Verbal Communication

Verbal means "consisting of words."

Words can be:

• oral
• written

Is sign language verbal or non-verbal?

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• Sign language is verbal communication if the communicator is using a sign that represents a word or item

Pragmatics

• the effect of language on human perceptions and behaviors
• how language is used
• it considers how users are able to understand the meanings of specific utterances in a particular context

for example:

• you are eating with a group of people and you ask, "Is there any salt?"
• Do you say "yes" or do you give them the salt?

Another example:

• When Americans ask, "How are you?", it is intended as a polite greeting and is not expected to be an inquiry into one's well-being.

Final example of how pragmatics can affect intercultural communication

You have just eaten a delicious meal and you dinner host says, "Would you like more curry?"

"No thank you; it was delicious."

"Please, you must have more to eat."

Hostess says,

• "Are you sure you won't have any more?

What do you say?

In this case the socially appropriate thing to do is:

say "no" at least three times

Vocabulary variations

• In the Eskimo language there are from 7 to 50 words for snow.
• In the South Sea islands there are numerous words for coconut.

In classical Arabic

In the Hopi language

Why all the variation

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• The variations in the complexity and richness of a language's vocabulary reflect what is important to the people who speak that language.

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• When multiple languages are spoken within one political boundary, there are inevitably political and social consequences.

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• In Micronesia, there are nine major languages and many dialects

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• Canada has 2 official languages
• Belgium has 3
• India has more than a dozen

Dialects

• Are versions of a language with distinctive vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation that are spoken by particular groups of people within a particular region.

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• Most nonstandard dialects of English are frequently accorded less status and are often considered inappropriate or unacceptable in education, business and government.

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• One dialect used in U.S. has been called Black Standard English, African American Vernacular English, and Ebonics.

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• Linguists estimate that about 90% of the African American community uses Ebonics at least some of the time.

Example

• The Brotha be looking good.
• The Sista be looking good.

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• Like all dialects, Ebonics is not slang, sloppy speech, incorrect grammar, or broken English.

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• Ebonics reflects an intersection of West African languages and European American English that initially developed during the European slave trade and the enslavement of African peoples throughout the Americas and elsewhere.

Jargon

• is a specialized form of vocabulary shared by those with a common profession or experience.
• lawyers, law-enforcement officers, & doctors all us jargon

Argot

• refers to a specialized language that is used by a large group within a culture to define the boundaries of their group from others who are in a more powerful position in society.
• It is used to keep outsiders at bay.

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• Functioning in a culture that speaks a language different fom your own can be tiring and exasperating.

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• Intercultural competence requires knowledge, motivation, and actions that recognize the critical role of verbal codes in human interaction.

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