COMM 7 - Chapter 5

How did the Semanticists want to train senders and recievers?

-To be very specific in sending and receiving words, to avoid the communication pitfalls such as stereotyping, over-generalization, euphemism, and others. -To be continually alert to the difference between signals and symbols so that they would not be misunderstood by receivers. -Also try to isolate and specify meaning in concrete terms.

What do we find a lot today? And what do researchers note?

-We find many groups using and misusing linguistic symbols in dramatic ways on buttons, badges, or bumper stickers. -Researchers note that persons that display these symbols will buy the products, donate, or vote for the candidate, cause, or brand they are promoting far more often than those who don't display. Making the symbolic statement equates with action to those peoples minds, and their words become deeds or substitutes for action.

What does a MAP and TERRITORY refer to?

A MAP is what exists in our heads (An image of a certain place, experience, or event), but a TERRITORY is what physically exists in our heads.

According to semiotic theory ....

All texts convey meaning through SIGNS and SIGNIFIERS.

What can almost anything be?

Almost anything can be "text" that has one or more meanings; semioticians talk about the "meaning: of a doctor's office, a meal, a TV program, a circus, or any other verbal or nonverbal symbolic event.

Eloquence Persuasion

Always seems unique, fresh, exciting, and somehow emotional. It strikes us as capturing the moment, and may even prophesy the future.

Demonstrate how an emotion-laden sentence can be defused using the extensional devices.

An emotion-laden sentence can be defused by all the extensional devices: they can use INDEXING to be specific and not target everyone, you can use DATING to specify the time frame and target an exact group of people, you can use ETC. to explain how not everyone thinks and does the same, you can also use QUOTATION MARKS to indicate their interpretation of things, because they indicate that the sender is using those flag words in their own way.

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Conceptions

Any particular individual's unique meanings for the concept.

What are SIGNIFIEDS?

Are the things to which the signifiers reflect.

Why can we infer a great deal from how a person uses word/symbols to persuade?

Because the making of symbols is so highly ego-involving.

Why does persuasion via identification work?

Because we all share sub-stances and because we all experience guilt.

How do persuaders motivate us?

By appealing to our internal and inevitable feelings of inadequacy, shame, or guilt.

Denotation

Common and shared meaning we all have for any concept. -"Profit" versus loss.

What does all human communication and hence persuasion rely on?

Concepts and Conception

An extensional device that lets you know the time frame of something.

DATING

What do defensive persuadees need to do?

Decode persuaders' messages for their authenticity, and determine whether the messages reflect or resonate with persuaders' real beliefs and real values or are just going along with you.

The extensional device that indicates that we can never tell the whole story about any person, place, event, or thing.

ETC.

One extensional device used to identify specifics.

INDEXING

What is a good and persuasive metaphor?

Is one in which the vehicle can be readily and repeatedly "mapped" or traced bak to the tenor, and preferably several dimesions.

What is the third source of guilt?

Is our innate need to achieve perfection.

What's the persuaders job?

Is to call attention to those sub-stances or basic beliefs and experiences that they share with receivers.

What's the receivers job?

Is to critically and defensively examine these substances to see whether the persuader merely makes them appear to be shared. We need to think about this in the central path of the ELM.

Whats the key to determining the persuasiveness of metaphors.

Is to identify and isolate the tenors and vehicles, then to see how broadly familiar they are to the audiences, and finally to see how many ways the vehicles can be "mapped" back to the tenors.

What did their theory grow out of?

It grew out of the difficulty in determining what double spies really meant when they communicated something.

How does using extensional devices in decoding persuasion help?

It helps us make sure the maps in our heads more closely resemble the territory to which we refer.

What does language allow us to do?

It lets us talk and think about feelings, events, and objects even when the actual feeling, events, or objects are not physically present.

How does language help "Ethnic Cleansing"?

It serves as the major weapon for dehumanizing others before killing or torturing them and worse.

What does hierarchy and pecking order lead to?

