You are on page 1of 58

INTRODUCTION

In every challenge, an opportunity arises.

Since 2007, the English Department has started producing instructional materials for the
students. With our commitment to calibrate our instruction, a new set of modules is prepared to
continue improve the delivery and quality of our instruction. This set of modules for GEC 102 –
Purposive Communication is developed for the students’ introduction and understanding of how
communication works and facilitates human interaction.

At the dawn of human civilization, communication has been a vital element that ensures
cohesiveness in the society, so as to understand and even control the greater constructs of the
world. Communication is more than a functionalist human politics rather it aims to make the
citizens of nations and the world to be dialogically coherent and globally responsive individuals.

This set of modules deals with the basics of purposive communication as well as introducing
the students to its related fields such as technology, globalization, culture, gender and politics.
This likewise provide avenue for analysis and meaning-making through mass communication.
Notwithstanding of course that English is the common language of the global industry.

When we start our semester with these modules, always remember that communication is as
essential as your daily meal as the air you breathe. Learn it now so you will become more relevant
when applying for a job soon, survive in the workplace, influence others, and be effectively heard
with your convictions. Communication is powerful and it empowers the person.

NORMAN RALPH ISLA


Chairperson
English Department
CSSH, MSU General Santos

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 2


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Module 1. Communication Process, Types and Modes 5

Module 2A. Models of Communication 9

Module 2B. Principles of Effective Communication 14

Module 3A. Ethics in Communication 17

Module 3B Communication and Technology 25


30
Module 4. Communication in Multicultural Setting
39
Module 5A. Communication and Globalization
45
Module 5B. World Englishes and Philippine English

Module 6. Mass Communication 54

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 3


CONTENT CREATORS

Module 1. Jana N. Reginio Communication Process, Types and Modes


Module 2A. Norman Ralph Isla Models of Communication
Module 2B. Norman Ralph Isla Principles of Effective Communication
Module 3A. Jeffrey E. Floriza Ethics in Communication
Module 3B. Jeffrey E. Floriza Communication and Technology
Module 4. Rossel M. Audencial Communication in Multicultural Setting
Module 5A. Norman Ralph Isla Communication and Globalization
Module 5B. Jana N. Reginio World Englishes and Philippine English
Module 6. Fernan B. Lehao Mass Communication

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 4


MODULE 1
Learning Outcomes: COMMUNICATION PROCESS, TYPES
1. Demonstrate understanding of the key
ideas in communication.
AND MODES
2. Identify the types of communication
in relation to communication mode,
context, and purpose and style.
3. Discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of the different
communication modes in various
communication settings.
4. Use these modes appropriately
depending on the context of the
communication situation.
Time frame: 3 hours

Activity:

Please refer to the graphics on the right.

1. What is the image saying about


communication today? INTRODUCTION

2. Why do people communicate? Communication has progressed


significantly in the last five years, and
3. Why do miscommunication and it keeps on advancing as innovation in
misunderstanding happen? technology and social media develops.
Communication happens anytime and
Analysis: anywhere. Hence, it becomes central to life and culture. It has become a
key instrument to build and strengthen relationships between and among
1. Why is language important in people. For every instance of communication, there is an appropriate form of
communication? messaging. This success relies on our ability to communicate effectively.
2. How can miscommunication and The purpose of this lesson is to better understand the key ideas in
misunderstanding be avoided? communication.
3. How do you think has communication
mode changed or improved over time?
COMPONENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Abstraction:
Communication is divided into several components which would help us
Communication is a natural phenomenon. better understand its mechanics or processes.
It is a process of sharing and conveying
1. Source. The sender thoughtfully creates the message. The source can be
messages or information from one
anyone, in mass communication, they can be regarded as ‘influencers’,
person to another within and across
‘gatekeepers’ or ‘agenda-setters’.
channels, contexts, media, and cultures
(McCornack, 2014). It comes from the 2. Message. The ideas or thoughts conveyed by the sender to influence
Latin communicare, meaning to share or its target audience. This message take many forms - from simple to
to make ideas common. People’s need for complex.
self-expression leads to communicating
their thoughts and feelings. Whether 3. Channel. This is the medium or the means through which the message
we speak or not, we communicate to is conveyed. It is the responsibility of, either or both the sender and the
the other party. Hence, communication receiver, to choose the best channel for the interaction.
is inevitable, and it can be expressed
through written or spoken words, actions, 4. Receiver. The receiver is the recipient or target of the message. He/She/
or both spoken words and nonverbal They are expected to be influenced by the source/sender.
actions at the same time.
5. Feedback. This is the reaction and/or response to the message by the
receiver.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 5


6. Environment. This is the place, the feeling, the mood, the mindset, and the condition of both sender and receiver. It may
involve the physical set-up of a location where communication takes place, the space and time occupied by both, including
all their circumstances that coud affect them.

7. Context. This involves the ‘constructed reality’ of the sender which determines how the message is packaged for the
receiver to ensure such message is deemed agreeable to the target audience or the receiver.

8. Interference. This is also known as barriers or difficulties that prevents effective communication to take place. Barriers could
be issues/states/nature of the sender and the receiver’s physical, psychological, cultural, social, economic, and political
character, their linguistic competencies, are among the interferences that may affect their interaction.

Message Channel

Environment
Context
Source Interference Receiver

Feedback

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATION


Communication is classified according to mode, context, and purpose and style.

1. According to Mode

a. Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication. Effective communication calls for the blending of verbal and nonverbal elements
because one cannot be separated from the other. Verbal communication uses words to interchange the information
with other people either in the form of speech or writing. The message can be clearly understood and immediate
feedback is possible. On the contrary, Nonverbal communication does not use words for communicating anything, but
some other modes such as body language, facial expressions, sign language, symbols, among others.

b. Visual Communication. This uses visuals to convey information and message. Examples are signs, symbols, imagery,
maps, graphics, etc. Today, emojis, emoticons, giphs, and animations are prevalent. How these visuals are interpreted is
crucial in the communication process.

2. According to Context

a. Intrapersonal Communication. This is talking to oneself. It could also be labeled as inner talk, inner monologue or
dialogue. Self-talk can be advantageous as it enables you to practice what you ought to say in times when you lack the
motivation and confidence to speak.
b. Interpersonal Communication. This is when interactive exchange between or among people takes place.
c. Extended Communication. This involves the use of electronic media. Anyone can participate despite distance. Messages
are transmitted quickly with the use of extended communication.
d. Organizational Communication. The focus of this communication is on the role that communication plays in
organizational contexts. For an organization to be successful, a system of communication should be put in place. A set
of rules or standards for communication protocol should be made clear so that interaction patterns are established.
e. Intercultural Communication. This is communication between or among people having different linguistic, religious,
ethnic, social, and professional backgrounds.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 6


3. According to Purpose and Style

a. Formal Communication. Also termed as official communication, it is a type of communication in which the sender
follows a pre-defined channel to transmit the information to the receiver. This employs formal language delivered orally
or in written form. Its main objectives are to inform, persuade, and entertain.
b. Informal Communication. Most commonly known as grapevine, this is a type of communication in which the sender
does not follow any pre-defined channels to transmit the information. This does not employ formal language. It
involves personal and ordinary conversations.

THE MODES OF COMMUNICATION


Communication modes refers to the channel through which one expresses his/her communicative intent. This is the medium
through which one conveys his/her thoughts and feelings. These can be communicated through face-to-face interaction, video,
audio, or text based.

• Face-to-face. This is the most preferred mode because it is highly effective. This is an informal or casual conversation
between two or more people. How to speak, what to speak, when to speak, and to whom one is speaking are all important
considerations in using this mode. One advantage is that one can note visual cues through facial expressions, etc.

• Video. Cameras are now used to communicate online. This is a significant alternative to in-person meetings. Popular
applications of this mode are Messenger, Facetime, Skype, and Google Meet. While this is a convenient communication
mode for individuals who need to connect with one another or several persons despite of distance, the regional time
differences pose a challenge .

• Audio. Only the speaker’s voice is heard. This is great for connecting several remote people at once. However, this poses
challenges especially in listening to people with different accents. For instance, when listening to a native speaker of
English, some cannot distinguish the sound. Another obvious downside is not being able to see the body language or cues
of the person you are talking to.

• Text-based. It has a wider reach and can disseminate information to a bigger audience quickly. This style of communication
does not necessarily take place in real time. Examples of text-based communication are e-mails, chat, and forums.

To help improve the delivery of the messages, one must explore the various modes to help decide which is the most efficient
and effective for one’s purpose.

ASSESSMENT
Answer the following:
1. Illustrate the communication process through a diagram.

2. Identify possible communication blocks in the following situations:


a. interaction between a doctor and a child in pain
b. a written letter with figurative language
c. a speech with too many jargons

3. List various channels through which personnel of your school connect with you. Which channel(s) do you find most effective?
Why?

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 7


APPLICATION
1. Slogan-Making. Based on this image, create a slogan how the knowledge of communication aids people in communicating
effectively.

Source: http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2016/12/12/lost-for-words-the-language-of-science-communication/

2. Choose one among the communication modes and express your thoughts and feelings about the challenges in the new
normal learning environment.

3. Read Barriers to Communication by Shilpa Mittal at http://www.advancedjournal.com/download/962/3-1-24-244.pdf

REFERENCES:
1. Madrunio, M.R. & Martin, I. P. 2018. Purposive communication: using English in multilingual contexts. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
2. McCornack, S. (2014). Interpersonal communication and you: An introduction. New York, NY: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
3. Surbhi, S. 2015, April 2. Difference between verbal and nonverbal communication. Retrieved from https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-
verbal-and-non-verbal communication.html#:~:text=The%20following%20points%20explain%20the%20difference%20between%20
verbal,in%20verbal%20communication%20between%20the%20sender%20and%20receiver.
4. Wakat, G.S. et.al. 2018. Purposive communication. Quezon City: LORIMAR Publishing Inc.

Prepared by

Jana N. Reginio
Faculty
English Department |
CSSH

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 8


MODULE 2A
MODELS OF COMMUNICATION
Learning Outcomes:

1. Understand the communication flow


based on the framework of various
models

2. Differentiate the various


communication models

3. Determine the elements and


components of communication as
presented in the models.

Time frame: 3 hours

Activity:

Draw in the space below a house. Use


only 15 straight lines.
INTRODUCTION

A
Analysis:
ristotle’s claim that knowledge is derived from the understanding
1. Do you agree that communication of the whole and not that of the single parts (Aristotle’s Holism) but
can be set as a model? with the interrelationship of the parts to create the whole, it benefits
the determination of where the knowledge comes from. With the dawn of
2. What are the components of human civilization, we try to explain the flow of any phenomena and even
communication that can be reflected create a model to cement the elaboration.
in the model?
Communication, like any body of knowledge, has a structure. Since we learn
Abstraction: to speak, language becomes an integral part of the human communication
thus experts try to draw this linguistic mystery for years. In this lesson,
Like your drawing of a house, you we will better understand the models used to explain the communication
consider where to put the lines so it may process.
be connected to construct a structure.
You think how to fully utilize the lines Aristotle’s Model is mainly focused on speaker and speech. It can be broadly
to create a good house. This is also true divided into 5 primary elements: Speaker, Speech, Occasion, Audience and
in making a model for communication. Effect.
Theorists and proponents consider the
components of communication and
linguistic codes in creating a model.
Speaker Speech Audience Effect
Each component affects the other and
Occassion
shows the relationship and further
interrelationships of the parts towards
the success in communication. Figure 1: Aristotle’s Communication Model

In this particular module, we will discuss Aristotle’s communication model revolves around the speaker as the main
six models of communication namely: concept of this theory, that is, the speaker plays the most important role
Aristotle’s Model of Communication, in communication and it is the only one who holds the responsibility to
Lasswell’s Communication Model, influence his/her audience through public speaking. It is the speaker’s role to
Shannon-Weaver’s Communication deliver a speech to the audience. The audience is passive, influenced by the
Model, Berlo’s SMCR Communication speech. This makes the communication process one way, from speaker to
Model, Osgood-Schramm Model receiver. The speaker must organize and prepare his/her speech beforehand,
of Communication and White’s according to the target audience and situation (occasion).
Communication Model.
Even if the model is speaker oriented and focuses on audience interaction in
communication, there is no concept of feedback.

For instance, a politician (speaker) gives a speech to get votes from the
civilians (audience) at the time of election (occasion). The civilians only vote
if they are influenced by the politician through his speech. To achieve this,

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 9


the content must be very impressive, and the delivery too, to influence the masses. The
speaker must design the message very carefully, thus, oration was a highly-esteemed art
during that time.

Lasswell’s Communication Model

This model describes communication as being focused on the following: WHO says WHAT
in WHICH channel to WHOM and with WHAT effect as seen in the model above.

The whole process of communication begins with the communicator (who) sending out
a message (what) using a medium (which channel) for the receiver (to whom) to react on
(with what effect) afterwards. The process may be analyzed through the content sent,
the medium used, as well as the effect on the receiver of the message.

While this model is similar to Aristotle’s, both are linear and have the same components,
Lasswell’s model differs in the variables involved, particularly the medium and the effect
components.

WHO SAYS IN WHICH TO WHOM WHAT


WHAT? CHANNEL? EFFECT?

Communicator Message Medium Receiver Effect

Figure 2: Lasswell’s Communication Model

Shannon-Weaver’s Communication Model

Shannon-Weaver’s Communication Model was introduced in 1949, a year after


Lasswell’s, for Bell Laboratories. Originally, it was conceptualized for radio and television
serving as a model for technical communication and was later adopted in the field of
communication.

In this model, other components such as noise, reception, destination, and feedback have
been identified. Other terms such as information source for the sender, transmitter for
the encoder, decoder (reception), and receiver (destination) were introduced.

The noise and feedback components are addition to this model. Noise, the literal noise
generated by atmospheric disturbances afftecting the signal/frequency, affects the
channel (or medium), while feedback interconnects and determines the success of
communication process between the sender and the receiver. This is highly relevant
today because of the proliferation of technology in communication the ‘figurative noise’,
like fake news, can directly affect both the receiver’s understanding and feedback (i.e.
miscommunication).

NOISE

SENDER ENCODER CHANNEL DECODER RECEIVER

NOISE

FEEDBACK

Figure 3: Shannon-Weaver’s Communication Model

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 10


Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication

David Berlo’s model, conceptualized in 1960, is probably the most well-known among the
communication models. Initially, this model was called SMCR which stands for sender of the
message, using a channel or a medium for a receiver to decode. However, it was modified
later on to include noise, hence the acronym is changed from SMCR to SMCRN.

encodes decodes
SOURCE MESSAGE CHANNEL RECEIVER

Communication Content Hearing Communication


Skills Skills
Elements Seeing
Attitudes Attitudes
Treatment Touching
Knowledge Knowledge
Structure Smelling
Social System Social System
Code Tasting
Culture Culture

Figure 4: Berlos’s SMCR Communication Model

The major variables involved in the communication process are (1) source, (2) message, (3) channel, and (4) receiver.

The source being the originator of the message acts as the encoder. As such, the encoder should practice communication
skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. His/her attitude towards the audience or the subject as well as his/
her knowledge about the subject matter counts along with the social system he/she is in which includes values, beliefs and
practices, and culture, among others.

