Nature
A collection of symbols governed by rules and used to convey messages between individuals
What is language?
A language pattern that adds to a speaker's influential ability
What is Power / Powerful Language?
Words used by people who belong to a similar co-culture or group
What is slang?
Language reflects and reinforces gender roles and stereotypes in society
What is gendered language?
This governs the ways in which symbols can be arranged as opposed to the meaning of the symbols
What is syntax / are syntactical rules?
More than a means of identification, but can shape the way others think of us, how we view ourselves, and the way we act.
What is a name?
Language lacking specificity, or does not refer to observable behaviour or other sensory data
What is abstract language?
Residents of Canada and the United States value this communication style as they grow impatient with “beating around the bush”
What is low-context language?
Linguistic rules governing how sounds are combined to form words
What is phonetics / are phonological rules?
Accommodating one’s speaking style to another person, who is desirable or has higher social status
What is convergence?
Words that have more than one dictionary definition
What are equivocal words?
Communicators tend to talk “around” the point, leaving it up to others to fill in the blanks
What is high-context language?
This governs the meaning of language as opposed to its structure
What are semantics / are semantical rules?
A strategy in which speakers emphasize differences between their communicative style and others to create distance
What is divergence?
A pleasant term used in place of a more direct unpleasant one, like “plump” instead of “fat.
What is a euphemism?
Theory stating that language determines thought, constraining and limiting one's worldview
What is Linguistic Determinism?
Govern the everyday use of language, rarely written down or discussed
What is pragmatism / pragmatic rules?
Theory that the structure of a language shapes the worldview of its speakers
What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?
Conclusions arrived at from an interpretation of evidence
What is an inference / are inferential statements?
This hypothesis, challenged by cognitive psychologists like Judith Rich Harris, claims that parents significantly influence their children's cognitive abilities and personality
What is the nurture hypothesis?