Semantic and social nature of language

Verbal Etiquette

Etiquette is interconnected with the culture of verbal communication, with verbal etiquette. Every day weuse the expressions of verbal etiquette: we address people, thank them, make compliments, invite, advise, request and ask. Verbal etiquette is the norms of verbal behaviour, accepted in a society. It is a system of fixed communication formulas which verbally serve the etiquette of behaviour. They are called Conversational formulas. Conversational formulas are linguistic ways of expressing of verbal acts which are used in typical communicative situations – greeting, leave-taking, apologizing, gratitude, thanks, congratulation and so on.

Language is a subtle medium, and it transmits information of both a semantic and social nature.

Semantic nature of language. Verbal communication involves several sorts of meaning at once. It is due to meaning of talk (speech) that we can communicate our message and understand other people. The meaning of a word is the connection between a word and the thing it represents which a particular group of people has chosen to make. English as a code can only be understood if both parties give the same meaning to the symbols that are used. There are three kinds of meaning.

Literal meaning of speech. The literal meaning of an utterance is what it would mean if you looked it word-for-word in a dictionary then applied the rules of grammar to it. According to literal meaning the correct answer to ‘Can you pass the salt?’ is “Yes, I am able to’. But this utterance is intended to mean ‘Would you pass me the salt, please’, and the listener is expected to simply pass the salt.

Action meaning ofan utterance is what people should do. ‘Can you pass the salt’ suggests that the listener pass the salt and should not be answered ‘Yes’. The utterance ‘It’s hot in here’ can suggest that someone open a window.

Connotative meaning is additive meaning and suggests emotions and feelings. It often goes along with literal and action meaning. Connotation can be remarkably expressive and different. ‘Julie’ can become ‘Professor Smith’ when her secretary is irritated.

Social nature of language. Communication can be formal and informal. People speak differently to their families and intimate friends, to colleagues and to their bosses. Most people feel comfortable in informal situations, such as family, friends and perhaps close colleagues. In a workplace, it is important to maintain the formality of communication. Generally, the more formal the event, the more formal the speech. The skilled communicator will be able to adapt appropriately to situations at different levels of formality.

Дата добавления: 2014-11-20