Problems With Meaning: Patterns of Miscommunication
- People backgrounds influence them in assigning meaning to the words they use to communicate. Commonly used words can have up to 20 different meanings, for example a strike in baseball is different from a strike in bowling,
- We assume that words being used in conversation are understood the same way by all people and although we intend them one way they can be taken up to 20 different ways, and the interpreter will assume what we mean is the same of what they think we mean.
Bypassing: Confusing Meanings:
- Bypassing is miscommunication that occurs when individuals think they understand each other but actually miss each others meaning. (pg 120)
- There are two types of bypassing. The first is when people use different words to describe the same thing but they are both unaware that they are talking about the same thing. The second is when people use the same words but have different meanings of the word.
- The best way to avoid bypassing is to have knowledge the bypassing can occur.
Labeling: Confusing Words and Things
- Sometimes we pay too much attention to the words, or labels, then the reality of them. Labels strongly influence what we see and what we understand thus influencing us in ways we don't always recognize. For example, we name our pets to give them an identity we don't call them by their label of husky or golden retriever.
Evasive and Emotive Language
- Words can effect us to change how we feel about certain things. By changing a word around to have the same meaning but a different effect can con us into believing something we may not have if worded a different way.
- Euphemism is a pleasant word that is substituted for a less pleasant word.
- Words that are charged to evoke emotion can change the way we think about the world around us. For example, Pet Owner vs Pet Guardian, both essentially mean a person who cares for a pet, but pet owner evokes that the pet is an object, and pet guardian envokes a feeling of responsibility for the life of their pet.
- When language is charged to emotions people are more likely to go along with what they are being told. A great example of this would the government calling the taxes that are taken after you die Estate Tax, and journalist calling it Death Tax. Death charges emotion thus changing views of what the tax means.
Politically Correct Language
- Political correctness is applied, ideas, policies, or behavior seen as seeking to minimize offense to gender, racial, cultural, disabled, aged or other identity groups. Conversely, the term "politically incorrect" is used to refer to language or ideas that may offend.
