VamKaiwing 4011350

Lecture 1: Explaining the communication process SB

Lecture 1: Explaining the communication process

Explaining the Communication

Process

Lecture Link: https://youtu.be/GoHdtldFbk0

Task 1
Complete the following summary of Lecture 1 by filling in the blanks with the right words
from the table (one word per blank). Some words may be needed more than once and other are
not needed.

world ethnographic intertextuality

context culture acculturation
achievement purpose reality
relationships participant imagination
situation transmission ideational
interpersonal instance Channel
Tenor participation Mode

Main takeaways lecture 1

Familiarity with basic communication theories and concepts can help you become a better
communicator because such theories and concepts can provide you with powerful analytical
tools to explain what constitutes effective communication in professional settings, allowing
you to analyze your own communicative practices and the texts you produce. This lecture starts
by introducing the main phases of every communication process, where the sender of a
message encodes an idea in order to fulfil a specific communicative …………………..
purpose In

1
Lecture 1: Explaining the communication process SB

doing so, the sender chooses an appropriate communication ………………….. (verbal, non-
verbal, spoken or written) and a suitable medium of …………………..transmission (face-to-face
interaction, telephone, email, etc.). When the message reaches the receiver, he/she must rely
context
on the ………………….. shared by the sender and the receiver to decode it.

Phase 1: Sender
has an idea

Phase 6: Receiver Phase 2: Sender

sends feedback encodes idea

CHANNEL
&
MEDIUM

Phase 5: Receiver Phase 3: Sender

decodes message transmits message

Phase 4: Receiver
gets message

context
The ………………….. in which every message is produced and decoded is a key aspect in any
act of communication which, despite its importance, remains largely undertheorized in
communication studies and linguistic theories. Being able to explain the notion of
context
………………….., however, could help you learn how to communicate more effectively in
professional settings. The lecture mentions two key figures who have contributed to a better
context
understanding of the notion of ………………….. in the fields of social anthropology and
linguistics respectively. Bronislaw Malinowski first understood the importance of
…………………..
ethnographic when he was conducting his ………………….. context fieldwork in Papua New
Guinea using the technique of ………………….. observation. It was then that he realized that
partitipant
despite being able to understand what the locals were saying, he could not make full sense of
what was going on because he lacked sufficient ………………….. (that is, he was not fully
ethnographic
familiar with the culture of the people he was studying). The second figure mentioned in the
lecture is Michael Halliday, who integrated the notion of context first defined by Malinowski
into his linguistic theories, known as systemic functional grammar.

Bronislaw
M.A.K Halliday
Malinowski.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronisław_Malinowski https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Halliday

2
Lecture 1: Explaining the communication process SB

Both Malinowski and Halliday remind us that every act of communication is situated in
context
………………….. world
in different ways: (i) Within the material ………………….. (i.e. a lecture,
a casual conversation in a café, a jury trial, etc.); (ii) in time (i.e. what happened before and
after the communication act); (iii) within social …………………..
relationships and (iv) in connection with
other texts, also called “…………………..”
intertextuality (for instance, two email messages: an inquiry and
the response to the inquiry, or two pieces of related news in a newspaper).

The “material Social

History/time. Other texts.
world”… relationships.

In studying the role of context in communication, Malinowski differentiated between two types
Situation
of context: “Context of …………………..” culture
and “Context of …………………..”. The former
focuses on the micro, when one single act of communication is taking place. The latter focuses
on the macro, the totality of contexts people experience in their daily lives, the product of
multiple contexts of situation put together. Basically, people are exposed to multiple contexts
of …………………..
participation throughout their life, which are stored in their memory as experience or
acculturation we have experienced in the
knowledge. When we encounter contexts of …………………..
past, we are able to recall those experiences, make sense of what is going on and act
accordingly. On the contrary, we may encounter problems communicating with people from
unfamiliar cultures, because we do not share the same experiences.

It is important to note that both the Context of ………………….. and the Context of
situation
culture
………………….. are closely interrelated and they cannot really be studied in isolation.
Michael Halliday uses the example of weather versus climate to illustrate the relationship
situation and “Context of …………………..”. The former can
between “Context of …………………..” culture
instance which is part of a semiotic system according to him.
be considered an …………………..

Context of Situation vs. Context of Culture

(Malinowski)

Macro: The totality of

things that typically occur
in a culture (i.e. “this is
the way things are in this
culture”).
Micro: the specific
environment where some
communication is taking
place at a particular
moment in space and time
(i.e. what is being
communicated here and
now).

