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21: Verbal Communication

  • Page ID
    304891
    • Anonymous
    • LibreTexts

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    • 21.1: Language and Meaning
      This page discusses key concepts in language and communication. It highlights how language is symbolic and relies on a "triangle of meaning" that links thoughts, symbols, and referents. The page distinguishes between denotation (a word's dictionary meaning) and connotation (personal and emotional associations), and underscores the importance of language rules. The process of language acquisition is explored, showing how humans rapidly gain linguistic abilities from infancy to adolescence.
    • 21.2: Functions of Language
      This text explores the multifaceted nature of language, highlighting its expressive, powerful, fun, dynamic, and relational functions. Language serves to convey observations, thoughts, feelings, and needs while also expressing identity, affecting credibility, exerting control, and performing actions. This dynamic system constantly evolves with new words and meanings, as seen in neologisms and slang.
    • 21.3: Using Words Well
      The section discusses language clarity through abstraction, ethical language usage, and creating whole messages. It emphasizes using clear and concrete language for effective communication and examines the ladder of abstraction model to demonstrate how language varies from concrete to abstract. Whole messages combine observations, thoughts, feelings, and needs to prevent miscommunication, while affective language and figurative speech can enhance meaning and emotional connection.
    • 21.4: Language, Society, and Culture
      The text discusses the influence of society and culture on language, including social norms for conversation, such as turn-taking and rituals like the German duzen. It addresses how language varies with cultural context and the role of code-switching and accommodation in communication. It highlights how cultural biases in language can affect perceptions of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and ability.

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