The second variable, message, includes (1) content; (2) elements such as the language used and gestures employed; (3)
treatment or the manner by which the message is transmitted; and (4) structure which refers to the arrangement of parts or
flow of the message. The code shows how the message is sent: that is, the language (verbal code) used and the accompanying
gestures (non-verbal code) employed. Note that there should be no mismatch between the verbal and non-verbal codes.

The third variable which is channel refers to the different senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. Finally, the
fourth variable is receiver, the one who decodes the message and reacts on it. Note that the components of this last variable
are similar to those of the first since for communication to be effective, both the source and the receiver should have the good
communication skills.

Osgood-Schramm Model of Communication


MESSAGE
Osgood-Schramm Model is a circular model treating
communication as a cycle. From the message
starting to ending, there is an interpretation goes on.
This model breaks the sender and receiver model it ENCODER DECODER
sees communication in a practical way. It
is not a traditional model like the previous ones. INTERPRETER INTERPRETER
Based on this interpretation, only the message is DECODER ENCODER
received. Study the following parts:

• Encoder – Who does encoding or sends the


message (message originates) MESSAGE
• Decoder – Who receives the message

• Interpreter – Person trying to understand


(analyze/perceive) or interpret the message Figure 5: Osgood-Schramm’s Communication Model

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 11


White’s Model of Communication

Like in the previous models, the White model implies a step-by-step sequence of events that
starts with thinking in the mind of the speaker and ends with monitoring also by the speaker.
Communication is a repetitive, cyclical event but the dynamic quality of interaction is not depicted.
The speaker is the originator of the communication process and the listener is a passivereactor
who does not initiate communication.

Eugene White introduces in his model the eight stages of oral communication are the following:

1. Thinking. A desire, feeling, or an emotion provides a speaker a stimulus to communicate a


need.

2. Symbolizing. Before he can utter sounds, a speaker has to know the code of oral language
with which to represent his ideas and in order to make his selection.

3. Expressing. The speaker then uses his vocal mechanism to produce the sounds of language
accompanied by his facial expression, gestures, and body stance.

4. Transmitting. Waves of sound travelling at 1,000 feet per second and waves of light traveling
at a speed of 186,000 miles per second carry the speaker’s message to his listeners.

5. Receiving. Sound waves impinge upon the listener’s ears after which the resulting nerve
impulses reach the brain via the auditory nerve; light waves strike the listener’s eyes after
which the resulting nerve impulses reach the brain via the optic nerve.

SYMBOLIZING EXPRESSING TRANSMITTING

THINKING RECEIVING

MONITORING FEEDBACK DECODING

Figure 6: Eugene White’s Communication Model

6. Decoding. The listener interprets the language symbols he receives and thinks further.

7. Feedbacking. The listener may manifest overt behavior like a nod, smile, or yawn or he may
not show any behavior at all (covert behavior like fast heartbeat, a poker face, etc.

8. Monitoring. While the speaker watches for signs of reception or understanding of his
message among his listeners, he is also attuned to what’s going on inside him; the speaker is
receiving and decoding messages about himself from his audience in order to adjust to the
particular situation.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 12


ASSESSMENT

Answer the following:

1. Complete the table. Write YES if it is has/it is or N/A if it is not/none.

Communication Models Message Feedback Linear Circular

Aritotle’s

Lasswell’s

Shannon Weaver’s

Berlo’s SMCR

Osgood-Schramms

White

2. Among the six communication models, what is the “best”? Prove your answer.

APPLICATION
Study and familiarize yourself with the communication models. These will be included in the midterm examinations.

REFERENCES:
1. Lasswell, Harold (1948). Bryson, L. (ed.). The Structure and Function of Communication in Society. The Communication of Ideas. New York: Institute
for Religious and Social Studies. p. 117.
2. Madrunio, M.R. & Martin, I. P. 2018. Purposive communication: using English in multilingual contexts. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
3. http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/ms/what/shannonday/paper.html A Mathematical Theory of Communication
4. https://medium.com/@pragyamishra_84005/aristotles-model-of-communication

Prepared by

Norman Ralph Isla


Faculty
English Department |
CSSH

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 13


MODULE 2B
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE
Learning Outcomes:
COMMUNICATION
1. Identify the principles of effective
communication

2. Apply the principles of effective


communication in speaking and in
writing

3. Value those principles to help them


(students) be good speakers and
writers

Time frame: 3 hours

Activity:

Based on your self-assessment and https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/389702173983421082/?nic_v2=1a4harJjC

experiences in terms of communication,


rate yourself as a communicator from INTRODUCTION
1-10 and explain why?
There were times that humans are tangled in an awkward misunderstanding
1 - Poor from either their family members or speaking before an unfamiliar audience.
2 - Fair Sometimes, we also get poor scores in our essay tests because our teachers
3 - Slightly Good could not understand our points or our letter was just ignored and thrown in
4 - Good the bin because of some incorrectness. We just sat in a corner and may ask
5 - Just Average ourselves – what’s wrong? What’s the problem?
6 - Average
7 - Above Average We need standards so that our ways and actions will be calibrated and more
8 - Very Good productive. In all sorts and bodies of knowledge, having a principle to follow
9 - Excellent is a must in order to guide systems and processes to its full potential. This
10 - Master is remarkably true even in communication. In this lesson, we will be familiar
with the principles of effective communication both in speaking and in
writing.
Analysis:

1. Why we need to have an effective GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION


communication?

2. What it takes to be an effective


communicator? 1. Know your PURPOSE in communicating. Are you communicating basically
to inform, to entertain, or to persuade? Always have an objective when
Abstraction: you communicate.
Since communication is a two-way 2. Know your AUDIENCE. In both speaking and writing, you should know
process, it is important to note that your audience as it will dictate the speaking or writing style you are
you know the principles to be observed going to employ. Consider the age, educational background, profession,
to make it effective. For both oral and culture, and other significant features of your listeners or readers.
written communication, you should be
able to follow and apply the following 3. Know your TOPIC. You communicate essentially because you want to
principles presented by Madrunio share something. You may utilize multiple techniques to easily catch the
and Martin (2018).In this particular attention of the audience.
module, we will discuss six models of
4. Adjust your speech or writing to the CONTEXT of the situation. The
environment in which your speech or writing is to be delivered determine
the kind of language you will use.

5. Work on the FEEDBACK given you. Once you receive comments from the
listeners/reader, work on them. Take kindly to criticisms.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 14


In communicating, you should consider the purpose, the audience and Observe grammatical correctness in writing
the context of that particular interaction you like to happen and also be (fragment, run-on sentence, comma splices,
mindful with the topic plus accept feedback constructively. Though oral and dangling modifier). Always have time to
written communication share some of the general principles, still they vary revise and edit your work.
depending on the format and mode.
5. Be CONCRETE. (CONCRETENESS)

A. PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE ORAL COMMUNICATION Concreteness reduces misunderstandings,


so messages/claims must be supported by
1. Be CLEAR with your purpose. (CLARITY) facts such as research data, statistics or
figures. Audience know if you are deceiving
You should know by heart your objective in communicating. The clarity of them if there is nothing to substantiate your
your message will greatly affect the success of your communication. claims.
2. Be COMPLETE with the message you deliver. (COMPLETENESS) 6. Be COHERENT. (COHERENCE)
Make sure that your claims are supported by facts and essential Convey a logical message. Ideas should be
information. connected to each other and related to the
topic. Use transitional devices so that ideas
3. Be CONCISE. (CONCISENESS)
cohere with one another.
You don’t need to be verbose or wordy with your statements. Brevity
7. Be CULTURALLY SENSITIVE. (CULTURAL
in speech is a must. In terms of answering questions, short answers
SENSITIVITY)
will show a personality and long ones can be used for explanation and
elaboration. Today, with the increasing emphasis on
empowering diverse cultures, lifestyles, and
race and the pursuit for gender equality,
4. Be NATURAL with your delivery. (NATURALNESS) cultural sensitivity becomes an important
standard for effective communication.
Punctuate important words with the appropriate gestures and
movements. Exude a certain degree of confidence even if you do not 8. Be COURTEOUS. (COURTESY/POLITENESS)
feel confident enough. Be who you are and train to have a good sense of
The tone of your writing should be friendly.
self-confidence in communicating.
Avoid undertone or overtone or insinuation
5. Be SPECIFIC and TIMELY with your feedback. (TIMELINESS) to eliminate confusion. Use polite words
in terms of approaching and manner of
Inputs are most helpful when provided on time. Not to be brutal or addressing an individual even when you are
insensitive but there are ways to comment or criticize without hurting complaining.
others. Comment timely and be specific to what to say (especially the
not so good things.) 9. Be CONSIDERATE. (CONSIDERATION/
EMPATHY)

B. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE WRITTEN The messages must be geared towards the
audiences. The sender of a message must
COMMUNICATION (9CS)
consider the recipient’s profession, level of
1. Be Clear. (CLARITY) education, race, ethnicity, hobbies, interests,
passions, advocacies, and age when drafting
Always be guided by your purpose in communicating. Make your or delivering a message.
speeches understandable. Fuzzy language is absolutely forbidden, as
are jargons, cliché expressions, euphemisms, and doublespeak language
(intended to deceive or confuse people); or ambiguous language (to be
politically correct, to hide negativity, to perpetuate lies)

2. Be CONCISE. (CONCISENESS)

Always stick to the point and do not beat or run around the bush. Be
brief by focusing on your main point. Avoid using lengthy expressions
and words that may confuse the recipient.

3. Be COMPLETE. (COMPLETENESS)

Include all necessary and relevant information so that audience will not
be left wanting of any info.

4. Be CORRECT. (CORRECTNESS)

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 15


ASSESSMENT/ APPLICATION
1. Watch in Youtube the TED Talk entitled “How to Speak so that People Want to Listen” by Julian Treasure (link: https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=eIho2S0ZahI) and answer the following activities:

a. According to Treasure, what are the seven (7) deadly sins in speaking? Select one of those and explain how could it be
solved by using one of the Principles of the Effective Oral Communication?

b. Complete the mnemonics HAIL and align it with Principles of the Effective Oral Communication:

Word Related to what 9Cs (you can repeat your answer)

H-

A-

I-

L-

2. Select one speech among the choices and analyze it based on the 9 Principles of the Written Communication (9Cs). Across
each principle, write your 3-sentence observation and/or notes in their speeches.

a. “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.


Written copy and audio link: https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

b. “A Whisper of AIDS” by Mary Fisher


Written copy and audio link:
https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/maryfisher1992rnc.html

c. “The Declaration of Human Rights” by Anna Eleanor Roosevelt


Written copy and audio link:
https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/eleanorrooseveltdeclarationhumanrights.htm

REFERENCES:
1. Lasswell, Harold (1948). Bryson, L. (ed.). The Structure and Function of Communication in Society. The Communication of Ideas. New York: Institute
for Religious and Social Studies. p. 117.
2. Madrunio, M.R. & Martin, I. P. (2018). Purposive communication: using English in multilingual contexts. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.

Prepared by

Norman Ralph Isla


Faculty
English Department |
CSSH

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 16


MODULE 3A
ETHICS IN COMMUNICATION
Learning Outcomes:

HomeworkMarket | Ethics in communication | Operations Management homework help


Students are expected to:

1. create an understanding of how


Ethics affect the effectiveness of
Communication;

2. be familiar to Ethical standards


in communication, in terms of
Politeness, Turn-taking, Gender, Race,
Social Class, Age and Disabilities; and

3. use these Standards to become an


Ethical, Competitive and Effective
Communicator.

Time frame: 3 hours

Activity: Introduction

To stimulate our understanding of how Communication becomes effective if certain standards on a given situation
Ethics affect Communication, let us are met. These standards are what we call Ethics and they follow certain
analyze the image below. principles that give life to effective communication. How we consider and
give importance to Ethics while communicating is what distinguishes a good
Imagine that the Blue Jenga blocks and effective communicator from the rest.
represent Communication, what do you
think would happen if Ethics (the Red What is Ethics in communication?
Jenga) would be removed from this stack?
According to Velasquez et al (2010), “Ethics is based on well-founded
What does it signify?
standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do,
usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific
virtues.” In communication, ethics is
what maintains the balance between the
speaking and the listening. It ascertains
the presence of fairness, integrity and
completeness of the information while
communicating. It avoids undermining
culture, gender, race, social class, age,
disabilities, idiosyncrasies and opinions
through politeness and turn-taking.

Ethics follow certain codes that are


guidelines to assist people in making
decisions, to tell the difference between
‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and to utilize this
understanding to make ethical choices.
These ethical codes have 3 levels; 1)
Source: https://www.hrzone.com/perform/business/ethics-in-the-workplace-what-does-an-ethical-business-look-like Code of ethics (social issues); 2) Code
of conduct (influence to behavior an
Analysis: individual); and 3) Code of practice (professional responsibility).
1. How important is Ethics in When conversing to groups of people, it can be very difficult to know and
communicating? consider what language to use. However, this is a necessary step to establish
ethical communication. A communicator can consider politeness and turn-
2. How is considering Politeness, Turn-
taking as primary tools while keeping in mind that humans cannot help to
taking, Gender, Race, Social Class,
categorize each other by their differences in terms of gender and sexual
Age and Disabilities or any of the
orientation, race and ethnicity, social class, age, and disabilities.
following results to becoming an
Ethical communicator?

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 17


Politeness

Being one of the central features in communication, politeness is a human


phenomenon expressed differently in different cultures. It means to take
other people into consideration, to take care. Politeness is communicated
both verbally and nonverbally.

One of the well-known classifications of linguistic politeness is that


of Brown and Levinson (1978). They talk about positive and negative
politeness.

Positive politeness refers to an atmosphere of inclusion and


mutuality created by linguistic means such as compliments,
encouragement, joking, even the use of “white lies.” Small
talk is one expression of positive politeness; that is, creating
linguistically a connection to other people.

Negative politeness involves respecting the privacy of other people and


leaving a “back door” open, that is, showing some reservation. The use of
distance-creating linguistic devices (e.g., passive forms), irony, or general
vagueness is characteristic for this kind of linguistic politeness.
Eventually, in order to develop the linguistic classifications of politeness, Scollon & Scollon (1995) distinguish two kinds of
linguistic politeness strategies: involvement strategies and independency strategies. These strategies reflect the general
human social needs to be connected to other people, yet to be independent and unique (Salo-Lee, 2006).

Some examples of involvement strategies include:

• Paying attention to the other person or taking care of him/her (e.g., “You have a beautiful dress”; “Are you feeling
better today?”).

• Being optimistic (“I believe that we will make it”).

• Being voluble (speaking as such already indicates a willingness to participate).

• Using the other person´s language or dialect.

• Some examples of independency strategies include:

• Giving the other person the possibility to retreat (“It would have been nice to have a cup of coffee together but you
must be busy”).

• Speaking in general terms (“The rules of the company require…...”).

• Not speaking much.

Source: https://7esl.com/speaking-polite-english/

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 18


• Using your own language or dialect.

Turn-taking

A turn is the time when a speaker is talking and turn-taking is the skill of knowing when to start and finish a turn in a
conversation. It is an important organisational tool in spoken discourse.

