Verbal Communication

Introduction

Have you ever experienced a misunderstanding due to the way we use language? It doesn't need to be people speaking foreign languages. Consider this: Joan and Meg are study partners at school, but they don't spend time together socially. After studying together for a test, Joan says "We should grab dinner sometime". Joan was being polite and said this as a way to conclude their study time. But Meg took it literally and said "OK. I'm free tomorrow at 5:00". How can such simple words and sentiments be misinterpreted? It is all part of verbal communication. As you read this selection, take note of the role that language plays in a culture and how culture influences the way that interpret language. The principles of verbal communication will help you understand the fundamental nature of verbal communication. Try to identify your communication style and how it might be an asset or barrier to your intercultural communication competence.

How do you communicate? As we learned in our first chapter, communication is a process of understanding and sharing meaning with others. Former U.S. Senator and famous linguist, S.I. Hayakawa, believed that meaning lies within in us, and not in the words that we use. Family members, community members, school mates, and others use language as a system to teach us the rules, norms, customs, traditions, and rituals of our culture. Whether reading, writing, or speaking, being articulate is valued in most cultures, but the same is also true for listening and knowing when to be quiet. Verbal communication or language is created by the cultural experiences of the users.

There are approximately 6500 languages spoken in the world today, but about 2000 of those languages have fewer than 1000 speakers (www.linguisticsociety.org, 2/10/19). As of 2018, the top ten languages spoken by approximately half the world's population are Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Ladhna or Pundjabi (www.statista.com, 2/10/19)). Chinese and Tamil are among the oldest spoken languages in the world (taleninstuut.nl, 2/10/19).

It is estimated that at least half of the world's languages will become extinct within the next century. Of the 165 indigenous languages still spoken in North America, only 8 are spoken by as many as 10,000 people. About 75 are spoken by only a handful of older people and are believed to be on their way to extinction (www.linguisticsociety.org, 2/10/19)). When a language dies, a culture can die with it. A community's connection to its past, its traditions, and the links tying people to specific knowledge are abandoned as the community becomes part of a different or larger economic and political order (www.linguisticsociety.org, 2/10/19).

An ancient, fragmented clay tablet in three reassembled pieces, featuring rows of inscribed Linear B script. — Figure 4.0 – Extinct Languages of Linear A & Linear B

Source: Karen Krumrey
View original source.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.