Jealously of others or to competition with them.

Who called the use of language "Symbolic Action" and what did he mean?

Kenneth Burke; and he meant that when you say it you have done it symbolically.

How are metaphors related to the semiotic terms?

Metaphors are related to the semiotic terms "signified" and "signifier," or the terms "concept" and "conception."

Presentational Meaning

Occurs all at once and the message is experienced in its entirety at one time. (When one looks at a painting, or statue.)

What do unethical persuaders and propagandists often do?

Often intentionally use abstract or emotionally charged language to achieve their purposes.

What do we need to pay attention to when texting?

Pay careful attention to pay much more careful attention to the word/symbols we use .

What's so unique about Kenneth Burke?

Perhaps no language theorist or critic wrote as many treaties in as wide a variety of fields or with as broad a knowledge of human symbolic behavior as Kenneth Burke.

What is the second behavioral pattern that contributes to guilt?

Relies on the principle of hierarchy or "pecking order"

Receivers have what?

Response-ability

What does identification rest on?

Rests on the beliefs, values, experiences, and views of the self that we share with others, or with our groundings or our basic and first principles.

Equation of Semiotics

Signifiers + Signs = Semiotic Meaning

What two concepts does Langer associate with this capacity?

Signs and Symbols

What do SIGNS indicate?

Signs indicate the presence of an event, feeling, or object. -Thunder signals lightening and usually rain. But dogs don't know, so it's hard to warn them. -Red traffic lights signal potentially dangerous cross traffic. Guide dogs know that "red" means stop, but they don't understand the link between the red light and the words "cross-traffic."

Symbol

Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention. -The most widely used type of symbol is language and words.

Tenor

Subject of a metaphor

What did Langer maintain?

That meaning is either "discursive" or "presentational."

What is the first behavioral pattern that contributes to guilt?

The development of language.

Vehicle

The means of embodiment or transmission of meaning.

What is eloquence usually processed in?

The peripheral channel.

What did Langer believe in?

The power of word/symbols, and like Lederer and others, she believed that the ability to create and use language distinguishes humans from nonhumans.

What are the real problems for general semanticists?

The real problems occur when people act as if their maps accurately describe the territory, thus turning the map into the territory.

What is another tool that can help us alert us as receivers to the persuasion that is targeted at us?

The study of semiotics and its tools, terms, and methods.

Another way to put it is that ...

The tenor is equal to the vehicle.

What indicates that language serves as as a frequent surrogate for action?

The title of the book "Deeds Done in Words."

What do semiologists apply?

The tools of linguistics to a wide variety of texts-verbal and nonverbal.

What is a "subtext?"

The underlying meaning semioticians describe in any of these.

Korzypski's Scheme

The word "MAP" equates to Langer's "CONCEPTION," and the word "TERRITORY" equates to "objective reality" or close to Langer's "CONCEPT."

What is one of the first things we learn as children?

The word "NO"

What do most language theorists agree about?

They all mostly agree that of all the figures of speech, the metaphor is the most powerful, most persuasive, most memorable, and most likely to require truly artistic language creativity.

To Burke, what are most persuasive attempts to describe our "essential parts?"

They are always revealing.

How are our faulty maps expressed?

They are expressed through language and often behave in accordance with what might be very faulty perceptions.

What did the general semanticists want people to know?

They believed people needed to learn to be aware that the word/symbol appeals made by most advocates and propagandists were only maps or inner perceptions of places, persons, or things and not true territories or realities.

What can metaphors be called?

They can be called "archetypal"

What's one danger of using metaphors?

They can be used against you.

What can the study of semiotics be used for?

They can be used to craft the language we use in trying to persuade others.

What and why do persuaders frequently use, and what can these things do?

They frequently use artistic metaphors to emphasize their points in dramatic ways. These can intensify or downplay the points being made.

What do these signifiers interact with?

They interact with one another in meaningful and sophisticated, but not obvious, relationships. or sign systems, which make up the "language," or "code," of the text.