There are two guiding principles in conversations in the process of turn-taking:

• Only one person should talk at a time.


• We cannot have silence.
• The transition between one speaker and the next must be as smooth as possible and without a break.
We have different ways of indicating that a turn will be changed:

• Formal methods: selecting the next speaker by name or raising a hand.


• Adjacency pairs: a question requires an answer.
• Intonation: a drop in pitch or in loudness.
• Gesture: a change in sitting position or an expression of inquiry.
• The most important device for indicating turn-taking is through a change in gaze direction.
Violations of the turn-taking process often times occur in a conversation and they are called:

• Interruption: where a new speaker interrupts and gains the floor.


• Butting in: where a new speaker tries to gain the floor but does not succeed.
• Overlaps: where two speakers are talking at the same time.

Gender and Sexual Orientation (Sexist Language)

Sexism is a language which excludes one’s sex or the other, or which suggests that one sex is superior to the other. While it is
primarily women who are affected by sexism, it can be used to discriminate against either men or women (Klein, 1993).

Sexist language happens so often, especially on written language, that we tend to disregard it. Thus, it is necessary to know the
types of sexism so we can avoid them. Below are the types of sexist language and their solutions/alternatives:

1. Language that excludes ‘women’ or renders them invisible

SEXIST ALTERNATIVES

mankind human kind, human beings

Forefather ancestors

Layman layperson

manpower Human resources, staff, personnel

Man-made Synthetic, artificial

Early man Early people

manning Staffing, working, running

2. The singular masculine pronouns (he, him, his)

SEXIST ALTERNATIVES

If a customer has a complaint, send him to the service desk. Customers with complaint should be sent to the service desk.

The handicapped child may be able to feed himself. Handicapped children may be able to feed themselves.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 19


3. Terms ending in ‘-man’ to refer to functions that may be performed by individuals or either sex

SEXIST ALTERNATIVES

business man business executive, business owner, retailer

cameraman photographers, cinematographers

chairman chairperson

fireman firefighters

policeman police officer

sales man salesperson

spokesman spokesperson

Race and Ethnicity (Racism)

“Having different cultures because we come from different races should not prevent us from understanding and communicating
to each other.”

Racism is the use of derogatory terms to label people outside of (the group). It is the language that denigrates a person because
of race (Allan, 2018). A study by Riley (2014) entitled, “Do Racial Perceptions Affect Communication in Conflict?” showed that
the level of influence that the difference in race plays a major component in communication. So, if either of the communicator
thinks that his/her race is superior over the other, misunderstanding and conflict is sure to happen. Thus, avoiding racist
language, which is listed below, is one of the vital components to establish good communication:

• Don’t laugh at racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic and other stereotypical jokes or assumptions.

• Make an effort to get to know people different than you.

• Learn about other people and their culture.

• Think before you speak.

• Be a role model.

• Don’t make assumptions.

• Work on projects with members of groups different from your own.

• Explore the unfamiliar.

• Support anti-prejudice and anti-racist campaigns and organizations.

Remember that language is evolving and context-dependent. When unsure what language to use, consult your professor,
classmates, and current academic readings in the discipline.

Social Class

Sociologist defined ‘social class as a group of individuals who occupy a similar position in the economic system.’ These classes
occur on any of the following: resources, power and authority. Although there is an argument on the divisions of these classes,
but most sociologists suggest that there are five classes:

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 20


Upper Class – Elite Upper Middle Class Lower Middle Class Working Class Poor

• Represent • Represent • Clerical- • Craft workers • Working poor –


institutional scientific and administrative work full-time
leadership technical • Laborers in at wages below
• Provide support factories poverty line
knowledge for professionals
• heads of like engineers,
multinational • Restaurant • Social services
accountants, • Engage in data
corporations, workers
lawyers, collection., • Underclass
foundations, architects, record-keeping
universities • Nursing home
university faculty, staff
managers and • Paralegals: bank
• Capitalist elite – tellers, sales
directors of • Repair shops,
owners of lands,
public and private garages
stocks and bonds • Blue-collar
organizations.
and other assets workers in skilled • Delivery services
– wealth derived • Have both high trades
from what they incomes and high
own. social prestige.
Well-educated.

So, how is the knowledge of social class applied in communication? Of course, while conversing, you will not inform everyone
what social class they belong to. In fact, avoid creating divisions by mentioning terms or phrases with ‘class’ or ‘status’. Instead
consider their social classes to choose what appropriate topics, style and grammar of language to use to make sure that
everyone feels equal while conversing regardless of their socioeconomic status. By doing so, everyone would have the freedom
to speak with confidence.

Age

Age is connected to communication. As generations aged, language evolves so it results to different generations speaking
different languages. However, it does not mean that ‘being older or younger means being better or worse at communication;
it’s just likely that your age will determine your vocabulary (both what language you know, and what language you choose to
use), the experiences that inform your communication, and the expectations you have of the other person’ (Hunghanfoo, 2018).

It is certain that age plays a role in some communication problems between people, and that age has an effect in conjunction
with other factors that overlap and interact while conversing. For example, a younger person may be less inclined to be assertive
when speaking with an older person, but that might also be due to their culture. Another example is that an older person may
struggle to understand serious or sarcastic intention in how a younger person communicates, but that might also be because of
social media or technology. That is why age can sometimes become a barrier in communication.

Source: https://mcluhangalaxy.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/the-3-eras-of-communication-according-to-mcluhan-innis/

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 21


Disabilities

In ethical communication, it is important to remember that disabilities are not defects but are variations among people. While
institutions can cause problems by designing services for only certain types of bodies, there is nothing inherently wrong with
bodies that do not fall within that range. In general, use language that is sensitive to the specific context and the specific
audience (Bowman et al, 2015).

Below is the General Recommendations for Communicating with All Persons with Disabilities provided by ACED (Advancing Care
Excellence for Persons with Disabilities):

• Talk to persons with disabilities in the same way and with a normal tone of voice (not shouting) as you would talk to
anyone else.

• Avoid being self-conscious about your use of wording such as “Do you see what I mean?” when talking to someone with
vision impairment.

• Talk to people with disabilities as adults and talk to them directly rather than to an accompanying person.

• Ask the person with a disability if assistance is needed; do not assume that help is needed until you ask.

• Use “people-first language”: refer to “a person with a disability” rather than “the disabled person” or “the disabled”.

• When communicating with a person with a disability, it is important to take steps to ensure that effective communication
strategies are used. This includes sitting or standing at eye level with the patient and making appropriate eye contact.

Assessment:

Allocate each terms/phrases that show the relationship of Ethics and Communication to the diagram below:

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 22


Application:

A. Create/draw a Comic Strips with the following context and considerations (An example is provided below):

Example:

Source: https://dilbert.com/search_results?terms=racism

Context: Co-workers inside the Office


Considerations: Racism, Impoliteness, Inappropriate turn-taking

1. Context: Trial court


Considerations: Appropriate turn-taking, Different Races

2. Context: Doctor and patient in the Clinic


Considerations: Impoliteness, Age difference

3. Context: Strangers inside a train


Considerations: Politeness, Disabilities

4. Context: Lawyers in their office


Considerations: Inappropriate turn-taking, Sexism

5. Context: Teacher and students on a Field trip


Considerations: Politeness, Inappropriate turn-taking, Social Class

B. Why is ethical communication everyone’s responsibility? Relate your experience.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 23


References:
1. Bowman, Emma et al. (2015). Writing about Race, Ethnicity, Social Class and Disability. Retrieved from: https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/
centers/writing/writing-resources/language-of-difference-writing-about-race-ethnicity-social-class-and-disability.
2. Hunghanfoo, Jez. (6 April 2018). How does age sometimes act as a communication barrier?. Retrieved from: https://www.quora.com/How-does-
age-sometimes-act-as-a-communication-barrier.
3. Klein, Jennifer. (1993). Avoiding Sexist Language. Retrieved from https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/writing/style/essentials/ sexist-
and-non-sexist-language.
4. Madrunio, M.R. & Martin, I. P. 2018. Purposive communication: using English in multilingual contexts. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
5. Riley, Tanner, “Do Racial Perceptions Affect Communication in Conflict?” (2014). Communication Studies Undergraduate Publications,
Presentations and Projects. Retrieved from: http://pilotscholars.up.edu/cst_studpubs/58.
6. Salo-Lee, Liisa. (2006). Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Politeness. Retrieved from: https://moniviestin.jyu.fi/ohjelmat/hum/viesti/en/
ics/22.
7. Smeltzer, Suzanne C. (28 January 2017). Communicating with People with Disabilities. Retrieved from: http://www.nln.org/professional-
development-programs/teaching-resources/ace-d/additional-resources/communicating-with-people-with-disabilities#:~:text=General%20
Recommendations%20for%20Communicating%20with,would%20talk%20to%20anyone%20else.&text=Ask%20the%20person%20with%20
a,is%20needed%20until%20you%20ask.
8. Te Kete Ipurangi: Ministry of Education. (7 May 2009). Turn-taking. Retrieved from: https://englishonline.tki.org.nz/English-Online/Planning-for-my-
students-needs/Exploring-language/The-Language-of-Conversation/Turn-Taking.
9. Velasquez, Manuel et al. (1 January 2010). What is Ethics? Retrieved from: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/
what-is-ethics/)

Prepared by

Jeffrey E. Floriza
Faculty
English Department |
CSSH

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 24


MODULE 3B
Learning Outcomes: COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Students are expected to:

1. create an understanding of how


Communication and Technology
affect each other;

2. develop awareness on how Social


Media can affect everybody’s life;

3. be familiar with the Ethics and


Responsibility of using Social Media
Networks; and

4. know how to Validate Information in


Social Media Platforms.

Time frame: 3 hours

Activity:

To further understand how technology


impacts communication, let us see
Connected, but Alone? from TEDTalk by
YOUniversityTV | Information and Communication Technology (ICT): Meaning,Importan | YOUniversityTV
Professor Sherry Turkle, who is an Abby
Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social
Studies of Science and Technology at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
INTRODUCTION
Source: https://blog.ted.com/places-we-dont-
want-to-go-sherry-turkle-at-ted2012/ Communication and technology are inseparable. Technology has made
communicating between people and groups of people significantly easier
YouTube clip of Turkle’s speech at
TEDTalk: https://www.youtube.com/ and faster through the use of mobile devices, laptops, personal computers
watch?v=t7Xr3AsBEK4 and the internet. Presently, technology led us to immediate access to an
incredible array of devices and services that enable us to communicate with
Full Transcript of Turkle’s speech with Audio- almost anyone, anywhere, at any time. However, this free and immediate
mp3 file: https://singjupost.com/connected- type of communication caused by technology is not without disadvantages
alone-sherry-turkle-ted-transcript/ and limitations. Social and Linguistic studies show that because people are
too reliant on technology nowadays, it resulted to language deterioration,
Expound/elaborate these lines by Sherry
emotional instability like inability to control one’s feelings, lack of
Turkle :
proficiency in contextual and pragmatic understanding which often leads to
“We expect more from technology miscommunications and misunderstandings and so much more.
and less from each other.”
Nonetheless, technology has helped communication to become efficient
“Our networked life allows us to and productive. But, it should not be to a point of compromising social
hide from each other, even as we connections, interactions and relationships, which is the very essence of
are tethered to each other. We’d
rather text than talk.”

“We fill our days with ongoing


connection, denying ourselves time
to think and dream.”

“As we distribute ourselves, we


may abandon ourselves.”

Source: http://www.pnstechnology.com/social-media-marketing.php

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 25


“If you’re having a conversation with us being called as ‘human beings.’ So, how can we avoid disregarding our
someone in speech, and it’s not friends, relatives and families even with the advent of technology and social
being tape-recorded, you can change media? Is technology really the pitfall of social interaction?
your opinion, but on the Internet,
it’s not like that. On the Internet it’s According to the Pew Research Center, social media users tend to be
almost as if everything you say were younger. Nearly 90 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 used at
being tape-recorded. You can’t say, “I least one form of social media. Globally, there are more than 3 billion social
changed my mind.” media users. Social media is an ever-changing and ever-evolving web-based
platform.
Analysis:
Social media is so varied and versatile. It may take the form of so many tech-
1. How can humans use Technology enabled activities. These activities include photo sharing, blogging, social
to improve Communication and not gaming, social networks, video sharing, business networks, virtual worlds,
tarnish nor deteriorate it? reviews and much more. That is why, it cannot be denied that almost the
2. How can Social Media awareness entirety of this generation has at least one social media account, as shown
help improve this generations on the latest survey (as of January 2019) of the number of accounts or users
understanding on Communication and of the following:
Technology? • Facebook (2.27 billion users)
3. Why is Validating Information in Social • YouTube (1.9B)
Media platforms necessary nowadays? • WhatsApp (1.5B)
• Facebook Messenger (1.3B)
Abstraction:
• WeChat (1.08B)
• Instagram (1B)
Social Media
• QQ (803M)
Social media is computer-based technology, • QZone (531M)
through websites and applications, that • Douyin/Tik Tok (500M)
facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, • Sino Weibo (446M)
and information through the building of
• Twitter (330M)
virtual networks and communities. Most
social media sites include contents of
The Most Common Social Media Tools and Platforms:
personal information, documents, videos,
and photos of the user. It started as a • Blogs: A platform for casual dialogue and discussions on a specific
means to interact with friends and family topic or opinion.
but was later adopted by businesses which
wanted to take advantage of a popular new • Facebook: The world’s largest social network. Users create a
communication method to reach out to personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages,
customers. The power of social media is the including status updates. Brands create pages and Facebook users
ability to connect and share information can “like” brands’ pages.
with anyone on Earth, or with many people • Twitter: A social networking/micro-blogging platform that allows
simultaneously (Dollarhide and Drury, groups and individuals to stay connected through the exchange of
2020). short status messages (140-character limit).
• YouTube & Vimeo: Video hosting and watching websites.
• Flickr: An image and video hosting website and online community.
Photos can be shared on Facebook and Twitter and other social
networking sites.
• Instagram: A free photo and video sharing app that allows users to
apply digital filters, frames and special effects to their photos and
then share them on a variety of social networking sites.
• Snapchat: A mobile app that lets users send photos and videos to
friends or to their “story.” Snaps disappear after viewing or after
24 hours. Currently, we are not allowing individual departments to
have Snapchat accounts, but asking that they contribute to the Tufts
University account.
• LinkedIn Groups: A place where groups of professionals with
similar areas of interest can share information and participate in a
conversation.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 26


Ethics and Responsibility in Using Social Media

With the advent of technology and how dependent this generation is to social media platforms in sharing, exchanging and
expressing themselves, it has been apparent that ethics has been ignored.

The lack of awareness on using social media has led to countless cases of abuse, social and racial problems, hoax, fake news and
etcetera, may it be done intentionally or unintentionally. That is why, public and private sectors have been formulating means
in order to avoid those problems from happening. One of these is the Social Media Preservation Session, by Philip Favro (2017),
which aims to discuss the raising number of ethical and practical issues in social media in the hope of finding solutions.

