Chapter 4 Outline: Part II

Chapter 4 Outline: Part II

Instructions go here.

  • equivocal language
  • slang
  • jargon
  • abstract language
  • opinion statement
  • euphemisms
  • gender differences
  • socialization
 
  1. Troublesome language takes several forms that promote misunderstandings, disruptions, and evasions.
      1. are words or phrases with more than one meaning. Relative words gain their meaning by comparison.
        • is a language used by a group of people whose members belong to a similar coculture, whereas
            is a specialized vocabulary that functions as a kind of shorthand for people with common knowledge or experience.
          • Overly
              refers to events or objects only vaguely. Used to avoid confrontations, to hint, or to generalize, it can also cause confusion and misunderstanding.
            • Disruptive language can take the form of an
                masked as a factual statement, a conclusion drawn from interpretation not identified as an inferential statement, and emotive language that sounds descriptive but signals attitudes.
              • Evasive language purposefully avoids clear communication through
                  , substituting a pleasant term for a more direct but potentially less pleasant one, and equivocation, using deliberately vague language that can be interpreted in more than one way.
              • Research reveals both gender differences and similarities in the use of language.
                  1. exist on a continuum of masculinity and femininity allowing for an infinite array of identities.
                  • Men and women speak roughly the same number of words every day, but this varies with context.
                  • Men and women are most likely to speak about different things when talking to members of the same sex. They often communicate for different reasons.
                  • Women are often emotionally expressive, while men tend to use language in more instrumental ways and often express emotions through actions rather than words.
                  • Women’s speech patterns may be less assertive but not necessarily less powerful than men’s. The effect of hormones on speech patterns is less intense than commonly assumed.
                      , however, plays a strong role in gendered differences in speech.

                   

                  Back to top