Deck 3: A: Communication and Culture

Question 1

List and explain the five functional communication competencies identified by researcher Barbara Wood.

Answer 1

Ideal answers will include the following brief explanations: •Controlling: Language can be used to influence or control others. •Informing: Language can be used to convey as well as to gather information through the processes of questioning, describing, reinforcing, and withholding information or opinions. •Feeling: Language can be used to show others how much we value or do not value them by the emotions we express-this function is primarily relational. •Imagining: Language can be used to think, play, and be creative-we use this function when we create works of fiction as well as when we think ahead and anticipate what someone else will say. •Ritualizing: Language can be used to manage our conversations and relationships. We express our understanding of the ritualizing competency when we say the right thing at the right time.

Question 2

What are the challenges of using communication technology to communicate verbally? What can we do to manage those challenges? In what ways have technologies like e-mail, chat, and text messaging changed the way we communicate verbally?
Answer Key

Answer 2

In order to communicate using communication technology, the speaker must use very clear language so the audience understands the message. Even slightly abstract language may lead to confusion or misinterpretation. Language that is more intense is more likely to garner a positive response because it is perceived to be more credible. One criticism related to the rise in communication technology is the proliferation of English as the language of the Internet. Some critics argue that trend imposes the English language on people who speak other languages (and indeed most people on the Internet speak some language other than English as their first language), but others counter that this has led to a more even playing field economically as the rise of English in other cultures has led to the outsourcing of various types of jobs. Finally, communication technology has led to the creation of new language forms, including new acronyms, slang, and jargon. As with any other language form, the effectiveness and appropriateness of using these new language forms will require careful consideration of the relational and situational contexts in which the communication is taking place.

Question 3

Why is the use of abstract language described as a language problem? Why and how would someone intentionally use abstract language to accomplish his or her communication goals?

Answer 3

Language abstraction is problematic because when we use vague and unclear language we are more likely to be misunderstood. However, use of language that is too concrete and detailed may be inappropriate and ineffective for the context as well. We sometimes choose to use abstract language to evade giving specific details, to equivocate by using words with unclear or misleading meanings to get out of a difficult situation, or to use euphemisms to replace upsetting or offensive terms with alternatives that are more acceptable.

Question 4

Shawna grew up in a poor inner-city neighborhood but has recently moved to pursue her undergraduate degree at a prestigious university. She's an intelligent woman and works very hard to earn good grades in all of her classes-she was a star among her high school peers. Unfortunately, she finds that many of her professors at the university dismiss her questions and comments in class because of her language use-they just don't seem to understand what she's saying or to recognize the intelligence and insight behind what she offers. Synthesizing what you have learned throughout this chapter, what would you say to Shawna to help her understand the linguistic challenge she has encountered? What can Shawna do to manage this communication problem?

Question 5

Define the concept of politically correct language. How do the principles of cognitive language and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis illuminate the underlying assumptions of the political correctness movement? What do you understand to be the pros and cons of using politically correct language?

Question 6

Using a brief narrative example, illustrate how a person might understand how to use language semantically but not grasp how to use those same words on a pragmatic level.

Question 7

Considering what you have learned throughout this chapter and others, explain why it is important to label the things in our world, including people. Why is labeling problematic?

Question 8

Synthesizing what you know about the situational context, the relational context, and the cultural context, illustrate how language is bound by, builds on, and creates culture in each context.

Question 9

Explain what we mean when we say that language is symbolic, informed by our thoughts, ruled by grammar, bound by context, and that words have multiple meanings.

Question 10

Describe the differences in men's and women's language use. Why is it useful for us to understand these differences? In what ways is it problematic to define particular language patterns as masculine or feminine?