Symbolic system used to interact with self, others, society and environment.

1. LANGUAGE: COMMUNICATING WITH
WORDS
Interpersonal Communication
Communication Studies Department
San Jose State University
Dr. Marquita L. Byrd

2. WHAT IS LANGUAGE?
 A brush that we use to paint our picture of realty
 Symbol system recognized by a speech community
 Means of triggering meaning in another.

3. RULES OF LANGUAGE
1. Semantic Rules
2. Syntactic codes
3. Pragmatic
4. Grammatical
5. Phonological

4. TRIANGLE OF MEANING
Thing
Cat
Communicator
Thought

5. THREE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT LANGUAGE
 Map is not the territory
 The word is not the same
 Meanings are in people not words

6. MEANINGS
 Denotative: dictionary how the speech community
uses a word
 Connotative: personal meanings
 Mother: denotative
 Mother :connotative

7. LANGUAGE BARRIERS
Allness: Etc. There is always someone who knows
something that you don’t
Static Evaluation: Dating: past, present future, when
Fact inference confusion: Speaking inference as if it is a
fact.
Labeling: Jr. is retarded, Jr. seems delayed in his learning
Polarization: Opposites in thought and language-Hyphen
Generalizations: Superscript S1, S2, S3

8. TIME AND PLACE AND RELATIONSHIP
 Change the way you talk
 Generational differences
 Language itself changes: selfie, photobomb
texting, sexting, the net, surfing, chill
 Gay
 Dyke
 Change by Geography
 Soda, pop, soda water
flavor strawberry may be called red
Rubbernecker, lookie lou

9. WORD EQUIVOCATION
Euphemisms
Linguistic ambiguity
Emotive language

10. DEROGATORY LANGUAGE
Fag Nigger sand dollar
Dyke Rag head
Geezer Breeder
Chink Pigs
Nigger White boy
Poor cracker Zebra
Greaser Whore

11. BYPASSING
Think they understand each other
Using same words but different meanings

12. GUIDELINES
1. Words clear
2. Appropriate
3. Concrete
4. Reflect who I am talking to and the context
5. To me rather than is
6. Respect uniqueness
7. Try to grow