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from carlin to cosby to costello: comedic lessons about language

Language. Language is a collection of symbols governed by rules that invokes meaning in other peopleLanguage is referential; meaning resides within people Word ? Object (Symbol)(Referent)[Play: Bill Cosby

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from carlin to cosby to costello: comedic lessons about language

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    1. From Carlin to Cosby to Costello: Comedic lessons about language Why do we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway? Matt Abrahams De Anza College AbrahamsMatt@DeAnza.edu

    3. Language Whorf-Sapir Hypothesis: How we think is determined by the language we use. Language determines the way we perceive the world [Play: John Stewart “Global struggle against extremism”] Language and perception Meaning given to subjective experience we select what we want to perceive and then we label it based on biases Naming Word choice conveys our views - “organized” vs. “anal retentive” Status and Credibility Vocabulary: “a cadre of friends” vs “my peeps” Grammar: “Where is the gathering?” vs “Where’s the party at?” Power Language of the board room vs. language of the street Relational intimacy “Snuggle bunny” vs. “Catherine”

    4. Misunderstandings The Language of Misunderstandings Equivocal Language Intended meaning is ambiguous: “She is a nice person” Abstract Language Level of detail varies: “That was good” Relative Terms Meaning is determined through comparison: “Los Gatos is a big town” Euphemism Pleasant term used instead of a less nice one: “senior citizen” vs. “old” Slang Language shared by a culture: “That’s hella tight” [Play: Jive translation from Airplane] Jargon Verbal short hand: “LOL” “I gotta bounce” [Play: Saturday Night Live phone ad parody]

    5. Language Linguistic messages vary in many ways Meaning Denotation = objective (dictionary) definition Connotation = subjective (emotional) meaning: “Let’s just be friends” Directness Direct = reveal the speaker’s goal or desire Indirect = attempt to get the listener to act without explicitly asking: “Gee, it’s cold in here;” rather than “Please shut the window.” Acknowledgement Confirming = validate and accept someone and his/her ideas Disconfirming = ignoring or invalidating someone and his/her ideas -Sexist language -Racist language -Ageist language -Heterosexist language Cultural Context Low context Majority of info carried in explicit verbal messages, self-expression valued High context Important info carried in contextual clues with less explicit verbal speech Relational harmony valued and maintained by indirect expression

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