COMS 201 Lecture 5: Lecture 5 (Ch.4)
6 May 2016
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Document Summary
The study of language the way that we use symbols to represent concepts. Goal in using symbols is to make communication easier, however use of symbols can also cause misunderstandings. Doesn"t consider ones tone (ex. has nothing to do with tone) Group of theorists embraced the goal of improving everyday communication by discovering the ways in which words distort, obscure, and complicate understanding between people. Thought by finding the source of misunderstanding they could correct them and improve communication. I. a richards challenged trends in 1920s, which altered communication drastically. Signals are intrinsically related to what they represent (ex. when a cat hisses it"s a signal she"s not in a good mood) A symbol that has no visual similarity to the feature it represents. No direct or natural relationship to what they represent (ex. cat doesn"t mean a fluffy cute cat) The viewer determines the meaning of the symbol, depending on how general it is.