Another way to avoid these conflicts from happening is by following these simple and important reminders when dealing with
social media platforms:

1. Always use the correct language when using social media. It would be nice if communications on the Internet is done
by using polite and proper words. By using this ethical practice, formality can be established and respect will eventually
follow.
2. Avoid spreading racist, pornographic and violent contents. It would be wise if we do not spread information that degrades
or deters a certain race or religion. Share useful information only and avoid posting or uploading photos, images or stories
that you know would stir up conflict to your life and others.
3. Acknowledge others’ works. When sharing information in the form of photographs, writings or videos which belong to
others, make sure to mention the source to show your appreciation to others’ works. Never copy-paste any contents
without informing everyone where it really originated.
4. Do not share personal
information too much. It
would be wiser for you to
restrict your personal life
in using social media. Do
not share your personal
information such as phone
number or home address.
Be sure to set your privacy
settings on your social
media accounts based on
your preferences. There will
be a possibility that other
contacts on your list will
use your personal or private
information to harm you. In
worse cases, they can even Source: https://www.mindfood.com/au/article/ethics-on-social-media-team-sport-or-blood-sport/
make an account posing as
you to scam and destroy your
credibility.
5. Check the news validity. Nowadays it is very common to find out a news that disfigure other parties in social media. Some
parties did this to impose the competitors by sharing hoax news. Therefore, social media users should be more intelligent
and critical before believing any information. Before you share the news, it will be wiser to check the news validity first.

Validating Social Media Information

The vastness of information now available and being shared online offers a fantastic arena for anyone to be unable to spot the
authentic information from fake ones. Because of this, the youth nowadays needs to sharpen their verification and fact-checking
skills in a digital environment. Below is a checklist that anyone can follow in order to ascertain the validity of an information
(Bartlett, 2012):

• Content. Apply the ‘too good to be true test’ and check if the image or video is tampered or edited in any way.
• Network/Source. Be sure that the source of the information is an established and well-known Group/Institution or
Organization.
• Be Across Platforms/Crosscheck. Know that an information is authentic if the information is seen on the most common
social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and etcetera.

• Location of the Source. Check if the ones posting the information are really present where the incident happened. Be
sure that they are first-hand witnesses.
GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 27
• Contextual updates. If the information is being updated and specific details are provided every so often, expect that
the news is authentic.
• Age. Be wary of recently created accounts. They may be created just to spread fake news and to destroy someone or
something.
• Build your Own Network of Contacts. Be sure to privately message someone/people you know who can verify the
validity of an information for you before anything else.

Assessment:

Below are possible situations in Social Media platforms that you might encounter/ have encountered. Relate how have you/
would you deal with these scenarios:

How do you deal with…..:

1. your classmates ranting another student on Twitter because of his/her appearance?


(Following Ethics and Responsibility in using Social Media).

2. your sister posting photos/videos of herself with too little clothing?

(Following Ethics and Responsibility in using Social Media).

3. your brother who is saying bad words while having a video call with his friend?

(Following Ethics and Responsibility in using Social Media).

4. a relative posing as someone else on Facebook?

(Following Validating Social Media Information).

5. someone who is using social media in order to cheat on an exam?

(Following Ethics and Responsibility in using Social Media and Validating Social Media Information).

6. a friend who enjoys chatting with strangers on FB messenger?

(Following Ethics and Responsibility in using Social Media and Validating Social Media Information).

7. a friend who made a prank on Facebook about the death of his father?

(Following Ethics and Responsibility in using Social Media and Validating Social Media Information).

Include three (3) Social Media cases of abuse, social and racial problems, hoax, fake news and etcetera that you have
experienced and relate how you settled those issues.

Application:

Form a group with five (5) members and create a 1-2minute video clip on Social Media Awareness.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 28


References:
1. Bartlett, Rachel. (3 April 2012). How to verify content from social media: Experts advise on the process of verification. Retrieved from: https://
www.journalism.co.uk/news-features/how-to-verify-content-from-social-media/s5/a548645/.
2. Dollarhide, Maya and Amy Drury. (6 September 2020). What Is Social Media? Retrieved from: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-media.
asp#:~:text=Social%20media%20is%20computer%2Dbased,quick%20electronic%20communication%20of%20content.
3. Favro, Philip. (29 August 2017). eDiscovery and Ethical Considerations for Social Media. Retrieved from: https://www.driven-inc.com/ediscovery-
and-ethical-considerations-for-social-media-2/.
4. Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/
work/quotes/13566692-alone-together-why-we-expect-more-from-technology-and-less-from-each-ot

Prepared by

Jeffrey E. Floriza Faculty


English Department | CSSH

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 29


MODULE 4A
COMMUNICATION IN
MULTICULTURAL SETTING

Learning Outcomes:

1. Define Intercultural
Communication
1. Recognize the importance of
Intercultural Communication in https://www.netclipart.com/isee/Tobwoo_cultural-clipart-multicultural-classroom-united-nation-flags-png/
url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwolfestone.co.uk%2Finsights%2Fblogs%2Fbenefits-multiculturalism-workplace&psig=AO
today’s world
1. Recognize cultural differences
among people from different
INTRODUCTION
countries Intercultural communication happens anywhere, whether in business, school,
Time frame: 3 hours or in everyday life. It has become a necessary part of today’s word as we
join in the growing global community. Because of this, knowing how to
Activity: communicate cross-culturally is a skill you must have in order to succeed.

Have you tried talking to a foreigner? ABSTRACTION


Share your experience.

1. When and where did it happen? Intercultural Communication


2. For what purpose is the conversation? Intercultural communication refers to communication between individuals
and groups of different cultural backgrounds. Language, gestures,
3. How did you feel while conversing mannerisms, customs, and systems of power and authority can be different
with the person? between cultures.
Analysis: Other terms related to intercultural communication are multicultural,
1. Is your conversation with the diversity, and cross-cultural. Multicultural means a group or organization
foreigner successful? that has multiple cultures within it, or is made up of several cultures. Cross-
cultural means between multiple groups of different cultures, whereas
2. What do you think are the reasons intercultural means between members of those cultures.
for the success or failure of your
Intercultural communication is an important part of intercultural competence
— or the ability to effectively function across cultures. As our world gets
smaller and globalization gets stronger, intercultural competence and
communication become a necessity to be successful.

Cultural Differences
Intercultural communication takes place between or among people from
different cultural backgrounds. It is imperative that cultural differences
should be recognized to avoid breakdown in communication.

Value given to Time. Americans value promptness. They generally make use
of schedules and evaluate each other’s behaviour in these terms. This is the
same with the Japanese. Their trains and people are expected to arrive on
schedule. However, it is different in the Philippines where to arrive late is the
norm rather than the exception. It has a different meaning depending on

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 30


how late one is, the circumstances of the meeting, and how well one knows the person being met. Arriving one minute late will
like not merit an apology, but one hour would. There is also a ‘politics of time’. Some can arrive ‘fashionably late’ because of their
importance even in professional contexts.

Language differences. Language reflects the realities of a given culture and affects the way its members define their
experiences. It can reflect how concepts such as time, distance, color, pain, are perceived differently from different cultures.
For example, the Tagalog language has two equivalents for the English ‘we’: ‘kami’ and ‘tayo.’ Kami is exclusive and used to
refer to the in-group excluding the outsider while
tayo is inclusive. This pronoun system suggests the
Filipino value for in-group loyalty. Philippine English
with expressions like blowout (treat), dirty ice cream
(local ice cream bought from street vendor), jingle
(to urinate), or go down (get off a vehicle) should be
used warily. These English expressions with meanings
that are different locally will not be understood by
non-Filipinos.

Saying ‘No’. In western countries, like the US, clarity


is important. Communicating a refusal has to be brief
and direct. However, in many Asian countries, more
focus is placed on the context of communication than
the communication itself. A direct ‘no’ is considered
harsh and off-putting. Speakers and writers from
these contexts find alternative or ‘indirect’ ways
of saying ‘no’. For example, the Japanese have at
least sixteen ways of avoiding saying ‘no’ including
tangenial responses, counter questions, a conditional
‘no’ or silence.

Directness vs. Circumlocution. Brevity, clarity, and directness of communication are favoured in American and British cultures.
This means that a message, an idea, or a request should be conveyed to the audience or recipient clearly and in as few words
as mandatory. For example, when communicating a refusal or rejection to Westerners, Asians should avoid circumlocution or
indirectness but with a polite yet clear ‘no’. A Westerner, on the other hand, communicating an Asian should be aware of the
latter’s culture of valuing smooth interpersonal relationships (SIR). To avoid being viewed as ‘brutally frank’, the American can
attempt to clearly convey a rejection but also ‘soften’ this with buffers, such as an explanation or good news preceding the
outright “no.”

Personal/Friendly Language vs. Respectful Language. In Western contexts, people use friendly and personal language in the
workplace. Employers and employees are encouraged to use personal pronouns such as me, you, me, and we in writing. The
objective of this is the establishment of rapport between communicator and audience. However, in Asia, the use of formal
titles is a way of showing respect for someone considered superior in age, economic status, education, and profession. In the
Philippines, the dropping of a title in favour of using the first name of someone older and higher in rank is considered rude and
disrespectful.

For intercultural communication to be effective, speakers and writers from Eastern and Western contexts should be familiar
with these conventions. They may either adjust to the culture and mode of address of the other or choose to not take offense
because they understand the culture that drives the linguistic convention or difference.

APPLICATION
A. Give the equivalent British or American word for the given words below.

British American British American

1. chips 6. soccer

2. biscuit 7. sweater

3. petrol 8. vacation

4. public school 9. trunk (of a car)

5. pavement 10. apartment

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 31


B. Search and provide the Philippine and American meaning of the words.

Word Philippine American


1. napkin
2. blooming
3. adidas
4. tomboy
5. bad trip

C. Think of other examples of how language reflects culture. Research and list (at least 3) examples of words from different
languages that express concepts important to people who speak those languages. (e.g. rice – Filipino words: palay, bigas,
kanin, sinangag, tutong)
D. Read the article “Saying ‘No’ in China” by Sean Upton-McLaughlin from https://chinaculturecorner.com/2014/01/27/
saying-no-in-china/.

Based from the article, answer the following questions:

1. List the 5 methods of saying ‘N0’ in China as enumerated by the author.

2. Why is it important for a non-Chinese to know how the Chinese say ‘No’?

3. Do Filipinos use the same methods in saying “No”? If yes, give a sample situation from your own experience.

References:
1. Charlton, Monica. (2018). Five Secrets to Intercultual Communication. Retrieved from https://www.thepolyglotgroup.com/blog/5-secrets-to-
meaningful-intercultural-communication/
2. Madrunio, M.R. & Martin, I. P. 2018. Purposive communication: using English in multilingual contexts. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
3. McLaughlin, S. (2011). Saying ‘No’ in China. Retrieved from https://chinaculturecorner.com/2014/01/27/saying-no-in-china/
4. University of the People. (2020). What is Intercultural Communication: Learning New Styles. Retrieved from https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/what-
is-intercultural-communication/
5. https://hbr.org/2016/06/3-situations-where-cross-cultural-communication-breaks-down

Prepared by
Rossel M. Audencial
Faculty
English Department

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 32


MODULE 4B
COMMUNICATION IN THE
MULTICULTURAL SETTING

Learning Outcomes:

1. Compare the nonverbal


communication of one country/
culture to another,

2. Explain the importance of nonverbal


communication in dealing with
people from different cultures,

Time frame: 3 hours

Activity:

Watch the video “Gestures around the


World” from https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=qCo3wSGYRbQ
https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripsavvy.com%2Fhand-gestures-with-more-than-one-meaning-3149620&psig=A
OvVaw0PxcXh5guJgBL6Fxxk0DFp&ust=1605209472346000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCMCr1a6e--wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Analysis:

Contrasting Meanings
Gestures Country1 Country2 ABSTRACTION
The Okey sign
Nonverbal Communication and Culture
Horn Fingers
The same with verbal communication, norms for nonverbal communication
Crossed Fingers vary from country to country and also among cultures within a particular
Come Here sign
country. Some nonverbal communication behaviors appear to be somewhat
innate because they are universally recognized. Examples of these are the
‘V’ Sign universal signals “eyebrow flash” of recognition when we see someone we
know and the open hand and the palm up gesture that signals a person
would like something or needs help. Smiling is also a universal nonverbal
behavior, but the triggers that lead a person to smile vary from culture to
culture. The expansion of media, particularly from the United States and
other Western countries around the world, is leading to more nonverbal
similarities among cultures, but the biggest cultural differences in nonverbal
communication occur within the categories of eye contact, touch, and
personal space. As you read, remember that these are not absolute, in that
nonverbal communication like other forms of communication is influenced
by context and varies among individuals within a particular cultural group as
well.

Kinesics

Cultural variations in the way we gesture, use head movements, and use eye
contact fall under the nonverbal category of kinesics.

Gestures. Emblems are gestures that correspond to a word and an agreed-


on meaning. When we use our fingers to count, we are using emblematic
gestures, but even our way of counting varies among cultures. British people
and US Americans could be separated from French, Greek, and German
people based on a simple and common gesture. Let’s try this exercise: First,
GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 33
display with your hand the number five. Second, keeping the five Haptics
displayed, change it to a two. If you are from the United States
or Britain you are probably holding up your index finder and your Touch behaviors are important during initial interactions,
middle finger. If you are from another European country you are and cultural differences in these nonverbal practices
probably holding up your thumb and index finger. While Americans can lead to miscommunication and misunderstanding.
and Brits start counting on their index finger and end with five on Shaking hands as a typical touch greeting, for example,
their thumb, other Europeans start counting on their thumb and end varies among cultures. It is customary for British,
with five on their pinky finger. Australian, German, and US American colleagues to
shake hands when seeing each other for the first time
Using your hands can also get you into trouble if you’re unaware of and then to shake again when departing company. In
cultural difference. For the United States, the colleagues do not normally shake
example, the “thumbs hands again if they see each other again later in the
up” gesture, as we just day, but European colleagues may shake hands with
learned, can mean “one” each other several times a day. Once a certain level
in mainland Europe, of familiarity and closeness is reached, US American
but it also means colleagues will likely not even shake hands daily unless
“up yours” in Greece engaging in some more formal interaction, but many
(when thrust forward) European colleagues will continue to shake each time
and is recognized as a they see each other. Some French businesspeople
signal for hitchhiking have been known to spend up to thirty minutes a day
or “good,” “good job / shaking hands. The squeezes and up-and-down shakes
way to go,” or “OK” in used during handshakes are often called “pumps,” and
many other cultures. https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoranews24.
com%2F2012%2F06%2F10%2Fquiz-how-well-do-you-know-your-japanese- the number of pumps used in a handshake also varies
Two hands up with the hand-gestures%2F&psig=AOvVaw14BHvVHgf5TjEBV1iKAtnC&ust=16052
among cultures. Although the Germans and French
palms out can signal shake hands more often throughout the day, they
“ten” in many Western countries and is recognized as a signal for “I’m typically only give one or two pumps and then hold the
telling the truth” or “I surrender” in many cultures. The same gesture, shake for a couple seconds before letting go. Brits tend
however, means “up yours twice” in Greece. So using that familiar to give three to five pumps, and US Americans tend to
gesture to say you surrender might actually end up escalating rather give five to seven pumps. This can be humorous to watch
than ending a conflict if used in Greece. at a multinational business event, but it also affects
the initial impressions people make of each other. A US
Head Movements. Bowing is a nonverbal greeting ritual that is more American may think that a German is being unfriendly
common in Asian cultures than Western cultures, but the head nod, or distant because of his or her single hand pump, while
which is a common form of acknowledgement in many cultures, a German may think that a US American is overdoing it
is actually an abbreviated bow. Japan is considered a noncontact with seven.
culture, which refers to cultural groups in which people stand
farther apart while talking, make less eye contact, and touch less Contact cultures are cultural groups in which people
during regular interactions. Because of this, bowing is the preferred stand closer together, engage in more eye contact,
nonverbal greeting over handshaking. Bows vary based on status, touch more frequently, and speak more loudly. Italians
with higher status people bowing the least. For example, in order to are especially known for their vibrant nonverbal
indicate the status of another person, a Japanese businessperson communication in terms of gestures, volume, eye
may bow deeply. An interesting ritual associated with the bow is the
exchange of business cards when greeting someone in Japan. This
exchange allows each person to view the other’s occupation and
title, which provides useful information about the other’s status and
determines who should bow more. Since bowing gives each person
a good view of the other person’s shoes, it is very important to have
clean shoes that are in good condition, since they play an important
part of initial impression formation.

