Notes

Outline

What is Communication?

What is communication? Language in context

Communication A shared symbol system for interacting with others Elements: Participants: speaker/listener Modes: verbal/nonverbal Channels: audio/visual or both Mental state: conscious/unconscious Medium: face to face/telephone/written

Communication/ Language Components—Nature of Message: Form Content Use

Form of Communication

Form Verbal Phonology (segmentals/suprasegmentals) Morphology Syntax Written Graphemes Art, Music, Dance Signs Gestures Facial Features Body Posture Touch

Content Meaning—ideas, propositions Semantics—meaning and words coming together Remember:  Content refers to meaning that is unconscious as well as conscious, expressed by words and other forms

Use Pragmatics-interpersonal communication-communication with others Mathethics-intrapersonal communication-communication with self Pragmatics Communicative Intentions Communicative Forces

Pragmatics: Communicative Intentions Functions of communication Greeting Requesting (objects, actions, information, permission, clarification) Protesting Commenting Lecturing Entertaining Rehearsing Acknowledging Answering

Pragmatics: Communicative Forces Perlocutionary-communicative intention as interpreted by listener Illocutionary-communicative intention as intended by speaker Locutionary-communicative intention as carried by linguistic form

Communicative Forces Example “Is your mother home?” Locutionary = yes/no question form-request for yes/no information Illocutionary = request for action Perlocutionary = either request for information or request for action depending upon the listener

Context Three levels: Situational Interpersonal/social Cultural

Context Bronfenbrenner’s Model Urie Bronfenbrenner—understanding human behavior/human development in context Appreciating how human behavior and human development is affected by the environment—from immediate objects and events, to larger social and cultural context

Bronfenbrenner’s Environmental Levels Microsystems Mesosystems Exosystems Macrosystems

Levels of Context (Bronfenbrenner) Situational Context (microsystems) – the immediate setting containing the person, including: place, time, materials, people, activity

Levels of Context (Bronfenbrenner) Interpersonal/Social Context (mesosystems/exosystems) – major social structures in a person’s life at a particular point in time, including: family, friends, peer group, camp friends, church group, neighbors, colleagues

Levels of Context (Bronfenbrenner) Cultural Context (macrosystems) – overarching social, institutional, ethnic, structure impacting the individual, including:   ethnicity, race, religion, economic group

Levels of Context

Consider some communication variations—How would form, content and use change when context varies. Example: Ordering coffee Situation: Coffee house Interpersonal:  Peers Cultural:  Northwest ************************** Situation: Fancy restaurant, Interpersonal: Parents Cultural:  East ************************** Situation:  Tea Room Interpersonal:  Boss Cultural:  England

Communication in Context Set up a communication scenario illustrating how form, content, and use would change when the the situational context, interpersonal/social context, and the cultural context vary. One scenario---two variations on each type of context: situational, interpersonal/social, cultural context