What do defensive persuadees need to consider?

They need to consider whether they are being appealed to via the map or the territory.

What do our mental, visual, and word maps represent?

They represent a real problem in communication, and especially in persuasion.

What do linguistics usually study?

They usually study meaning in art, architecture, civil and private events, and so on.

What do Lederer's observations tell us?

They warn us not to take language or word/symbols for granted.

What are these codes quite similar to?

They're similar to metaphors for purposes of communicating meaning.

According to Burke, what is identification developed through?

Through the linguistic sharing of what he called SUB-STANCES.

What did Korzypski and his colleagues intend to do?

To devise tools for improving the understanding of human communication and to encourage careful and precise uses of language and when they were occurring.

What are dark metaphors associated with?

With mysterious, unknown, potentially dangerous, potentially exciting, and evil actions or events.

What is light metaphors associated to?

With positive pleasures, good, knowledge, and uplifting emotions or ideas.

The Negative

Word/symbols that name what something is, inherently lead to the idea of what something is not ...

What do critical receivers need to pay attention to?

Words, images, and metaphors that persuaders use to create identification.

Semiotics

the study of signs and symbols; another field concerned with the generation and conveyance of meaning.

Example of a Connotation and Denotation

"The fake labels are symbols that communicate status in a society where status differences supposedly don't exist (denotation).

Identify significant human developments that were made possible via language.

-Create Culture -With the use of visual and verbal symbols COMMUNICATE. -Allowed humans to engage in less-constructive behaviors such as: lying, teasing, breaking promises, scolding, demeaning, propagandizing, and cyberbullying. -People found that promises, treaties, and legal contracts could be made and broken, and that laws could be used for evil as well for good.

What are some examples of "euphemism"?

-Deaths of Afghani and Iraqi civilians being explained as "Rolling Thunder" or "Collateral Damage." -"Recipe for Success" being used for Crisco commercials.

Meaning in "Advertisement"

-Discursive: slogans, jingles, plot, and ad copy. -Presentational: graphic layout, logos, fonts, and photos.

What can a signifier in a restaurant be? And what does it signify?

-It can be the presence or absence of a hostess. -It signifies that either we are to wait to be shown to our table or that we can select our own case of the absent hostess.

General Semantics. What do they do?

-Language scholars. -Began a careful and systematic study of the use of language and meaning.

Identify several unique facts about the English language.

-Of almost 3,000 languages in existence today, only 10 are the native language of more than 100 million people, and English ranks second, behind Chinese. -English is the language of most of the world's books, newspapers, magazines. -English has one of the richest vocabularies, it has over 615,000 words. It is also an economical language. Translators prefer English. -English is the international language of science, business, politics,, diplomacy, literature, tourism, pop culture, and air travel. -Non-native speakers report that English is the easiest second language to learn.

Signal Response

-Our reaction to words as if they are true representations of the territories we imagine. -Are emotionally triggered reactions to symbolic acts, and usually play in our peripheral channel. -Are also a prime objective of the propagandist.

What does Niel Postman maintain? What is his technology closely linked to?

-That language is an "invisible technology" or a kind of machine that can "give direction to our thoughts, generate new ideas, venerate old ones, expose facts or hide them. -Kenneth Burke's words when he said that humans are "symbol making, symbol using, and symbol misusing" creatures.

What are our self-concepts made up of?

-They are made up of various kinds of symbolic and real possessions like: -Physical Things: clothing, cars, and books. -Experimental Things: work, activities, and recreations. -Philosophical Things: beliefs, attitudes, values. -Emotions

In a semiotic approach to the study of meaning, we try to read each message from several PERSPECTIVES:

1. The word/symbols that are or are not spoken. 2. The context in or from which they are spoken. 3. The actions that are or are not taken, are or are not approved of 4. The other signifiers in the message-visuals, colors, costumes, tone of voice, music, background settings, furnishings, and many other "layers" upon layers of meaning that might be there.`

What can we accomplish by examining various metaphors and other symbols used in persuasion?