Eye Contact. In some cultures, avoiding eye contact is considered a


sign of respect. Such eye contact aversion, however, could be seen as
a sign that the other person is being deceptive, is bored, or is being
rude. Some Native American nations teach that people should avoid https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportdiver.
com%2Fsilly-hand-signals-scuba-divers-should-keep-in-handy&psig=AOvVaw3Odpe
eye contact with elders, teachers, and other people with status. yAVdNAXIsVsvjtJZo&ust=1605210075233000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAM
QjB1qFwoTCLDc69uf--wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
This can create issues in classrooms when teachers are unaware of
this norm and may consider a Native American student’s lack of eye
contact as a sign of insubordination or lack of engagement, which contact, and touching, which not surprisingly places
could lead to false impressions that the student is a troublemaker or them in the contact culture category. Italians use
less intelligent. hand motions and touching to regulate the flow of
conversations, and when non-Italians don’t know how
to mirror an Italian’s nonverbals they may not get to
contribute much to the conversation, which likely feeds

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 34


into the stereotype of Italians as domineering in conversations
or overexpressive. For example, Italians speak with their hands
raised as a way to signal that they are holding the floor for their
conversational turn. If their conversational partner starts to
raise his or her hands, the Italian might gently touch the other
person and keep on talking. Conversational partners often
interpret this as a sign of affection or of the Italian’s passion
for what he or she is saying. In fact, it is a touch intended to
keep the partner from raising his or her hands, which would
signal that the Italian’s conversational turn is over and the other
person now has the floor. It has been suggested that in order
to get a conversational turn, you must physically grab their
hands in midair and pull them down. While this would seem very
invasive and rude to northern Europeans and US Americans, it is https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Foffspring.lifehacker.com%2Fhow-to-get-your-kid-to-
speak-at-a-normal-human-volume-1825736973&psig=AOvVaw0OTF6oh2b_ICnUH79R2_qs&ust=1605210455111000
a nonverbal norm in Italian culture and may be the only way to &source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCLixlIyh--wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

get to contribute to a conversation.


preferences for touch and interpersonal distance. Countries
Vocalics in South America and southern Europe exhibit characteristics
of contact cultures, while countries in northern Europe and
The volume at which we speak is influenced by specific contexts Southeast Asia exhibit noncontact cultural characteristics.
and is more generally influenced by our culture. In European Because of the different comfort levels with personal space,
countries like France, England, Sweden, and Germany, it is not a Guatemalan and a Canadian might come away with differing
uncommon to find restaurants that have small tables very impressions of each other because of proxemic differences.
close together. In many cases, two people dining together The Guatemalan may feel the Canadian is standoffish, and
may be sitting at a table that is actually touching the table of the Canadian may feel the Guatemalan is pushy or aggressive.
another pair of diners. Most US Americans would consider this
a violation of personal space, and Europeans often perceive
US Americans to be rude in such contexts because they do not Chronemics
control the volume of their conversations more. Since personal
space is usually more plentiful in the United States, Americans The United States and many northern and western European
are used to speaking at a level that is considered loud to many countries have a monochronic orientation to time, meaning
cultures that are used to less personal space. For example, time is seen as a commodity that can be budgeted, saved,
Americans may be asked to leave a restaurant in Sweden spent, and wasted. Events are to be scheduled in advance
because another table complained that they were being loud. and have set beginning and ending times. Countries like
At a restaurant in Argentina, a “loud” table of Americans seated Spain and Mexico have a polychronic orientation to time.
on the other side of the dining area bothered other tables by Appointments may be scheduled at overlapping times,
making an “orderly” schedule impossible. People may also
miss appointments or deadlines without offering an apology,
which would be considered very rude by a person with a
monochronic orientation to time. People from cultures with
a monochronic orientation to time are frustrated when
people from polychromic cultures cancel appointments or
close businesses for family obligations. Conversely, people
from polychromic cultures feel that US Americans, for
example, follow their schedules at the expense of personal
relationships.

A. Application
https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftowardsdatascience.com%2Funderstanding-audio-data-
fourier-transform-fft-spectrogram-and-speech-recognition-a4072d228520&psig=AOvVaw1jj51z4Am1rofjUyqeoSA8&
ust=1605210229839000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCPCJ5KWg--wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAP How about in the Philippines, do Filipinos use nonverbal
communication? What do Filipinos express when using the
the lack of cultural awareness being exhibited by the Americans different types of nonverbal behaviors?
at the restaurant. These examples show how proxemics and
vocalics can combine to make for troubling, but hopefully Nonverbal Communication Meaning
informative, nonverbal intercultural encounters.
Kinesics
Proxemics Haptics
Vocalics
Cultural norms for personal space vary much more than
some other nonverbal communication channels such as Proxemics
facial expressions, which have more universal similarity and Chronemics
recognizability. Contact and noncontact cultures differ in their

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 35


B. Read the text and answer the questions that follow:
ibang-tao or “outsider” category. If, on the
other hand, the hosts ask the guest to forgive
FOOD AS LANGUAGE the modesty of their fare and table accessories,
Doreen G. Fernandez and invite him or her to join the family anyway,
Food speaks, and not only to the palate and senses. It delivers messages. it shows a deep acceptance of someone seen
When it is given as a gift, for example, it certainly communicates the as being in the hindi-ibang-tao or “one of us”
regard of the giver for the recipient. A home-made gift, for example, rice category.
cakes cooked in one’s home, or by one’s mother or grandmother, brings
None of this is expressed verbally, but
with it personal regard, an appreciation expressed in homespun ways. is thoroughly understood non-verbally.
An expensive food gift, like a bottle of wine or whiskey, not made in the Foreigners may never know, for example, that
country, and therefore requiring the means to purchase it, and suggesting in all the years of their stay in the country, they
that the recipient has the experience and sophistication to appreciate it, remained in the “outsider” category—unless
communicates some flattery as well as regard for the recipient’s importance.
they understand food as language. When they
The rarity of the gift, for example of a food difficult to obtain or to make (a find themselves accepted into the “one of
rare rice variety, a special regional sweet), also suggests a very high regard us” category, however, they will then have a
that is the motive for the sacrifice of time and effort. taste of the culture, being accepted as deeply
When the gift is a meal, the occasion, place and quality speak of social regard as elements of foreign culture have been
and mores. What is a proper invitation to a high government official? A indigenized and made the Filipino’s own.
meal in an expensive restaurant, or in one’s hometown, or in one’s home— In a study of “The Language of Food” this has
depends on such factors as a previous relationship, the magnitude of the
been expressed thus:
favor being asked, and other related interactions. When does one invite
a foreign dignitary to a public place, or to one’s home? Again, that would
• When we are uncertain as to what gift
would be appropriate, we usually decide to
give food.

• When we like someone and wish to know


him better, we invite him to a meal with us.

• When a boy goes courting, he sends his


love flowers as well as chocolates. These do
not smack much of commitment.

• A government official well-known for his


honesty and integrity sent back all gifts to
him except those of food. “I did not have
the heart to send them back,” he explained.
“To the Filipino, food carries goodwill.
I could never interpret it as a bribe or a
kickback.”

Food, quite obviously, is a counter in the


exchange of goodwill. It is not the only one,
https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fguidetothephilippines.ph%2Farticles%2Fultimate-guides%2Fmerienda-
snacks-philippines-guide%2Famp&psig=AOvVaw13Jt-WhBHdXtKWTiKDueJt&ust=1605211477884000&source=images&cd- but it is common on many cultures. The author
=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCOjz6vak--wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
concludes that “food is used to facilitate human
interaction and alliances” but warns that “food
alone cannot convey the interpersonal motives.
depend on factors like prestige, social position, purpose of invitation, and
It is not enough to make interpretations on the
the history of the relationship, if any. This is language of many nuances
basis of food alone. The table setting, the kind
and meanings overt and hidden, non-verbal and, therefore, eloquent, and
of participants, the ensuing behavior and other
Filipinos use it well.
factors should be taken into account.”
A native flexibility and adaptiveness make the Filipino receptive to foreign
Food is also often the pasalubong or gift that
cultures (we have seen how foreign food influences have been beneficently
people bring home from trips or feasts. It is the
absorbed), and also to foreign guests, with whom we share our food and
way the joys of the journey or the tastes of the
our homes. This makes hospitality a dominant trait. Filipinos naturally offer
feasting are shared with those who home.
to others the food they have in hand—even the food they are already in
the process of consuming—or on the table. When guests come to the door In a society much given to non-verbal
during mealtimes, they are invariably invited to eat. communication, as the Philippines is, food is an
eloquent language, able to convey a multiplicity
How they are served at table is another part of the language. If the hosts
of nuances and messages.
bring out the special plates and cook a special dish for the guest, the regard
is for someone who is important and most welcome, but remains in the

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 36


1. List down the nuances and meanings of food for Filipinos according to the writer.
a. Home-made food as gift
b. Expensive food as gift

c. Pasalubong

d. Rarity of food as gift

e. Meal as gift

2. Do you agree or disagree that “Food means goodwill?” Explain your answer by citing your own
experience or the experiences of others you know. Write 1-2 paragraph as answer.

C. Group Work. The class will be divided into 5 groups. Research to find out the cultural differences among
countries in terms of the following nonverbal behaviors.

1. Food
2. Smiling
3. Expressing sorrow
4. Showing emotion
5. Colors

Assessment

A. Match the descriptions in column A to the concepts in column B.

A B

1. Time is seen as a commodity. a. proxemics


2. Appointments may be scheduled at overlapping times. b. kinesics
3. cultural norms for personal space c. haptics
4. orientation to time d. vocalics
5. volume of voice when speaking e. chronemics
6. shaking hands f. emblems
7. Bowing g. eye contact
8. Italy h. monochromic culture
9. Japan i. polychromic culture
10. use fingers in counting j. noncontact culture
k. contact culture

B. Fill in the table below with details from the reading material.

Nonverbal behaviors Contrasting Meanings/Behaviors


Country 1 Country 2
Kinesics Greek - Mainland Europe -
Haptics Italy - US -
Vocalics Argentina - US -
Proxemics Canada - Guatemala -
Chronemics US - Spain -

C. Why is it important to know the cultural differences in nonverbal behaviors in communicating with people
from other cultures? (Write 1-2 paragraphs as answer.)

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 37


References:
1. Madrunio, M.R. & Martin, I. P. 2018. Purposive communication: using English in multilingual contexts. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
2. Communication in the Real World. (2016). Retrieved from https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/
3. We Love Buzz. 12 Different Hand Gestures of Different Cultures [Video file]. (2015, November). Retrieved September 15, 2020, from https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=6MhJxPffkhY
4. Suarez, C., Perfecto, M., Canilao, M. & Paez, D.B. (2018). Purposive Communication in English. Quezon City: Ateneo De Manila University Press.

Prepared by
Rossel M. Audencial
Faculty
English Department

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 38


MODULE 5A
COMMUNICATION, POWER AND
GLOBALIZATION

Learning Outcomes:

1. Understand the power dynamics of


language as a tool for communication

2. Determine the role of communication


in and its impacts to globalization

3. Value the significance of


communication as a vital edge for
individual’s global competitiveness

Time frame: 3 hours

Activity:

Give a one-liner title for the image on the


right.

Analysis:

1. Is language a tool for communication


that reflects power? ABSTRACTION

2. How does the language create power? You see in the poster that all are connected to the world, so what connects
the world? Language. Language is a versatile communication medium, often
3. What is the role of the language in and widely used in tandem with music, pictures, and actions to amplify its
promoting globalization? power. Silence, too, adds to the force of speech when it is used strategically
to speak louder than words. The wide range of language functions and its
versatility combine to make language powerful. Even so, this is only one
part of what is in fact a dynamic relationship between language and power.
The other part is that there is preexisting power behind language which
it reveals and reflects, thereby transferring extralinguistic power to the
communication context.

Language: Tool for Communication and Power

Through language, humans express and communicate their private thoughts


and feelings as well as enact various social functions. The social functions
include co-constructing social reality between and among individuals,
performing and coordinating social actions such as conversing, arguing,
cheating, and telling people what they should or should not do. Language
is also a public marker of ethnolinguistic, national, or religious identity, so
strong that people are willing to go to war for its defense, just as they would
defend other markers of social identity, such as their national flag. These
cognitive, communicative, social, and identity functions make language a
fundamental medium of human communication (Ng and Deng, 2017).

There are five approaches to analyze the power of language as a tool for
communication and can be grouped for discussion under the power behind
language and the power of language. In the former, language is viewed as
having no power of its own and yet can produce influence and control by

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 39


revealing the power behind the speaker. Language also reflects the practical importance of this phenomenon and its impact
collective/historical power of the language community that uses it on English vocabulary, grammar, and accent have led to
(Ng and Deng, 2017). the emergence of a new field of research called “English
as a lingua franca” (Brosch, 2015).

A. POWER BEHIND LANGUAGE This will be discussed in the next module.

1. Language Reveals Power

When negotiating with police, a gang may issue the threatening


message, “Meet our demands, or we will shoot the hostages!” The
threatening message may succeed in coercing the police to submit;
its power, however, is more apparent than real because it is based
on the guns gangsters posses. The message merely reveals the
power of a weapon in their possession. Apart from revealing power,
the gangsters may also cheat. As long as the message comes across
as credible and convincing enough to arouse overwhelming fear, it
would allow them to get away with their demands without actually
possessing any weapon. In this case, language is used to produce
an intended effect despite resistance by deceptively revealing a
nonexisting power base and planting it in the mind of the message
recipient (Robinson, 1996).

