Verbal Communication

K E Y T A K E A W A Y S
• Getting integrated: Social context influences the ways in which we use
language, and we have been socialized to follow implicit social rules like
those that guide the flow of conversations, including how we start and
end our interactions and how we change topics. The way we use
language changes as we shift among academic, professional, personal,
and civic contexts.
• The language that we speak influences our cultural identities and our
social realities. We internalize norms and rules that help us function in
our own culture but that can lead to misunderstanding when used in
other cultural contexts.
• We can adapt to different cultural contexts by purposely changing our
communication. Communication accommodation theory explains that
people may adapt their communication to be more similar to or
different from others based on various contexts.
• We should become aware of how our verbal communication reveals
biases toward various cultural identities based on race, gender, age,
sexual orientation, and ability.
E X E R C I S E S
1. Recall a conversation that became awkward when you or the other
person deviated from the social norms that manage conversation flow.
Was the awkwardness at the beginning, end, or during a topic change?
After reviewing some of the common norms discussed in the chapter,
what do you think was the source of the awkwardness?
2. Describe an accent or a dialect that you find pleasing/interesting.
Describe an accent/dialect that you do not find pleasing/interesting.
Why do you think you evaluate one positively and the other negatively?
3. Review how cultural bias relates to the five cultural identities discussed
earlier. Identify something you learned about bias related to one of
these identities that you didn’t know before. What can you do now to be
more aware of how verbal communication can reinforce cultural biases?
Chapter 3 Verbal Communication
3.4 Language, Society, and Culture
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Document Outline

• Licensing
• Chapter 3 Verbal Communication
  • 3.1 Language and Meaning
  • 3.2 Functions of Language
  • 3.3 Using Words Well
  • 3.4 Language, Society, and Culture