SPCH COMM CH 4 – Flashcards
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Ben says, "Hawaii is the best vacation spot in the world." Ethan, who has read reliable data about the subject, says, "Statistics show that more people vacation in Paris than in Hawaii." The difference between their statements is that Ben's is ____________, whereas Ethan's is ____________.
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opinion-based; fact-based
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Which of the following is true about how women and men use language?
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Both men and women talk frequently about work, movies, and television.
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Using the term firefighter rather than fireman is an example of ____________ language.
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gender-neutral
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Melania asks a woman who is actually just overweight when the baby is due. What language rule did Melania break?
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Pragmatic rules
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A behavioral description describes behavior that is ____________.
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observable
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Research indicates that the notion that men and women communicate in dramatically different ways is ____________.
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exaggerated
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Fast or slow, small or large, smart or stupid, and short or long are examples of words of what type?
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Relative
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People who speak using a combination of "powerful" and "powerless" language are typically more ____________ communicators.
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effective
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____________ govern how words sound when pronounced.
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Phonological rules
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When entering a public restroom, which set of language rules makes it possible for us to know whether to enter through the "Men's" or "Women's" door?
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Semantic rules
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You overhear two women at the table next to you talking about the frustrations of working with an explosive boss. Which of the following is most likely to be part of their conversation, based on research about female speech patterns?
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"How do you feel when the boss starts yelling like that?"
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____________ language contains words that sound as if they are describing something when they are really announcing the speaker's attitude toward something.
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Emotive
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A conclusion based on an interpretation of evidence is called a(n) ____________.
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inference
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Using acronyms online such as ILYSM or OOMP demonstrates ____________.
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convergence
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____________ words have more than one correct dictionary definition.
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Equivocal
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Ogden and Richards' triangle of meaning demonstrates visually that meanings are in ____________.
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minds
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The CEO of a company tells her employees that "each department will be restructuring within the next six months." A department head in the same company tells employees that the department will sustain layoffs within the next six months. How do the statements compare?
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The CEO intentionally uses a vague term for "layoffs," while the department head is direct.
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____________ govern the arrangement or sequence of language.
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Syntactic rules
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Which of the following is an example of powerless speech?
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Hedges
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Which of the following statements would researchers classify as being the most powerfully expressed?
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"I have a question."
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Communicators who want to set themselves apart from others adopt the strategy of ____________.
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divergence
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Kiley tells Luke, "You don't listen to me anymore." What still needs to be answered to make the statement a behavioral description?
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In what circumstances does the behavior occur?
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Language use can reflect a speaker's willingness to take responsibility for his or her statements. Which of the following categories of statements reflects the highest amount of speaker responsibility?
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"I" statements
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Which one of the following word types gains its meaning by comparison?
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Relative
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What style of speech is used in this statement? "I've felt that way myself. My heart really goes out to you."
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Affective
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Linguistic relativism means that ____________.
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the worldview of a culture is shaped and reflected by the language its members speak
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Jude tells Micah about a problem he's been having at work. Considering the differences in the way men and women often communicate, how is Micah most likely to respond?
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By expressing sympathy or empathy
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When communicators adapt their speech to fit in with others they are adopting the strategy of ____________.
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convergence
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____________ describes a version of the same language that contains substantially different words and meanings.
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Dialect
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Dictionary definitions offer ____________ meanings, while implied interpretations that reflect the people, culture, emotions, and situations involved provide ____________ meanings.
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denotative, connotative
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When your good friend tells you that you have a tendency to interrupt, you thank him for his constructive criticism. When a new coworker accuses you of monopolizing the conversation, you think silently to yourself, "Haters gonna hate." The tendency to judge people we like more charitably than people we don't know well is known as ____________.
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linguistic intergroup bias
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The Inuit have dozens of words for what we typically call snow. This is an example of ____________.
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linguistic relativism
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____________ are pleasant terms substituted for more direct but potentially less pleasant terms.
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Euphemisms
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What factor influences language use much more than biology?
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Socialization
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Melania asks a woman who is actually just overweight when the baby is due. What language rule did Melania break?
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Pragmatic rules
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Swear words are governed by ____________.
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pragmatic rules
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Communicators from cultures that value ____________ tend to use more ambiguous terms, hedges, and disclaimers.
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saving face
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Graduate, lead, and produce are all words whose meaning may vary as a result of inconsistent ____________ rules.
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phonological
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Terms such as sick and tight may be interpreted by members of your in-group as compliments, but other people are likely to see them as insults. This is because ____________ differ(s) from group to group.
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slang
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The leader of a political party says a rival political party is "irresponsible because they are destroying the livelihood of millions of Southwestern ranchers with their policies." An economist not affiliated with any political party cites data saying that the same ranchers "have sustained a 5 percent increase in taxes when purchasing feed." Which statement best describes how the two statements compare?
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The first statement more likely uses emotive language, and the second is more likely a fact.