2. Language Reflects Power

Under here, we have two sub-topics: (a) Ethnolinguistic Vitality, and


(b) World English and Lingua Franca English.

a. Ethnolinguistic Vitality
https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40yararodriguez781%2Flangu
age-is-power-203a631353d9&psig=AOvVaw33HUp0JlOuNtF6rzgiEiFS&ust=1605213382914000&source=ima
The language that a person uses reflects the language ges&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCLD6gIGs--wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

community’s power. A useful way to think about a language


community’s linguistic power is through the ethnolinguistic
vitality model (Bourhis et al., 1981; Harwood et al., 1994). B. POWER OF LANGUAGE
Language communities in a country vary in absolute size overall
and, just as important, a relative numeric concentration in
3. Language Maintains Existing Dominance
particular regions. For example, Francophone Canadians, though
fewer than Anglophone Canadians overall, are concentrated Language maintains and reproduces existing dominance
in Quebec to give them the power of numbers there. Similarly, in three different ways represented respectively by the
ethnic minorities in mainland China have considerable power ascent of English, linguistic sexism, and legal language
of numbers in those autonomous regions where they are style. For reasons already noted, English has become a
concentrated, such as Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang. global language, an international lingua franca, and an
Collectively, these factors form the demographic base of the indispensable medium for non-native English speaking
language community’s ethnolinguistic vitality, an index of the countries to participate in the globalized world. A
community’s relative linguistic dominance (Ng and Deng, 2017). language evolves and changes to adapt to socially
accepted word meanings, grammatical rules, accents,
b. World Englishes and Lingua Franca English
and other manners of speaking. What is acceptable or
English is becoming a global language with official or special unacceptable reflects common usage and hence the
status in at least 75 countries (British Council, n.d.). It is numerical influence of users, but also the elites’ particular
also the language choice in international organizations and language preferences and communication styles.
companies, as well as academia, and is commonly used in
trade, international mass media, and entertainment, and over 4. Language Unites and Divides a Nation
the Internet as the main source of information. English native
speakers can now follow the worldwide English language track A nation of many speakers who, despite their diverse
to find jobs overseas without having to learn the local language cultural and ethnic background, all speak in the same
and may instead enjoy a competitive language advantage where tongue and write in the same script would reap the
the job requires English proficiency. This situation is a far cry benefit of the unifying power of a common language.
from the colonial era when similar advantages had to come The power of the language to unite people would be
under political patronage (Ng and Deng, 2017). stronger if it has become part of their common national
identity and contributed to its vitality and psychological
As English spreads worldwide, it has also become the major distinctiveness. Such power has often been seized
international lingua franca, serving some 800 million multilinguals upon by national leaders and intellectuals to unify their
in Asia alone, and numerous others elsewhere (Bolton, 2008). The
GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 40
countries and serve other nationalistic purposes (Patten, 2006). In China, for c. Conversational Power
example, Emperor Qin Shi Huang standardized the Chinese script (hanzi) as an
important part of the reforms to unify the country after he had defeated the A conversation is a speech exchange
other states and brought the Warring States Period (475–221 bc) to an end. A system in which the length and order of
similar reform of language standardization was set in motion soon after the speaking turns have not been pre-assigned
overthrow of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), by simplifying some of the hanzi but require coordination on an utterance-
and promoting Putonghua as the national standard oral language (Ng and by-utterance basis between two or more
Deng, 2017). individuals. It differs from other speech
exchange systems in which speaking turns
In the postcolonial part of the world, language is often used to service have been pre-assigned and/or monitored
nationalism by restoring the official status of their indigenous language by a third party, for example, job interviews
as the national language whilst retaining the colonial language or, in more and debate contests. In terms of persuasion,
radical cases of decolonization, relegating the latter to non-official status. a person who cannot do this is in no
Yet language is a two-edged sword: It can also divide a nation. The tension position to influence others in and through
can be seen in competing claims to official-language status made by minority conversations, which are probably the most
language communities, protest over maintenance of minority languages, common and ubiquitous form of human
language rights at schools and in courts of law, bilingual education, and social interaction (Ng and Deng, 2017).
outright language wars (Calvet, 1998; DeVotta, 2004).
d. Narrative Power
5. Language Creates Influence
Narratives and stories are closely related
In this section we discuss the power of language to create influence through: and are sometimes used interchangeably.
(a) power of single words and more complex linguistic structures ranging from However, it is useful to distinguish a
(b) oratories and (c) conversations to (d) narratives/stories. narrative from a story and from other

a. Power of Single Words

Learning a language empowers humans to


master an elaborate system of conventions
and the associations between words and their
sounds. On the other hand, categories of
objects and relations to which they refer. After
mastering the referential meanings of words,
a person can mentally access the objects and
relations simply by hearing or reading the
words. Apart from their referential meanings,
words also have connotative meanings with
their own social-cognitive consequences.
Together, these social-cognitive functions
underpin the power of single words that
has been extensively studied in metaphors https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotefancy.com%2Fquote%2F1720899%2FJulia-Penelope-Language-is-power-in-ways-
(Benedek et al., 2014; Landau et al., 2014; more-literal-than-most-people-think-When-we&psig=AOvVaw33HUp0JlOuNtF6rzgiEiFS&ust=1605213382914000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA
0QjhxqFwoTCLD6gIGs--wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAU
Marshal et al., 2007).
related terms such as discourse and frames.
b. Oratorical Power A story is a sequence of related events
in the past recounted for rhetorical or
A charismatic speaker may, by the sheer force of oratory, buoy up people’s ideological purposes, whereas a narrative
hopes, convert their hearts from hatred to forgiveness, or embolden them to is a coherent system of interrelated and
take up arms for a cause. One may recall moving speeches (in English) such as sequentially organized stories formed by
Mahatma Gandhi’s “Quit India” or Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream.” incorporating new stories and relating
The speech may be delivered face-to-face to an audience, or broadcast over them to others so as to provide an ongoing
the media. Oratorical power may be measured in terms of money donated basis for interpreting events, envisioning an
or pledged to the speaker’s cause, or, in a religious sermon, the number of ideal future, and motivating and justifying
converts made. Another measurement approach is to count the frequency collective actions (Halverson et al., 2011).
of online audience responses that a speech has generated, usually but not The temporal dimension and sense of
exclusively in the form of applause. Audience applause can be measured movement in a narrative also distinguish
fairly objectively in terms of frequency, length, or loudness, and collected it from discourse and frames. According
non-obtrusively from a public recording of the meeting. A valid incidence to Miskimmon, O’Loughlin, and Roselle
of audience applause should be one that is invited by the speaker and (2013), discourses are the raw material
synchronized with the flow of the speech, occurring at the appropriate time of communication that actors plot into
and place as indicated by the rhetorical format (Ng and Deng, 2017). a narrative, and frames are the acts of

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 41


selecting and highlighting some events or issues to promote a 6. Greater immigration, including illegal immigration
particular interpretation, evaluation, and solution. Telling and and others
sharing stories are part of human communication when we try to
transmit our experiences and ideas through words. IMPACT OF COMMUNICATION ON
GLOBALIZATION
COMMUNICATION THROUGH GLOBALIZATION
The Kenmoore Global Prospect (2010) outlined the impacts of Positive Impacts:
communication in globalization. Communication is constant and
widespread that one cannot escape its influence. Without it, 1. Communication facilitates information among
people would be isolated and unable to give and receive ideas. generation of people and promotes economic
Civilization itself would developments of nations.
be impossible. However,
the breakthroughs in
communication in the
past decades and in our
21st century have spurred
increases in cross-border
trade, investment and
migration, as if we live in
“one world.”

Globalization is the process


by which people in the
world are unified into a
single society and function
together. Furthermore,
it is a process in which
geographic distance
becomes a factor of
diminishing importance
in the establishment and
maintenance of cross-
border economic, political
and socio-cultural relations.
This process reaches such
intensity that relations https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Feconomicsimplified.weebly.com%2Ftechnology-and-commuication.html&psig=AOvVaw1g8nZL-bbTB6H202h6ONz-&ust=1605
215145195000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCNCgtcyy--wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ
change fundamentally,
and people become
aware of the change. The
potential internationalization of relations and dependences create 2. Communication promotes world peace and
opportunities, but also cause fear, resistance, actions and reactions understanding through socialization and
(Kenmoore Global Prospect, 2010). recognition of and among the nations.
3. Communication calibrates world trade through
As discussed in the previous modules, rapid improvements in
successful and fast business transactions.
information technology have allowed our exchange information
and communicate almost everywhere and anytime. The nature 4. Communication promotes exchange of ideas and
of business and how it is done globally have also improved technology.
tremendously through communication.
Negative Impacts:
Through communication, we observe the following trends in
globalization: 1. Communication among the nations today has
contributed to wide spread corrupt practices.
1. Increase in international trade at a faster rate than the
growth in the world economy 2. Improper or insistent communication on politics,
economics and even language barrier may lead to
2. Increase in international flow of capital including foreign disputes and enmity among the nations.
direct investment
3. Improper deliberations and breakdown in
3. Increase in world production output and consumption communication among nations could result to war.
4. Greater trans-border data flow, using technologies as the
internet, communication satellites and telephones
5. Development of global telecommunications infrastructure

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 42


ASSESSMENT
Answer the following:

1. Based on the discussion, complete the inverted semantic tree:

2. Determine whether the statement is true or false. Write TRUE if it is True and FALSE if it is False. Support your answer by
explaining your points in 2-3 sentences only.
1. Language, as a tool for communication, can change the society.
2. Conversation is not a communication.
3. One power of language is to deceive other communicators.
4. Globalization, through communication, distorts the sovereignty of a nation.
5. For language to spread, it should be used in communication.

APPLICATION
From the mnemonics G-L-O-B-A-L, create a statement or set of phrases that would relate and explain our lesson on
Communication, Power and Globalization. For example, G – “Go and connect the world,” or “Great!” then you proceed with L and
so on.

G
L
O
B
A
L

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 43


REFERENCES

1. Benedek, M., Beaty, R., Jauk, E., Koschutnig, K., Fink, A., Silvia, P. J., . . . & Neubauer, A. C. (2014). Creating metaphors: The neural basis of figurative
language production. NeuroImage, 90, 99–106.
2. Bolton, K. (2008). World Englishes today. In B. B. Kachru, Y. Kachru, & C. L. Nelson (Eds.), The handbook of world Englishes (pp. 240–269). Oxford:
Blackwell.
3. Bourhis, R. Y., Giles, H., & Rosenthal, D. (1981). Notes on the construction of a “Subjective vitality questionnaire” for ethnolinguistic groups. Journal
of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2, 145–155.
4. British Council. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-faq-the-english-language.htm.
5. Brosch, C. (2015). On the conceptual history of the term Lingua Franca. Apples. Journal of Applied Language Studies, 9(1), 71–85.
6. Calvet, J. (1998). Language wars and linguistic politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
7. DeVotta, N. (2004). Blowback: Linguistic nationalism, institutional decay, and ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
8. Friginal, E. (2007). Outsourced call centers and English in the Philippines. World Englishes, 26, 331–345.
9. Grice, H. P. (1975). Logic and conversation. In P. Cole & J. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and semantics (pp. 41–58). New York: Academic Press.
10. Halverson, J. R., Goodall H. L., Jr., & Corman, S. R. (2011). Master narratives of Islamist extremism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
11. Harwood, J., Giles, H., & Bourhis, R. Y. (1994). The genesis of vitality theory: Historical patterns and discoursal dimensions. International Journal of
the Sociology of Language, 108, 167–206.
12. Kenmoore Global Prospect. (2010). Globalization through communication. Retrieved from http://kenmooreworld.blogspot.com/2010/08/
globalization-through-communication.html
13. Landau, M. J., Robinson, M. D., & Meier, B. P. (Eds.). (2014). The power of metaphor: Examining its influence on social life. Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.
14. Landry, R., & Bourhis, R. Y. (1997). Linguistic landscape and ethnolinguistic vitality an empirical study. Journal of language and social psychology, 16,
23–49.
15. Marshal, N., Faust, M., Hendler, T., & Jung-Beeman, M. (2007). An fMRI investigation of the neural correlates underlying the processing of novel
metaphoric expressions. Brain and language, 100, 115–126.
16. Miskimmon, A., O’Loughlin, B., & Roselle, L. (2013). Strategic narratives: Communicating power and the New World Order. New York: Routledge.
17. Ng, S.N. and Deng, F. (2017). Language and Power. Oxford Research Encyclopedias. Retrieved from https://oxfordre.com/communication/
view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-436
18. Patten, A. (2006). The humanist roots of linguistic nationalism. History of Political Thought, 27, 221–262.
19. Robinson, W. P. (1996). Deceit, delusion, and detection. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.
20. Sacks, H., Schegloff, E. A., & Jefferson, G. (1974). A simplest systematics for the organization of turn-taking for conversation. Language, 50,
696–735.

Prepared by

Norman Ralph Isla


Faculty
English Department

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 44


MODULE 5B
WORLD ENGLISHES
AND PHILIPPINE ENGLISH

Learning Outcomes:

1. Describe World Englishes, its growth


and development

2. Discuss the importance of the


concept of the varieties of English
and Asian contexts

3. Identify some grammatical, lexical,


and syntactic features of post-colonial
varieties of English in Asian context https://www.google.com.ph/
ttps%3A%2F%2Fatollon.com.
au%2Farticle%2Fflat-earth-mo
Time frame: 3 hours vement%2F&psig=AOvVaw0
DwWH0S0yIuiXn2MJWL8ig&u
st=1605216074820000&sour

Activity: ce=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA
0QjhxqFwoTCOiivIW2--wCFQ-
AAAAAdAAAAABAD

Come up with a list of countries in which


English is not a native language but is
used as an international or intranational
language by people living there. List the
differences in their greetings and share ABSTRACTION
your list results to your classmates.
The map clearly shows the areas that use English as a native language/
mother tongue and the rest where English is used as a foreign language.
Analysis:
One of the explanations suggested regarding the emergence of English is the
1. How do they greet their parents? historical factor English benefited from being the language of Britain, which
Their friends? Their supervisor? Do was a huge empire during the 19th and 20th century especially. Research
their ways of greeting people vary? emphasized, for instance, the persistent role of Britain in imposing English
Why? on its colonies. Therefore, it could be deduced that this imposition is an
important factor behind the influential presence of English in many countries
2. Have you ever experienced difficulty
today.
in transacting or communicating in
English with Filipinos?

http://www.anglistik.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/department/english-linguistics/forschung/schwerpunkte/world-englishes/

Figure 5.1 Percentages of English speakers by country population

There is no coincidence in the fact that in former British colonies, like


India and Egypt, English occupies an important status in education, media,
governmental documents, and trade. As a conclusion, it could be said that
making English the language of instruction in those countries is a colonial

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 45


heritage. However, the historical reasons were not to happen without native and legitimized non-native English.
political motives.
The famous “Three Concentric Circles
WORLD ENGLISHES of Asian Englishes” presents the three
circles:
Do you think communication in countries that use English is simple and free
from barriers? • INNER CIRCLE with ENL (English
as Native Language) member
How about countries that do not use English? What would be the barriers in countries
communication? • OUTER CIRCLE with ESL (English
as Second Language) member
countries
• EXPANDING CIRCLE with EFL
(English as Foreign Language)
member countries

These circles represent the type of


spread, the patterns of acquisition and
the functional domains in which English
is used across cultures and languages
(Kachru, 1985).