1. We discover the persuader's pattern fo use or misuse of symbols. 2. The persuader's stylistic preferences, what they reveal about his or her motives, and how they can intensify or downplay. 3. Knowing these things, we can anticipate the kinds of messages likely to come from this persuader in the future and be prepared for them.

What does a metaphor create?

A metaphor creates a new image or concept by tying the familiar or the subject (tenor) to a less familiar image (vehicle) and herein lies its creativity, its persuasiveness, and in semiotic terms, its codes or subtexts.

What does a Presentational Meaning resemble?

A metaphor that is recognized all at once and is a best fit for a media-saturated dramatic world.

Signification

A sign that accompanies the thing being considered. -The skull and crossbones symbol on a bottle signifies "Danger-Poison!"

Metaphor

A word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness.

Identification

An active cooperation by Kenneth Burke that is induced by what he termed ... a concept similar to Aristotle's "common ground" and our use of "co-creation."

Discuss Burke's notions of identification, substances, and the role of language as a cause of guilt.

Burke believed that identification was developed through the linguistic sharing of what he called SUB-STANCES. He also believed that identification rests on the beliefs, values, experiences, and views of the self that we share with others, or with our groundings or our basic and first principles. Burke cut sub-stances into two parts; sub meaning "beneath" and stances, which refers to one's physical, emotional,, experimental, and philosophical "grounding" or "places" on which to stand or to take a stand. He noted that these sub-stances or "places" emerge in the word/symbols we use to define things, persons, and issues. Burke noted that language was the principal cause of guilt.

Give examples of the use and misuse of linguistic symbols.

Examples: -The deaths of Afghani and Iraqi civilians that were labeled "collateral damage." -Market researchers saying "recipe for success" to persuade women who use Crisco. -Demeaning and Dehumanizing language used by anti-Semitic persuaders in the past. -Propaganda against Jews. -Insults of Middle Eastern immigrants: "************," "dot head," "pakhead," or "Q-tip."

Explain and give examples of eloquence.

Explanation: -Always seems unique, fresh, exciting, and somehow emotional. It strikes us as capturing the moment, and may even prophesy the future. Examples: -Martin Luther King Jr's speech on the night before he was assassinated. (Pg. 125)

Discuss the general semanticists and their theories and goals.

General semanticists are language scholars that began a careful and systematic study of the use of language and meaning. Their theory was to devise tools for improving the understanding of human communication and to encourage careful and precise uses of language and when they were occurring. This theory grew out of It grew out of the difficulty in determining what double spies really meant when they communicated something. Their goal was to make people believe they needed to learn to be aware that the word/symbol appeals made by most advocates and propagandists were only maps or inner perceptions of places, persons, or things and not true territories or realities.

What did Korzypski believe?

He believed that we all carry thousands of such maps or connotative metaphors around in our heads that represent nonexistent, incorrect, or false territories. We refer to these in our peripheral channels.

What did Kenneth Burke define "persuasion" as?

He defined persuasion as "the use of language as a symbolic means of inducing cooperation in beings that by nature respond to symbols."

What did I.A Richards distinguish between?

He distinguished between two key parts of any metaphor; the TENOR and VEHICLE

What did Kenneth Burke focus on?

He focused on language or word/symbols as they are used to persuade people to action.

What did Burke notice about "sub-stances" and "places?"

He noted that these sub-stances or "places" emerge in the word/symbols we use to define things, persons, and issues.

What can semiotics also help us in?

Help us understand where a persuader is coming from and what his or her agenda might be.

How do we rid ourselves of this shame and resulting guilt?

In most religions, guilt is purged symbolically: we offer sacrifices. Offering scapegoats is also another way. BUT the handiest way to whip guilt is through LANGUAGE. We usually get rid of it by talking out our feelings.

What form do Discursive Symbols usually come in?

