COMM 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Linguistics, Level Of Measurement

• School: UConn
• Department: Communication
• Course: COMM 1000
• Professor: Stephen Stifano

Document Summary

Verbal communication- system of symbols and codes used to construct and convey messages. Symbol- a word, no natural meaning, arbitrary. Referent- the thing for which a symbol stands. Connotative meaning- subjective meaning, based on beliefs and experiences. Semantic differential- a reachers test a person"s reactions to any concept or term. Private meaning- make us think about things in a certain way. Shared meaning- requires some correspondence between the message as perceived by the sender and the receiver. Codeswitching- shifting to different styles and introducing shifts in vocabulary or syntax. Sapir-whorf hypothesis- language shapes how we see the world. Strong- belief that language has the power to determine our thoughts. Weak- belief that our way of viewing the world and our thought are influenced by language but not controlled by it. Language aids to memory and abstract indefinitely from our experience. Euphemisms- substitute mild, vague, less emotionally charged terms for more blut ones. Equivocal language- 2 or more possible interpretations.