The outer and expanding circles have


been colonized by some member
countries in the Inner circle making the
varieties they speak as post-colonial. It
is then to be understood that people
have different linguistic and cultural
Figure 5.2 backgrounds making intercultural
communication a significant variable on
communication.
World Englishes stands for localized varieties of English as they are used or
spoken in certain areas. In Asian context, the concept was introduced by Braj
Kachru.
THREE GROUPS OF USERS
KACHRU’S CONCENTRIC MODEL (1985)
1. THE INNER CIRCLE with ENL (English as
This model, which is also known as Three Concentric Circles, was developed Native Language)
in 1985 by Braj Kachru, an Indian Linguist. It remains as one of the most
influential models for grouping the varieties of English in the world. This The total number of English speakers in
model shows the diversity of English, differentiated from native and non- the inner circle is as high as 380million,
of whom some 120 million are outside
the US. People in this circle are native
speakers of the language (where English
is used in the home). This refers to
the traditional centers of language/
colonizing nations that spread the
language to different nations. The inner
circle (UK, US etc) is ‘norm-providing’,
which means that English language
norms are developed in these countries
where English language is the first
language.

2. THE OUTER CIRCLE with ESL (English


as Second Language)

Outer circle includes countries where


English is not the native tongue but is
important for historical reasons and plays
Figure 5.3 a part in the nations institutions, either
Source: https://englishlanguagewithrich.blogspot.com/2017/04/theories-for-world-englishes.html
as an official language or otherwise.
The total number of English speakers
in the outer circle is estimated to range

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 46


from 150 million to 300 million. The outer Expanding Circles do not make any changes in their pronunciation to make
circle is ‘norm-developing’ because the norms a distinction between nouns and verbs in pairs which Inner Circle countries
produced by the inner circle are further observe as in the case of ‘import and im’port.
developed and reproduced in the outer circle.
As regards sounds, Outer and Expanding Circles do not observe initial
3. THE EXPANDING CIRCLE with EFL (English as aspirations of voiceless plosives such as p,t,k and these are often perceived by
Foreign Language) Inner Circle countries as b,d,g. some speakers of Expanding Circle varieties, as
in the case of Japanese speakers, do not properly distinguish between r and l.
Expanding circle encompasses those
countries where English plays no historical or With respect to lexicon, there are vocabulary words peculiar only to some
governmental role, but where it is nevertheless English varieties in Southeast Asia. Examples are graduate mothers (graduate,
widely used as a foreign language. The total well-educated married women, Singaporean English); high blood (tense or
in this expanding circle is the most difficult upset, Philippine English); slambar (relax, Malaysian English); Promdi (from
to estimate, especially because English may Province, Philippine English); missy (nurse, Singaporean English).
be employed for specific, limited purposes,
usually business English. The estimate of these
users range from 100 million to one billion. VARIETIES OF ENGLISH
Expanding circle is ‘norm dependent’ because
English is the most widely-spoken language in the world, having the
it relies on the standards set by native speakers
distinct status of being the official language of multiple countries. While the
in the inner circle. They generally do not
English language is uniform with major variations in spelling present between
develop or reproduce ‘Englishes’.
American English and British English, the dialect or accent is usually the factor
According to Bautista and Gonzales (2006), the that enables one to distinguish the various types of English out there. Like
structural characteristics of these new varieties most languages, there are varieties of English, too.
differ. This is brought about by the mother
The varieties of accents present are both diverse and beautiful. Apart from
tongue or home languages of those who learn
accents, there is a tendency for people to mix English with their local lingo to
or acquire English. Even in terms of social
form a hybrid variety of English language that is as colorful as the culture in
features, differences can also be highlighted
that country.
in that there is a continuum of basilectal,
masolectal, and acrolectal varieties of English From the variety of English used by the native speakers, English has evolved
within the same speech community. into post-colonial varieties and should not be mistaken as errors most
especially if they have become the standard in the speech community.
• Acrolect is the variety of speech that
is considered the standard form. Some of the various types of English language that are present in countries
• Basilect is the variety of speech that is around the world are the following:
midway between the acrolect and the
basilect.
• Mesolect is the variety of language British English
that has diverged greatly from the
standard form. British English is the English language as spoken and written in the United
Kingdom or, more broadly, throughout the British Isles. Slight regional
variations exist in formal, written English in the United Kingdom.
Bautista and Gonzales (2006) use the term
edulects for these varieties resulting from English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-
certain types of education ascertained by Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of
social class but are conveyed or transferred by what is now northwest Germany and the northern Netherlands.
the kind of instruction of the school system
especially for those coming from higher- American English
income families and/or better educated
classes. American English sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is
the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States and
As regards structural variation, Kachru and widely adopted in Canada. English is the most widely spoken language in the
Nelson (2006) claim that these varieties of United States and is the common language used by the federal government,
English are influenced by the local languages considered the de facto language of the country because of its widespread
in various areas of their grammars and exhibit use.
specific phonological, lexical, syntactic, and
discoursal characteristics.
Australian English
For instance, in terms of stress and rhythm,
Outer and Expanding Circle varieties observe Australian English is a major variety of the English language, used throughout
syllable-timed rhythm rather than stress-timed Australia. Although English has no official status in the constitution, Australian
rhythm. Indians and Nigerians say recog’nize English is the country’s national and de facto official language as it is the first
for ‘recognize. language of the majority of the population.

Moreover, speakers from the Outer and Australian English began to diverge from British English after the founding
GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 47
of the Colony of New South Wales in 1788 and was recognized as being different from British English by 1820. It arose from
the intermingling of early settlers from a great variety of mutually intelligible dialectal regions of the British Isles and quickly
developed into a distinct variety of English.

Canadian English

Canadian English is the product of five waves of immigration and settlement over a period of more than two centuries. The
first large wave of permanent English-speaking settlement in Canada, and linguistically the most important, was the influx of
loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, chiefly from the Mid-Atlantic States – as such, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. Canadian English is believed by some scholars to have derived
from northern American English.

Differences of British, American, Australian, Canadian English

British American Australian Canadian


Vocabulary: lollies/sweets candies lollies/sweets candies
In terms of vocabulary, Canada jumper sweater jumper sweater
is closer to the US while UK is holiday vacation holiday vacation
somewhat closer to AUS (with a railways raildroads railways railways
few exceptions) tap faucet tap tap

Spelling: colour color colour colour


In terms of spelling, there are realise, analyse realize, analyze realise, analyse realise, analyse
two spelling systems, namely: centre center centre centre
American and British. Australians enrol enroll enrol enrol
and Canadians, both use the grey gray grey grey
British spelling. fulfil fulfill fulfil fulfil

Grammar: I forgot I had forgotten I forgot I had forgotten


Grammar is not too different in I learnt it I learned it I learnt it I learned it
Australia, UK, US and Canada. You spelt it wrong You spelled it You spelt it wrong You spelled it
There are only minor differences wrong wrong
mainly in the way past tense is
expressed.

Table 5.4

Indian English

English public instruction began in India in the 1830s during the rule of the East India Company (India was then, and is today, one
of the most linguistically diverse regions of the world). In 1835, English replaced Persian as the official language of the Company.
The view of this language among many Indians has gone from associating it with colonialism to associating it with economic
progress, and English continues to be an official language of India, albeit with an Indian twist, popularly known as Indian English.

Indian English is speech or writing in English that shows the influence of the languages and culture of India. Also called English
in India. Indian English (IndE) is one of the oldest regional varieties of the English language. English is one of the 22 official
languages recognized by the Constitution of India.

Pronunciation

• IndE is rhotic, /r/ being pronounced in all positions.

• It tends to be syllable-timed, weak vowels being pronounced as full vowels in such words as photography and student.

• Word stress is used primarily for emphasis and suffixes are stressed.

• The fricatives /e, ð/ are aspirated /t, d/, so that three of those sounds like ‘three of dhose'. /f/ is often pronounced as
aspirated /p/, as in ‘phood’ for food.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 48


• A large number of IndE speakers, sometimes referred to as Singaporean English
speakers of General Indian English (GIE), have a 17-vowel
system (11 monophthongs and 6 diphthongs): /i:/ as in Singlish comes from the mixing of Singapore’s four
bead, /i/ as in this, /e:/ as in game, // as in send, /æ/ as in official languages: English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil.
mat, /ɑ: as in charge,ɒ /ɒ/ as in shot, /o:/ as in no, // as in English, now the lingua franca, was brought over by
book, /u:Ɔ/ as in tool, and /ǝ/ as in bus; /ai/ as in five, /Ɔi/ as the British during Singapore’s period of colonization,
in boy, /a/ as in cow, /iǝ/ as in here, /eǝ/ as in there, and / which lasted from 1819 to 1963. Following its
ǝ/ as in poor. introduction into Singaporean schools, English began
to permeate the streets outside them, and was picked
up by the Malay, Chinese and Indian populations.
Vocabulary After independence, the newly formed Singaporean
government made the decision to continue teaching
• Loanwords and loan translations from other languages
in English after identifying that there was a need for a
have been common often moving into the language common language in the country.
outside India.
Many British expatriates moved back to England
• Words from Portuguese (almirah, ayah, caste, peon) and after Singapore’s independence. In the unregulated
from local languages through Portuguese (bamboo, betel, environment following their departure, the English
coir, copra, curry). spoken in Singapore became substantially influenced by
• Words from indigenous languages, such as Hindi and Malay—the native language—and the other languages
Bengali. Some are earlier and more Anglicized in their brought over by immigrants: Tamil and the Chinese
spelling: bungalow, cheetah, chintz, chit/chitty, dacoit, Mandarin and Hokkien dialects.
jodhpurs, juggernaut, pice, pukka, pundit, rupee, sahib.
Vocabulary
• Words from Arabic and Persian through north Indian
languages, used especially during the British Raj: dewan, The vocabulary of Singlish is mostly shared with other
chief minister of a princely state, durbar, court of a prince varieties of English. Like all varieties of English, the
or governor, mogul a Muslim prince (and in the general standard English of Singapore needs special words to
language an important person, as in movie mogul). deal with local institutions.
• Words taken directly from Sanskrit, usually with religious • Singapore’s light rail system, partly above ground
and philosophical associations, some well-known, some and partly below, is called the MRT;
restricted to such contexts as yoga: ahimsa, non-violence,
Ananda, spiritual bliss, chakra, a mystical centre of energy • Singapore’s major system of government
in the body, guru, a (spiritual) teacher (and in the general managed housing, in which over 80% of the
language a quasi-revered guide, as in management guru), population live, is called the HDB; The HDB run
nirvana, release from the wheel of rebirth. flats. Wealthy people may live in condominiums
(made up of apartments), or even in luxurious
bungalows (detached properties of one or two
Grammar
storeys);
There is great variety in syntax, from native-speaker fluency • People normally go barefoot in the house. They
(the acrolect) to a weak command of many constructions (the wear slippers at the beach; the same footwear
basilect). The following represents a widespread middle level
which in other places is called “thongs” or “flip
(the mesolect).
flops”.
• “One” is used rather than the indefinite article: He gave me
• Others come from other languages spoken
one book.
in Singapore, especially Malay and Hokkien.
• Reduplication is used for emphasis and to indicate a Examples: habis (finished); makan (to eat, meal);
distributive meaning: I bought some small small things. chope (to lay a claim to, as when putting bags at
a table to indicate reservation); cheem (difficult,
• “Yes” and “no” as question tags: He is coming, yes? She was obscure); ang mo (a white person); rojak (mixed,
helping you, no? something mixed).

• Reflexive pronouns and only used for emphasis: It was God’s


order itself (It was God’s own order); They live like that only Pronunciation
(That is how they live). • Singapore English does not distinguish between
• Present perfect rather than simple past: I have bought the voiced and voiceless fricatives in final position.
book yesterday. This also affects the (f) and (v) sounds and the
(th) and (dh) sounds. Sometimes, especially
in informal speech, people do not distinguish
between voiced and voiceless plosives in final

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 49


position, so that sometimes in Singapore hop=hob, bit=bid, back=bag.

• In final position (t) is often a glottal stop, and (d) is sometimes too. In words like think and bath a /t/ sound is often used.
In words like then and leather a /d/ is often used.

• In words like act, cast, stopped which end with a consonant cluster, the cluster is often reduced (e.g. ‘ac’, ‘cas’, ‘stop’). This
can make it hard to tell whether a person is using a past tense form or not.

• Singapore English does not have a distinction between short and long vowels. Examples are kit, fleece (/i/); face, dress
(/e/); foot, goose(/u/)

• Singapore English has a distinctive rhythm, which has been described as ‘machine gun’ style. There is less distinction
between stressed and unstressed syllables than in reference varieties of English.

Grammar

• A lot of grammatical endings that are required in Standard English are optional in Singapore Colloquial English. Marking
plurals and past tenses is a matter of choice, so may be omitted, e.g. What happen yesterday? You go where? You know
what happen lah. Fine. (you know what happened? I got fined.’)

• Questions with other verbs do not usually change the order of the subject and the verb. Example: Why you so stupid? Why
she never come here?

• There are conditional sentences without subordinating conjunctions, e.g. You do that, I hit you. You want to swim, then
swim here.

Philippine English

Philippine English is any variety of English (similar and related to American English) native to the Philippines, including those
used by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of
the country, the other being Filipino (Tagalog). Philippine English has evolved tremendously from where it began decades ago.

Philippine English follows the rhythm of the local dialects and languages. Filipinos observe certain grammatical rules.

Philippine English vocabulary is influenced by other languages, like in the words veranda for a terrace or a porch, carabao for
a water buffalo, or siesta for an afternoon nap. There are many words which are believed to be American but are Philippine
English. Moreover, certain words are defined differently in Philippine English compared to American English.

Some English words used differently in the Philippines

• Eat-All-You-Can. It is the version of the all-you-can-eat buffet, which offers unlimited food and drinks at a fixed
time or price. With the Filipinos’ immense love for food, it does not come as a shock to see long lines in restaurants or
diners with this kind of service.

• Bedspace. Not limited to the space in a bed, the term began to mean an entire room in general that people can rent
for use and are eventually called “bedspacers”.

• Double deck. A double deck is the popular term for the bunk bed, which is also known as the double bed.

• Overpass. A structure referring to a bridge made from cement or steel that people can use to get to the other side of
the street. A way going underground is called an underpass.

• Comfort Room. With a variation from different establishments who opt to use the term “restroom”, the comfort room
(abbreviated as C. R.), is the prevailing room for the bathroom.

• Boodle fight. Conceptualized by Philippine Military Academy cadets to strengthen the camaraderie between
participants, a boodle fight is a gathering usually serving rice with viand or pancit in banana leaves and eaten using bare
hands.

• Nosebleed. A state of bafflement (often induced by being spoken to in English).

• As in! Used for emphasis (as in is a conjunction and a preposition.) They are used to drive a point emphatically.

• gimmick. sometimes could refer to a marketing strategy or a trick, but more often used to refer to going out to have a

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 50


good time.

Comparison between Philippine English and Standard English

Philippine English Standard English

salvage save

go here come here/go there

avail of take advantage

fill up this form fill out this form

for a while/for a moment one moment (informal)

hold on the line May I put you on hold?

I’ll go ahead see you later

bottomless refillable

hand carry carry-on luggage

Let’s take lunch Let’s eat lunch


Table 5.6

Code-switching is one characteristic of Philippine English. Filipinos tend to mix their language in between sentences. For
example: I didn’t know that she was the one who killed her husband kasi (because) she looked so kind a person.