In the form of language and the development of meaning in a sentence, paragraph, chapter, and so on.

Who said this quote? "Symbols are not proxy of their objects, but are vehicles for the conception of objects."

Langer

Discuss Langer's theory about language use.

Language is a mark of man; it was created with him. Language expresses relations among acts or things and makes reference to reality either explicitly or implicitly. All languages have a stabile vocabulary and grammatical structure.

Explain why language is symbolic action.

Language is a symbolic action, because making symbolic statements equates with action in their minds, and their words become deeds or substitutes for action. Basically when you show symbols on your clothes, or whatever you most likely support what you're displaying.

What type of research is being conducted more and more through the semiological approach?

Marketing and Advertising

What are interactive messages?

Only MAPS, not territories.

What is our task?

Our task is to remember the map/territory distinction and to use extensional devices as we attend to symbols.

The extensional device used whenever using word/symbols in a special way.

QUOTATION MARKS (they indicate that the sender is using those flag words in their own way, which isn't necessarily your own way)

Connotation

Refers to a private, metaphorical, emotional, and meaning for any concept such as "profit." -The connotation of the word is our personal and individual conception of danger.

Explain semiotics and its use of terms such as text, code, signifiers, and the signifieds.

Semiotics are the study of signs and symbols; another field concerned with the generation and conveyance of meaning. Almost anything can be "text" that has one or more meanings; semioticians talk about the "meaning. A subtext is the underlying meaning semioticians describe in any of these.

What does recent research on persuasive metaphors show?

Shows that their use increases the persuaders credibility, and that they operate best when their theme is reiterated throughout the persuasive message, especially if used initially and in the conclusion. This especially works when the metaphors are universal or archetypal; which are ones that can be understood over time and across cultures, such as light and dark family.

What three terms did Langer introduce to discuss meaning?

Signification, Denotation, and Connotation

To Burke, what causes people to have feelings of guilt?

Symbolic activities like the use of word/symbols.

Concepts

Symbols that have a common meaning upon which most people agree.

Extensional Devices

Techniques for neutralizing or defusing the emotional connotations that often accompany words by adding information that makes my meaning clear to you and others.

What are the most and persuasive metaphors broadly familiar with?

To the audience as well as being repeatedly "mapped" to the tenor on several dimensions.

Discursive Symbols

Usually made up of sequential, smaller bits of meaning that unfold across time to yield ultimate meaning. -They are like advocacy or propaganda that occurs step by step. (In a drama it would be the unfolding of a plot)

Who do we identify with most?

We identify with persons who articulate a similar view of life; who enjoy the same kinds of activities; who have similar physical possessions, lifestyles, beliefs, attitudes; and who have similar emotional responses to events.

What can we do to counter the miscommunication that can result from stereotyping?

We need to heed Korzypski's reminder that "the map is not the territory." In other words, our internal conceptions of other persons, ethnic groups, and ideas will differ widely from the actual persons, groups, things, and ideas.

What do we need to do to become responsible receivers of persuasion?

We need to identify the uses and misuses of symbols, especially in the language used by politicians, advertisers, employers, and other persuaders.

What happens when we make our own symbols?

We own it-it belongs to us, has our stamp of ownership, and it reveals a good deal about us. It tell us others how we think and respond to events and issues. And our metaphors also tend to reveal our motives.

What should we consider as persuadees?

Whether the persuasion is coming to us in written or spoken language or via visual symbols. The channel plays an important part in our development of meaning and deciding how to react to it.

Can language induce feelings of guilt in the audience, and be a powerful motivator?

YES

Can powerful words/symbols be tied to our past issues, feelings, or conflicts?

YES

Identify cases where your language in using SNM affected the overall meaning that your audience perceived.

You need to be very sure you use the correct devices, because your audience can depict any little thing.

Sub-Stances Divided

sub meaning "beneath" and stances, which refers to one's physical, emotional,, experimental, and philosophical "grounding" or "places" on which to stand or to take a stand.