Language is Symbolic

1. Language is Symbolic • words are arbitrary symbols that do not have meaning alone • people supply meaning to those symbols kellogg community college

2. Language is Subjective • words can be interpreted in many different ways • this is one reason why there is so much misunderstanding kellogg community college

3. Language Shapes Attitudes • Naming • Credibility • Status • Sexism and Racism • biased kellogg community college

4. Language Reflects Attitudes • Power • Affiliation • jargon • Attraction and Interest • “these” vs. “those” (demonstrative pronoun) • “good” vs. “not bad” (negation) • “Dick and Jane” versus “Jane and Dick” (sequential placement) • Responsibility • “it” vs. “I” • “You” vs. “I” • “But” statements • Questions vs. statements kellogg community college

5. Important questions to ask • what do you want to say? • how do you want to say it? • with whom are you speaking? TIP Identify and organize yourkey points kellogg community college

6. Clarity v. Ambiguity • there are times to be clear • say what you mean • if you’re curious about academic goals, don’t ask about “goals.” • be specific • in some cases, limit use of jargon kellogg community college

7. Clarity v. Ambiguity • there are times to be ambiguous • promote harmony • soften the blow of difficult messages • euphemism(s) kellogg community college

8. Emotion • avoid biased language • words associated with only one gender • stewardess, mail man, “male” nurse • generic “he” • beware of trigger words or terms • “those people,” boy v. man TIP if it has upset that person before, don’t use that word again kellogg community college

9. Powerful Talk • using strong, vivid language to make your point kellogg community college

10. Example Like Francis Drake, the great explorer of the oceans, the Challenger astronauts gave their lives for a cause to which they were fully dedicated. We are honored by them, and we will not forget them. We will always remember seeing them for the last time this morning as they prepared for their flight. kellogg community college

11. Example 2 There is a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and an historian later said, “He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.” Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, likes Drakes, complete.

12. Example 2 (cont’d) The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and “slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.”