Chapter 6

Question 1

Social Science perspectives on language

Answer 1

• focus on building blocks of language: grammar, punctuation
• components of language
• **semantics (meanings)
• **syntactic (structure)
• ** pragmatics (meaning in context)
• **phonetics (sound)

Question 2

Interpretive Perspective on language

Answer 2

• communication combines verbal and nonverbal expressions

* cultures differ in the amount of emphasis on nonverbal expression

Question 3

Critical Perspective on language

Answer 3

• co-cultural communication
• occurs between dominant and non-dominant groups
• non-dominant often must adjust their communication (power issues)

Question 4

Nominalist viewpoint

Answer 4

• we express the same thoughts in different languages
• No sapir-whorf, just direct translation, where words are equivilent
• perception is the same

Question 5

Relativist viewpoint

Answer 5

• the language we speak, and the structure of that language, affects our thought patterns
• relationship idioms— “going out” “seeing each other” “talking”

Question 6

qualified relativist viewpoint

Answer 6

• middle ground/ moderate view

* meaning of words is both given, and shaped by our underlying worldview

Question 7

high context cultures

Answer 7

• means context is highly important
• nonverbals like eye contact, gestures can chance the spoken message
• cultural understanding important to interpretation of spoken message

Question 8

low context culture

Answer 8

• context is less important
• the majority of meaning is in the spoken code
• the US is low context

Question 9

non-assertive assimilation

Answer 9

• trying to fit in and be accepted by the dominant group

* censor self

Question 10

assertive assimilation

Answer 10

• try to fit in, but also occasionally call attention to differences
• can create an “us vs them” mentality
  *

Question 11

aggressive assimilation

Answer 11

• try very hard to fit in and prove that you belong with the dominant group
  
  • **dress and behavior
  • **distance self from other members of your culture

Question 12

Interlanguage

Answer 12

overlapping two aspects of different languages, like grammar—- example= “one” in spanish

Question 13

translation

Answer 13

refers to texts

Question 14

interpretation

Answer 14

verbal

Question 15

code switching

Answer 15

changing dialects, languages, accents to fit in

Question 16

communication accommodation theory

Answer 16

• argues that “when people interact they adjust their speech, their vocal patterns and their gestures, to accommodate to others
• It explores the various reasons why individuals emphasize or minimize the social differences between themselves and their interlocutors through verbal and nonverbal communication