COMM 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Illegal Immigration, Government Spending, Tag Question
Document Summary
Important features of language: language is rule governed, language allows for displacement, meanings of symbols/words are arbitrary. We use language to refer to things and ideas. We categorize them and label them: the triangle of meaning. Symbol (word: we must recognize two different kinds of meaning. Denotative meaning: explicit, agreed upon meaning, can have more than one denotation, denotative meanings are typically widely shared among speakers of the same language, can also have idiosyncratic denotation. Connotative meaning: emotional, evaluative connections to the word, can have idiosyncratic and/or shared connotations. Effects of language: can signal our group identities. Accommodation : adjust/switch our language use with others. Facilitates understanding: adjustment is based on group identity. To gain acceptance/ belonging; one of us . Or to distinguish group or power: can in uence perceptions of individual qualities. Equivocal language-intentional imprecise language: helps to manage face (outward self) Power of language- degree of uency and directness.
