN
FACES

TONE OF VOICE

TYPE OF MESSAGE

very close (3-6")

soft whisper

top secret or sensual

close (8-12")

audible whisper

very confidential

neutral (20-36")

soft voice, low volume

neutral (4.5-5')

full voice

non-personal information

across the room (8-20')

loud voice

talking to a group

stretching the limits


(20-24' indoors and
up to 100' outdoors)

loud hailing voice

personal subject matter

departures and arrivals

Derived from The Silent Language by Edward Hall (1959)

Japanese avoiding eye contact in a crowd

What do the clothing, hair style, makeup,


and body language of the young woman
in the photo communicate to you?
Now think of a middle-aged businessman
with the same clothing, hair style, makeup,
and body language.
Would she fit in the office environment?

Communicating with Clothes


Papua New Guinean man
wearing a penis sheath

English "punkers"
in their "uniforms"

Lecture 3
Language and Communication
Assignments
1.

Test your cross-cultural gesture literacy:


http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/quiz/gestures.php

2.

Read article: Dying Languages


http://www.nysun.com/opinion/dying-languages/45847

3.

Read article: Accents speak louder than words:


http://living.scotsman.com/books/Accents-speak-louder-than-words.28
31938.jp

4.

Read article: Nature v nurture? Please don't ask:


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article5986239.ece

Note: I would like to remind you that all assignments (including assigned readings) are
compulsary and will be included in your June examination!

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