HUMAN COMMUNICATION LI 2013 NATHALIE F MARTIN Table

(HUMAN) COMMUNICATION LI 2013 NATHALIE F. MARTIN

Table of Content COMMUNICATION: JAKOBSON’S MODEL NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION LANGUAGES Objectives: Understand the intricacies of nonverbal communication. Learn a bit of terminology needed to speak of the world’s languages References: v. A Concise Introduction to Linguistics (Rowe & Levine, 2012) v (Chapter 1: The Nature of Communication) v Qu’est-ce que la langue? (Leclerc, 1989)

Communication §DEFINITION §JAKOBSON’S COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Communication is a behaviour, or the transmission of information, that affects the behaviour of others. When a living organism (or machine) communicates it sends messages about itself or its environment. The message is placed into a code. Ø Humans have a highly elaborate code called language.

Communication What is communication? 1 a the process or act of communicating; b the exchanging or imparting of ideas and information, etc. 2 a piece of information, a letter or a message. 3 social contact. 4 (communications) the various electronic processes by which information is conveyed from one person or place to another, especially by means of wires, cables or radio waves. 5 (communications) the science and activity of transmitting information, etc. http: //www. chambersharrap. co. uk/chambers/features/chref. py/main? title=21 st&query=

Communication Who? Sender (ex: speaker) To whom? Receiver What? Thoughts, opinions or information How? Verbal (language) or nonverbal communication

Communication Process (Jakobson) Topic of reference Information Commercial Air Languages: English, French, etc.

Communication The communication process of coding and decoding will depend on a number of factors: Culture Presuppositions Prior information Subjective interpretation Experience

Nonverbal Communication SOME TYPES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION: • KINESICS • PROXEMICS

Nonverbal Communication Spoken word: 7% Body posture, gestures, facial expressions: 38% Voice tone and inflection: 55%

Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication is the act of imparting or interchanging thoughts, posture, opinions or information without the use of words, using gestures, sign language, facial expressions and body language.

Nonverbal & Cultural Misunderstanding Pointing: finger, eyes, chin or head. . . even lips (Shoshone Indians)! Miscommunication: Yes-no: shaking head. . . Greece & Turkey (opposite of what we do)

Types of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics : involves muscles or body movement: Hand gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, head nods, etc. Interpretive dance Flirting Touching

Types of Nonverbal Communication Proxemics : how people perceive and use space. Standing patterns (intimate, personal, public) Sitting (side by side, face to face) Privacy Classroom

Lets communicate! Proxemics: Standing: Sitting: side by side, face to face, angled 2 feet away, 1 foot away, 4 feet away … Which would be better for counselling? Friends? Lovers? Crossing legs Kinesics: Eye contact: Avoid eye contact, sustain eye contact Touch shoulder, head, hand

Languages §DISTINCTION BETWEEN: § Language, languages & Speech §LANGUAGES §DIALECTS

Language 1 any formalized system of communication, especially one that uses sounds or written symbols which the majority of a particular community will readily understand. 2 the speech and writing of a particular nation or social group. 3 the faculty of speech.

Language, Language and Speech FRENCH “Language” ENGLISH Language/ability The innate ability to learn and produce language/code. Natural, universal and innate ability (amongst humans). “Langue” Language/code A code or system, used by consensus. Ex: different languages (French, English, Spanish, Greek, etc. ). Collective (used within a language group, speakers of the language) “Parole” Speech The individual act of speaking (Concrete use of the language/code). Ex: “Please stop the bus!” Individual.

The world’s Languages Geographic distribution of the world’s languages Living Languages Americas 1, 013 Africa 2, 058 Europe 230 Asia 2, 197 The Pacific 1, 311 TOTAL 6, 809 Percentage 15% 30% 3% 32% 19% (Source: Ethnologue (1996), www. ethnologue. org)

Languages Across the World Top 10 languages by first language population: 1) Chinese (Mandarin) 2) Spanish 3) English 4) Hindi 5) Portuguese 6) Bengali 7) Russian 8) Japanese 9) German (. . . ) 17) French 873 014 000 (+178 000 L 2 speakers) 322 029 000 (+60 000 L 2 speakers) 309 352 000 (+200 000 L 2 speakers) 180 764 000 177 457 000 171 070 000 145 031 000 (+110 000 L 2 speakers) 122 434 000 95 393 000 64 858 000 (+50 000 L 2 speakers) Contemporary Linguistic Analysis: chapter 8 (O’Grady, 2009; p. 289)

Galaxy of Languages (Calvet, 1999) Hyper-central Language Super-central Language Central Language Peripheral Language

Gravitational Model (Calvet, 1999) GRAVITATIONAL MODEL: Hyper-central Language Super-central Language Central Language Peripheral Language

Dialects Dialect: A regional or social variety of a language characterized by it’s own phonological, syntactic, or lexical properties. Ø We will use the term « Variety » in this class instead of speaking of dialects.

Pidgin: A variety that emerges when speakers of a different language are brought together in a stable situation requiring intergroup communication; it has no native speakers and generally is considered to have a reduced grammatical system.

Creole: A variety that arises as the native language of the children of members of a pidgin speech community.

Creole or Pidgin? Blood Diamond (Leonardo Dicaprio) Ø http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=VP 5 ILg. Kxap. I&feature=related Ø http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=04 QTfx. GMe_Y