SPCH 2: Chapter 3
Jargon
specialized words used by a certain group or profession
Annoyance swearing
swearing that provides a sense of relief as people use it to manage stress and tension, which can be a preferred alternative to physical aggression
Social swearing
swearing used conversationally to create social bonds for impression management (to seem cool or attractive)
Sarcasm
passive-aggressive behavior through which a person indirectly communicates negative feelings
Judgmental "you" messages
accusatory messages that are usually generalized overstatements about another person that go beyond labeling but still do not describe specific behavior in a productive way
Metaphor
an implicit comparison or two things that are not alike and/or are not typically associated
Threats
threatening someone with violence or some other negative consequence; usually signals the end of productive communication
Simile
a direct comparison of two things using the words like or as
Triangle of meaning
a model of communication that indicates the relationship among a thought, symbol, and referent, and highlights the indirect relationship between the symbol and referent
Symbol
something, like a word or gesture, that stands in for or represents something else
Cultural bias
a skewed way of viewing or talking about a group that is typically negative
Dragging up the past
bringing up negative past experiences as a tactic used by people who don't want to discuss a current situation
Judgments
expressions of approval or disapproval that are subjective and not verifiable
Negative comparisons
holding a person up to the supposed standards or characteristics or another person
Commissives
language that commits the speaker to a certain course of action
Figure of speech
referring to a word or phrase that deviates from expectations in some way in meaning or usage
Polarizing language
refers to language that presents people, ideas, or situations as polar opposites; exaggerates differences and overgeneralizes; black or white, right or wrong, good or bad
Grammar
the rules that govern how words are used to make phrases or sentences
Convergence
using communication similar to that of your communication partner
Divergence
using communication to emphasize the differences between you and your conversational partner
Directives
utterances that try to get another person to do something
Inference-observation confusion
a frequent source of miscommunication that involves the imperception of an inference (conclusion based on limited information) as an observation (an observed or agreed-on fact)
6 months
babies can associate some words, like bye-bye, with a corresponding behavior, and they begin "babbling," which is actually practice for more intelligible speech to come
2-4 months
babies can respond to different tones of voice (angry, soothing, or playful)
8-10 months
babies learn that pointing can attract or direct attention, and they begin to follow adult conversations, shifting eye contact from one speaker to the next
1 year
babies recognize some individual words (people's names, no) and basic rituals of verbal interaction such as a question-pause-answer and various greetings. Shortly after this time, babies begin to use "melodic utterances" echoing the variety in pitch and tone in various verbal interactions such as questioning, greeting, or wanting
Code-switching
changing accents, dialects, or languages
Expressing feelings
communicating emotions
Expressing needs
communicating in an instrumental way to help us get things done; stating wants or requesting help or support
Facts
conclusions based on direct observation or direct consensus
Inferences
conclusions based on thoughts and speculation, but not direct observation
Codes
culturally agreed on and ever-changing systems of symbols that help us organize, understand, and generate meaning
Denotation
definition that is accepted by the language group as a whole, or the dictionary definition of a word
Connotation
definition that is based on emotion- or experience-based associations people have with a word
Accents
distinct styles of pronunciation
Expressing thoughts
drawing conclusions or judgements based on what we have experienced and observed
Verbal expressions
language that helps us communication our observations, thoughts, feelings, and needs
Affective language
language used to express a person's feelings and create similar feelings in another person
Expressing observations
reporting on the sensory information we are taking or have taken in or memories; facts
Supportive messages
messages communicated in an open, honest, and nonconfrontational way
Partial messages
messages that are missing a relevant type of expression and can lead to misunderstanding and conflict
Unsupportive messages
messages that can make others respond defensively, which can lead to feelings of separation and actual separation or dissolution of a relationship
Whole messages
messages that include all the relevant types of expressions needed to most effectively communicate in a given situation, including what you see, what you think, what you feel, and what you need
Contaminated messages
messages that include mixed or misleading expressions
Slang
new or adapted words that are specific to a group, context, and/or time period, regarded as less formal, and representative of people's creative play with language
Neologisms
newly coined or used words
Adjacency pairs
related communication structures that come one after the other (adjacent to each other) in an interaction; questions are followed by answers, greetings are followed by responses, compliments are followed by a thank you, informative comments are followed by an acknowledgment, etc.
Global labels
sweeping judgements and generalizations that call a person's whole identity as a person into question, "you're a liar"
Personification
the attribution of human qualities or characteristics of other living things to nonhuman objects or abstract concepts
Esperanto
the most well-known and widely used auxiliary language that was intended to serve as a common international language
Language acquisition
the process by which we learn to understand, produce, and use words to communicate within a given language group
Displacement
the unique human ability to talk about events that are removed in space or time from a speaker and situation
Communication accommodation theory
theory that explores why and how people modify their communication to fit situational, social, cultural, and relational contexts
Dialects
versions of languages that have distinct words, grammar, and pronunciation
Evocative language
vivid language that captures people's attention and their imagination by conveying emotions and action