CMST 1A03 Study Guide - Final Guide: Verbal Behavior, Identity Management, Pronoun

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Communication Studies
• Course: CMST 1A03
• Professor: Terry Flynn

Document Summary

Sometimes consists of regionalisms, terms that are understood by people who live in a certain area. Jargon: specialized vocabulary that functions as a kind of shorthand among people with common backgrounds and experience: abstractions: most objects, events and ideas can be described with varying degrees of specificity. Example: a book can be called a textbook, a communication textbook, etc. Emotive language: contains words that sound as if they"re describing something when they are really announcing the speaker"s attitude toward something. Evasive language: euphemism: a pleasant term substituted for a more direct but potentially less pleasant one. Example: someone has passed away" (opposed to died: equivocation: a deliberately vague statement that can interpret in more than one way. Culture and language: verbal communication styles, low-context cultures: use language primarily to express thoughts, feelings and ideas as clearly and logically as possible, high-context cultures: value language as a way to maintain social harmony. Instead of upsetting others by speaking clearly, these cultures.