3
Lecture 1: Explaining the communication process SB

Halliday further explains the notion of context by introducing three new concepts: Field,
Tenor
either.
Mode
………………….. and …………………... These three concepts cannot be studied in isolation
They appear together in everything we say or write. The Field has to do with what is
going on during communication, as illustrated by the things people are actually saying or

reality
writing. In doing so, people socially construct “…………………..” as they communicate. For
instance, you may choose to call someone your “friend”, “girlfriend” or “fiancée” in English
reality
and, in doing so, you are “constructing …………………..” differently. However, there may be
cultures where there is no word for “fiancée” and, hence, people may find the distinction
between “girlfriend” and “person whom I intend to marry” odd. Alternatively, people from
your same culture who may be against the idea of marriage, may choose to call someone
“partner” or “companion” instead.

benor
The ………………….. mainly has to do with how we socially relate to other participants
during communication, that is how we negotiate our roles, our social identities in what we say
or write. For instance, you may choose to call someone “sir”, “mate” or “darling” in English.
Depending on your choice of words, you are relating to that person very differently during
communication.

Mode
Last but not least, the focus on the ………………….. is on the language code itself, on how
you are using language during communication. In doing so, you need to consider a number of
things. One is
how you organize the flow of information in a sentence or in a paragraph to achieve a specific
communicative purpose. What you choose to say first and last provides the focus and the
background needed during communication. Another thing is the choice of an appropriate
channel
communication ………………….. and the medium of transmission in conveying your
message, as such choices can affect your communication significantly.

Halliday associates the concepts of Field, Tenor and Mode used in analyzing context with three
metafunctions present in the language system, which are realized by means of different
ideational
linguistic resources. The Field is associated with the “…………………..
tenor with the “………………….. metafunction” and the Mode with the “textual
metafunction”, the
interpersonal
metafunction”. These three metafunctions will be explained in detail in lecture 2: How to do
things with words and in lecture 3: How to say things with pictures. You will be expected to
make use of the concepts explained in these lectures when you comment on how you use
language in the texts you produce as coursework.

4
Lecture 1: Explaining the communication process SB

Task 2
Discuss the most appropriate communication channel(s) and medium/media in the following
contexts. Be prepared to present your ideas in class.

Context A

You would like to breakup with your boyfriend/girlfriend.

Context B

You think you have experienced discrimination at work by your line manager and you would
like to complain about him/her to your department head.

Channel
• i.e. Verbal vs. non-
verbal.
• i.e. Spoken vs. written.

• i.e. Face-to-face.
• i.e. Telephone.
Medium • i.e. Letter.
• i.e. E-mail.
• i.e. Report.

Task 3
Discuss the differences between learning through face-to-face instruction in the classroom
versus learning using Zoom. What are the main affordances and constraints associated with
these two communication media? Which learning approach do you ultimately prefer? Why?

5
Lecture 1: Explaining the communication process SB

Task 4
In which contexts of situation would it be appropriate for someone to utter the following
sentences? Who would be employing those words? What does this tell you about the
importance of context when you are learning a language?

1. “How do you plead?”

2. “Please remove your clothes.”

3. “I declare you man and wife”.

4. “Please empty your pockets and place all the contents on the tray.”

5. “Tea or coffee is included. Would you like it now or later?”

6. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

7. “Your opening, advertised in the SCMP on 19 June, has attracted my attention.”

8. “Please, allow me to introduce myself”.

9. “Please, tell us about yourself”.

10. “All the best in your future endeavors!”

6
Lecture 1: Explaining the communication process SB

Task 5
Analyze the context of situation of a typical job interview by answering the questions below.
Be prepared to discuss your answers in class.

FIELD (WHAT)

1. What kind of communication is taking place during a job interview?

2. What is the purpose of such communication?
3. Can you think of a question that is typically asked during a job interview?
4. Can you think of a question which could not possibly be asked during a job interview?

TENOR (WHO)

1. What are the two types of participants communicating during a job interview?
2. What are they doing to each other (i.e. inform, question, persuade, order, etc.)?
3. What are the social roles and status of these participants? Do they have equal power?
4. How does power condition the interaction here?

MODE (HOW)

1. What are the communication channel and medium being employed here?
2. How are job interviews typically structured? (i.e. How does a job interview typically
start? What happens next?)
3. Why are job interviews typically structured in such a way? What purposes can be
achieved by organizing job interviews in such a way?

7
Lecture 1: Explaining the communication process SB