Verbal Communication

GSPC1301 – Introduction to Speech Communication

Lecturer: Bakti Abdillah Putra, S.H.Int., M.Int.Comm
 What is verbal
communication
and give an
example
 Language & Meaning

1. The communicators can encode and the decode the

meaning of language that they are speaking.
2. The relationship between language and meaning can
lead to confusion, frustration, or even humor.
 Language is Symbolic
1. A symbol is something that stands in for or represents
something else.
2. Symbols can be communicated verbally and nonverbally
3. The symbols we use combine to form language systems
or codes.
4. Codes are culturally agreed on and ever-changing
systems of symbols that help us organize, understand, and
generate meaning. (Leeds-Hurwitz 1993: 53)
Language is Symbolic
It’s time for game!

Pictionary
Triangle of Meaning
 Language is Symbolic
1. Definition: Narrowing the meaning of particular
symbols, which also narrows a symbol’s possible
referents.

2. Denotation: definitions that are accepted by the

language group as a whole, or the dictionary definition of
a word.
3. Connotation: definitions that are based on emotion- or
experience-based associations people have with a word.
 Language is Learned
1. Grammar: the rules that govern how words are used to
make phrases and sentences.
2. Language Acquisition: the process by which we learn
to understand, produce, and use words to communicate
within a given language group.
3. A person’s life and career choices determine to a large
degree how much further development occurs.
 Functions of Language

1. Expressing Observations
2. Expressing Thoughts
3. Expressing Feelings
4. Expressing Needs
 Language is Powerful

Language Expresses Our Identities

Language Affects Our Credibility
Language Is a Means of Control
Language is Performative
 Language is Fun

1. Games: scrabble, crossword,

2. Arts: writer, poets, comedians
3. Humor
 Language is Dynamic
1. Neologism: newly coined or used words. Newly
coined words are those that were just brought into
linguistic existence.
2. Slang: new or adapted words that are specific to a
group, context, and/or time period; regarded as less
formal; and representative of people’s creative play with
language.
Give some examples from both of them
 Language Can Bring Us Together
1. Supportive Messages: messages communicated in an
open, honest, and nonconfrontational way, people are
sure to come together.
2. Esperanto: means “hopeful,” is the most well-known
and widely used auxiliary language that was intended to
serve as a common international language.
 Language Can Separate Us
Unsupportive messages:
1. Global labels
2. Sarcasm
3. Dragging up the past
4. Negative comparisons
5. Judgemental ‘you’ message
6.Threats
Ladder of Abstraction
 Jargon refers to
specialized words
used by a certain
group or profession.
 Types of Messages
1.Whole messages: include all the relevant types of
expressions needed to most effectively communicate in a
given situation.
2.Partial messages: missing a relevant type of expression
and can lead to misunderstanding and conflict.
3.Contaminated messages: mixed or misleading
expressions.
 Types of Language
1. Affective Language

2. Figurative Language
3. Evocative Language
 Affective Language
1. Language used to express a person’s feelings and
create similar feelings in another person. (Hayakawa &
Hayakawa 1990: 75)
2. People who “speak from the heart” connect well with
others due to the affective nature of their words.
3. Sometimes people become so filled with emotion that
they have to express it, and these exclamations usually
arouse emotions in others.
 Figurative Language
1. Simile: direct comparison of two things using the
words like or as.

2. Metaphor: an implicit comparison of two things that

are not alike and/or are not typically associated.
3. Personification: the attribution of human qualities or
characteristics of other living things to nonhuman objects
or abstract concepts.
 Evocative Language
1. Vivid language captures people’s attention and their
imagination by conveying emotions and action.

2. Evocative language can also lead us to have physical

reactions.
3. Evocative language can help your conversational
partner or audience members feel, smell, or taste
something as well as hear it and see it.
 Using Words Ethically
1. Civility: civility is important for the functioning and
growth of a democracy. (Kingwell 1995)
2. The Internet and other new media have opened spaces
in which people can engage in cyberactivism and express
marginal viewpoints (Dahlberg 2007: 827-47)
3. Aspects of language use online that are typically viewed
as negative: name-calling, character assassination, and the
use of obscene language. (Sobieraj & Berry 2011: 19-41)
 Using Words Ethically
Influences that may lead to breaches of civility (Miller
2001: 35-42):
1. Individual differences
2. Ignorance
3. Lack of skill
4. Lapse of control
5. Negative Intent
 Using Words Ethically
Polarizing Language:

1. language that presents people, ideas, or situations as

polar opposites. Such language exaggerates differences
and overgeneralizes.
2. “All cops are corrupt”, “All drug users are scum.”
3. In avoiding polarizing language we keep a more open
mind, which may lead us to learn something new.
 Using Words Ethically
Swearing

1. Social swearing: creating social bonds or for

impression management (to seem cool or attractive). This
type of swearing is typically viewed as male dominated.
2. Annoyance swearing: provides a sense of relief, as
people use it to manage stress and tension, which can be
a preferred alternative to physical aggression.
 Using Words Ethically
Swearing

1. Social swearing: creating social bonds or for

impression management (to seem cool or attractive). This
type of swearing is typically viewed as male dominated.
2. Annoyance swearing: provides a sense of relief, as
people use it to manage stress and tension, which can be
a preferred alternative to physical aggression.
 Using Words Ethically
Swearing

1. Social swearing: creating social bonds or for

impression management (to seem cool or attractive). This
type of swearing is typically viewed as male dominated.
2. Annoyance swearing: provides a sense of relief, as
people use it to manage stress and tension, which can be
a preferred alternative to physical aggression.
 Using Words Ethically
1. Inferences: conclusions based on thoughts or
speculation, but not direct observation.

2. Facts: conclusions based on direct observation or

group consensus.
3. Judgements: expressions of approval or disapproval
that are subjective and not verifiable.