Another characteristic is redundancy. These terms and phrases have appeared to be acceptable in Philippine English.

Can you repeat it again?

ATM machine

PIN number/ TIN number

moral lesson

like for example

color blue

number 20

Currently, I live there right now.

Table 5.7

In terms of pronunciation, Philippine English is syllable-timed, following the rhythm of the local languages; full value is therefore
given to unstressed syllables and schwa (Ə) e.g. heaven /hƐvƏn/ is usually realized as a full vowel and is pronounced /hƐvƐn/.
Certain polysyllables have distinctive stress patterns, as with elígible, establísh, cerémony. Intonation is widely characterized as
‘singsong’.

Educated Filipinos aim at an AmE (American English) accent, but have varying success with the vowel contrasts in sheep/ship,
full/fool, and cap/cop. Few Filipinos have the /æ/ in AmE mask; instead, they use /ɑ/ as in AmE father. The distinction between /s,
z/ and /∫, ʒ/ is not made: azure is ‘ayshure’, pleasure ‘pleshure’, seize ‘sees’, cars ‘karss’. Interdental /e, ð/ are often rendered as /t,
d/, so that three of these is spoken as ‘tree of dese’.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 51


Assessment

How many of these terms can you identify? Identify what variety of English does each of these terms fall.

chancing bus depot

sunnies chope

oldies petrol

vulcanizing shop soccer

nes-coffee motorway

apartment toonie

‘eh’ cousin-brother

favourite hooroo

videoke fire hall

lah lift (elevator)

subway off day (when people do not go to work)

eavestrough sidewalk

aubergine guru

couch g’day

parkade overpass

APPLICATION
A. Look for one news report written in Philippine English and another news report in any of the following: African English, Thai
English, Indonesian English, Malaysian English, Singaporean English. Compare the two news reports in terms of their lexis,
grammar, and spelling.

B. Answer one question only.

1. Investigate aspects of the role of English or the learning and teaching of English in any country of the Expanding
Circle.

2. Discuss and give examples whether or not the cultural context impacts the production of a new variety of English.

3. Discuss what does the mixing of local languages with English accomplish for users of that English variety.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 52


References:

1. Banerji, U. 2016, May 2. Singaporean English is almost impossible to pick up. Retrieved from https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/
singaporean-english-is-almost-impossible-to-pick-up
2. Basarally, H. 2010, March 3. Analysis of Kachru’s Concentric Circles. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/doc/33298844/Analysis-of-
Kachru-s-Concentric-Circles
3. Bautista M.L.S, Gonzalez, A.B. 2006. Southeast Asian English. In: B. B. Kachru, Y. Kachru, & C.L. Nelson (Eds.), The Handbook of World Englishes.
Malden, MA; Oxford; Victoria, Australia: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
4. Essays, UK. November 2013. Three Circle Model of World Englishes. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-literature/three-
circle-model-of-world englishes-english-literature-essay.php?vref=1
5. Gomez, A. 2016, January 21. 11 English Words Used Differently in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://primer.com.ph/tips-
guides/2016/01/21/11-english-words-used differently-in-the-philippines/
6. Gupta, A.F. n.d. Singapore Colloquial English (Singlish). Retrieved from https://www.hawaii.edu/satocenter/langnet/definitions/singlish.
html#vocab-SCE
7. Harris, A. 2017, April 3. Theories for world Englishes. Retrieved from https://englishlanguagewithrich.blogspot.com/2017/04/theories-for-world-
englishes.html
8. https://www.ieltsonlinepractice.com/australian-english-vs-american-english-vs-british english-vs-canadian-english/
9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317869788_Characteristics_of_Philippine_English “
10. Indian English.” Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Retrieved from https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-
almanacs-transcripts-and maps/indian-english
11. Kachru B.B., Kachru, Y., and Nelson, C.L. 2006. The Handbook of World Englishes. Malden, MA; Oxford; Victoria, Australia: Blackwell.
12. Madrunio, M.R. & Martin, I. P. 2018. Purposive communication: using English in multilingual contexts. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
13. Nair, G. 2018, September 16. Different varieties of the English language. Retrieved from https://cudoo.com/blog/different-varieties-of-english-
language/
14. Nordquist, R. 2020, February 12. Indian English, AKA IndE. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/indian-english-inde-1691056
“Philippine English.” Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Retrieved October 16, 2020 from https://
www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and maps/philippine-englishclassmates.

Prepared by

Jana N. Reginio
Faculty
Englisg Department

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 53


MODULE 6
MASS COMMUNICATION
Learning Outcomes:

1. Define the meaning of Mass


Communication;

2. Understand the role and functions of


Mass Media in Society;

3. Identify and differentiate the Mass


Communication theories discusssed;

4. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate


and criticize the effects of Mass
Media in Society.

Time frame: 3 hours

Activity:

From the image below, list as many as


possible, images that you are familiar with
and those that you use on a regular day to
Source: https://leverageedu.com/blog/types-of-mass-communication/
day basis.

INTRODUCTION
What is Mass Communication?

Mass Communication is a process of disseminating information or message


to large, anonymous, and scattered heterogeneous masses of receivers
who may be far removed from the message sources through the use of
sophisticated equipment (Sheen, 2017). In other words, communication is the
sending of message through a mass medium to a large number of people.

1. I am familiar with Mass communication is the process of transmitting messages to a large


number of scattered audiences (Chowdhury, 2019).

. Through mass communication, information can be transmitted quickly to


a large number of people who generally stay far away from the sources of
information. Mass communication is being done through many mediums,
2. I regularly use such as radio, television, social networking, billboards, and newspapers.

Mass Communication represents the creation and sending of a homogeneous


. message to a large heterogeneous audience through the media. Mass
communication studies the uses and effects of the media by many as
opposed to the study of human interaction as in other communication
Analysis: contexts.

1. How does Mass Media affect society Mass Communication can also be defined as a device by which a group of
in General? people working together transmits information to a large heterogeneous
and anonymous audience simultaneously. It is a process by which information
2. How does knowledge of the role originates from the source to the receiver, having been thoroughly filtered
and functions, as well as Mass and transmitted through a channel (Sambe, 2005).
communication theories, help each
individual to become critical in using It is obvious therefore, that what is common in every definition of mass
Mass Media? communication anywhere in the world is that, it is communicated through a
mass medium. In other words, for any message to be regarded as being mass
communicated, it must be disseminated through a mass medium like Radio,
Television, Newspaper and Magazine.

Without mass communication, it’s hard to imagine what exactly the world

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 54


would look like today. Even in the most remote and third-world of places, Electronic Broadcasting Media
such communications can be found being utilized. Mass Communication
makes use of communication mediums like newspapers, television, books, Broadcasting is simply a distribution of audio
films etc. to relay information to a wide range of people (Palm, 2016). and video content to a dispersed audience using
the electronic broadcasting medium. Originally
WHAT IS MASS MEDIA? the term ‘broadcasting’ referred to the sowing
of seeds on farms by scattering them over the
Mass media refers to the technology that is intended to reach a mass large field. Broadcast media allows ease of
audience. It is the primary means of communication used to reach the vast news dissemination to even an illiterate person
majority of the general public. The most common platforms for mass media because it appeals to both the auditory and visual
are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. The general senses making it one of the most lucrative types
public typically relies on the mass media to provide information regarding of mass media.

Forms of Broadcasting Media

• Television

• Radio (AM, FM, Pirate Radio,


Terrestrial Radio, and Satellite)

• Traditional Telephone

• Film/Movie/Motion Picture

• Video Games

• Audio Recording and Reproduction

New Media or Digital Media

Since the invention of the World Wide


Web by English scientist Tim Berners-Lee
in 1989, the Internet has drastically taken
over all the types of mass media because
Source: https://leverageedu.com/blog/types-of-mass-media/ of faster dissemination speed and higher
digital technology. New Media is an
interactive two-way communication with
political issues, social issues, entertainment, and news in pop culture.
users being the active producers of content and
The term “mass media” was coined with the creation of print media, which information.
is notable for being the first example of mass media, as we use the term
New Media is normally a re-conceptualization
today. This form of media started in Europe in the Middle Ages.
of the existing media. This is a rapidly growing
mass media with the ease of accessibility
TYPES OF MASS MEDIA with a computer and an Internet connection
(broadband or WiFi). From Story Writing and
Print Media Graphic Designing to Multimedia and Animation,
pursuing a career in this field can be highly
In simple words, Print Media is all about the printed form of information advantageous.
and news. Before the invention of the printing press, printed materials had
to be hand-written that made mass distribution almost impossible. Print
Forms of Digital Media
media is one of the basic types of mass media tools making it very popular
and convenient to reach a wider audience. • Websites
• Emails
• Forms of Print Media
• Social Media and Social Networking Sites
• Newspapers (broadsheet and tabloid) (SNS)
• Webcast and Podcast
• Periodicals, Newsletters, and Magazines (general or specific interest) • Blogging and Vlogging
• IPTV (Internet Protocol Television)
• Brochures, Leaflets and Pamphlets • E-forums and E-books
• E-commerce and M-commerce
• Journals • Digital Videos
• Books, Novels and Comics • Computer Animation
• Digital Video Games

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 55


• Human-Computer Interface they found in surveying North Carolina voters during the
• Virtual World & Virtual Reality 1968 U.S. presidential election that what people thought
were the most important issues were what the mass media
FUNCTIONS OF MASS MEDIA reported as the most critical. Thus, agenda-setting theory
was born, built on the notion that the mass media sets the
agenda for what people should care about.
1. Information

Dissemination of information is the major function of mass The agenda-setting theory rests on two basic assumptions.
media. People read newspaper to know about what, when,
where, who, why and how the things are happening pertaining The first is that the media filters and shapes what we see
to personalities or institutions. Media offer authentic and rather than just reflecting stories to the audience. An
timely facts and opinions about various event & situations example of this is seeing a sensational or scandalous story at
to mass audience as informative items. They disseminate the top of a broadcast as opposed to a story that happened
information mostly through news broadcast on radio, TV, as more recently or one that affects more people, such as an
well as columns of the newspaper or magazines. approaching storm or legislative tax reform.

The second assumption is that the more attention the media


2. Education gives to an issue, the more likely the public will consider that
issue to be important. Another way to look at it: Mass media
The mass media educates people by giving information about
organizations aren’t telling us what to think or how we
food, health, housing, sanitation, employment, agriculture,
should feel about a story or issue, but are giving us certain
industry, environment, science, technology, etc. The print
stories or issues that people should think more about.
media is the predominant source of education. They try to
educate people directly or indirectly using forms of content There is psychological and scientific merit to the agenda-
like dramas, documentary, interviews, feature stories and setting theory. The more a story is publicized in the
many other programs prepared to educate people. mass media, the more it becomes prominently stored in
individuals’ memories when they’re asked to recall it, even if
3. Entertainment it doesn’t specifically affect them or register as a prominent
issue in their minds.
Mass media also entertains people. Entertainment is a kind of
function of mass media which provides pleasure to people.
Hypodermic Needle Theory or Magic Bullet Theory
Mass media fulfil this function by providing amusement
and assist in reducing tension in large degree. Newspaper, This theory is a linear model of communication and it talks
magazines, radio, television and online medium offers stories, about media’s power on audience. The message in this
films, series and comics, as well as columns on art and fashion theory is said to be like magic bullet which enters the minds
are produce to entertain people. of audience views and listens to and the effects, which
can be immediate or later in future. It was promulgated by
4. Persuasion Harold Laswell in 1920s. The words bullet and needle are
used to show the powerlessness of the audience as media
We live in a society that depends on information and impacts public opinion and behavior change.
communication to keep moving in the right direction and to
do our daily activities like work, entertainment, healthcare, This theory is based on assumptions that messages injected
personal relationships, travelling and anything else that we can have the desired response which can cause problems and
have to perform. Media is the means of support to everyone destruction or rule and uniformity. Audience cannot resist
which shapes the audience attitude, opinion and makes the received message from media and it creates uniform
them think before they start doing a particular work. Using thinking among people. A fixed mindset and perception is
editorials, articles, commentaries and among others, mass created. Even a single piece of information can cause many
media persuades audience. Media content builds opinions and brain alterations and change opinions subconsciously. Public
sets agenda as in the public mind, it influences votes, changes is taken to be vulnerable as message is always infused and
attitudes and moderates behavior. media is tremendously strong.

THEORIES OF MASS COMMUNICATION Uses and Gratification Theory

Uses and gratifications theory is an approach to


Agenda Setting Theory understanding why and how people actively seek out
specific media to satisfy specific needs. This is an audience-
In 1963, Bernard Cohen noted that Media may not be
centered approach to understanding mass communication. It
successful much of time in telling people what to think but it
assumes that audience members are not passive consumers
is successful in telling what to think about. This theory refers
of media. Rather, the audience has power over their media
to how the media’s news coverage determines which issues
consumption and assumes an active role in interpreting
become the focus of public attention. First introduced in 1972
and integrating media into their own lives. Unlike other
by college professors, Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw,
theoretical perspectives, it holds that audiences are
responsible for choosing media to meet their desires and
GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 56
needs to achieve gratification. This theory would then imply that the media Application
compete against other information sources for viewers’ gratification.
Online Debate: “This House believes that
the social media does more harm than
Assumptions:
good.”
• The audience is active and its media use is goal oriented
Instruction: Using the Asians
• The initiative in linking need gratification to a specific medium choice Parliamentary format of debate, form at
rests with the audience member least two groups of three members to
play as Government or Opposition teams.
• The media compete with other resources for need satisfaction

• People have enough self-awareness of their media use, interests, and


motives to be able to provide researchers with an accurate picture of that
use.

• Value judgments of media content can only be assessed by the audience.

As an example, people use social media for varied reasons. In general,


students for example uses social media for the following reasons:

• Socializing: Students were interested in talking and meeting with others


to achieve a sense of community and peer support on the particular topic
of the group.

• Entertainment: Students engaged with the groups to amuse themselves.

• Self-Seeking: Students sought out or maintained their personal status, as


well as those of their friends, through the online group participation.

• Information: Students used the group to receive information about


related events going on and off campus.

Assessment

From the images below, make a critical discussion using at least one theory
of mass communication, which you think best describe the differences or
similarities of the images.

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 57


References
1. Chowdhury, Atish. “What do you know about Mass Communication?”, 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.quora.com/What-exactly-is-mass-
communication
2. Palm, Andrew. “Important to know about Mass Communication.”,2016-. Retrieved from: https://www.educba.com/mass-communication/
3. Sheen, Meem 2017. What is Mass Communication? 2017. Retrieved from: https://wofmeem.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/what-is-mass-
communication/
4. https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-mass-media-definition-types-influence-examples.html
5. https://leverageedu.com/blog/types-of-mass-media/
6. http://mediagroupsix.blogspot.com/2011/09/functions-of-mass-communication-in.html
7. http://theonlinemedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/functions-of-mass-media.html
8. http://www.tonybates.ca/2008/07/07/what-is-distance-education/
9. https://online.alvernia.edu/articles/agenda-setting-theory/
10. https://ladafranulovic.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/uses-gratifications-theory/

Prepared by

Fernan B. Lehao
Faculty
English Department

GEC 102 - Purposive Communication | 58

You might also like