PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION

TOPIC 1: NATURE OF LANGUAGE

Introduction: The origin of language and its evolutionary emergence topic is difficult to study because of
the different speculations for several centuries. Many argue that the origins of language probably relate
closely to the origins of modern human behavior, but there is little agreement about the implications
and directionality of this connection.

One can sub-divide approaches to the origin of language according to some underlying assumptions:

 "Continuity theories" built on the idea that language exhibits so much complexity that one
cannot imagine it simply appearing from nothing in its final form; therefore, it must have
evolved from earlier pre-linguistic systems among our primate ancestors.
 "Discontinuity theories" take the opposite approach—that language, as a unique trait which
cannot be compared to anything found among non-humans, must have appeared fairly suddenly
during the course of human evolution.

Some theories consider language mostly as an innate faculty—largely genetically encoded.

Other theories regard language as a mainly cultural system—learned through social interaction.

Question: “What is Language to you?”

Language such as wherever humans exist, language exists and language is a human capacity that
consists of (a) a system of rules also known as (grammar), (b) a sound system (phonology), and (c) a
vocabulary (lexicon).

 While growing up in a community, people acquire the languages used by those in the
community- Language Acquisition
 The languages acquired while growing up are known as mother tongues, which may also be
referred to as first languages.
 Other than the first languages; there are other languages that are needed for various reasons.
These other languages are referred to as second languages.
 People learn their second languages in school or on their own. This is the process of language
learning.
 In our interaction with other people, our languages come into contact with their languages,
resulting in language change.

Language change is a natural behavior of all languages. All languages change through time. Any normal
child, born anywhere in the world, of any racial, geographical, social or economic heritage, is capable of
learning any language to which he/she is exposed to. The differences we find among languages cannot
be due to biological reasons.

TOPIC 2: TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

Introduction: Depending on what is being considered, communication as a term takes on different
contexts resulting in people having different views on communication types. Since communication is
generally defined as the exchange of thoughts, ideas, concepts, and views between or among two or
more people, various contexts come into play. Context is the circumstance or environment in which
communication takes place.

Different contexts can impact one’s communication. Each communication type is governed by a
particular circumstance. Thus, it is essential to pay attention to the interplay of factors surrounding the
context of communication which may be physical, cultural, social, and psychological in nature.

Communication may then be classified according to: (1) communication mode (verbal- non-verbal and
visual), (2) context (intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Extended, Organizational and Intercultural) and (3)
purpose and style (formal and informal).
Verbal and non-verbal as well as visual communications complement each other. The interpretation of
signs and symbols is crucial since people have different ways of interpreting them. It is important to
always contextualize the symbols/signs received in order to at the correct interpretation.

In any organization, a system of communication should be put in place. Transmission of message and
message flow also play an important role in effective organizational communication.

People have different linguistic, religious, ethnic, social, and professional backgrounds. It is necessary to
pay attention to intercultural communication to avoid miscommunication and/or communication
breakdown.

Formal communication and informal communication have different uses depending on the situation.
Both types may be in oral or written mode.

TOPIC 3: COMMUNICATION PROCESSES, PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS

Introduction: In the previous discussion, you learned about the types of communication mode, context,
and purpose and style. In this lesson, you will review the nature of the communication process and
some important communication models.

The communication process involves elements such as source, message, encoding, channel, decoding,
receiver, feedback, context, and barrier. Communication can be a one-way or two-way process. There
are many conceptual models for human communication but in this lesson, you will be exposed to only
four: (1) Aristotle’s model; (2) Laswell’s model; (3) Shannon-Weaver’s model; and (4) David Berlo’s
model of communication
Since communication is a two-way process, it is important that you know the principles to be observed
to make it effective. For both oral and written communication, you should be able to apply the following
general principles of effective communication: (1) Know your purpose in communicating; (2) Know your
audience; (3) Know your topic; (4) Adjust your speech or writing to the context of the situation; (5) Work
on the feedback given you.

For the principles of effective oral communication, you should be able to apply the following: (1) Be
clear with your purpose; (2) Be complete with the message you deliver; (3) Be concise; (4) Be natural
with your delivery; (5) Be specific and timely with your feedback.

Aside from the principles of effective oral communication, there are also principles of effective written
communication or The 7 C’s: (1) Be clear; (2) Be concise; (3) Be concrete; (4) Be correct; (5) Be coherent;
(6) Be complete; and (7) Be courteous.

Furthermore, communication ethics emphasizes that morals influence the behavior of an individual,
group, or organization thereby affecting their communication. It is important to note that one’s behavior
should be regulated by honesty, decency, truthfulness, sincerity, and moral uprightness. Be guided by
the following ethical communication: (1) Establish an effective value system that will pave the way for
the development of your integrity as a person; (2) Provide complete and accurate information. (3)
Disclose vital information adequately and appropriately. Observing a code of ethics is essential as it
determines the kind of behavior that is proper and desirable over one that is displeasing and offensive.
A code of ethics sets the standards to be observed by a person or company that will create a good
reputation or a positive image not only for an individual but also for the organization.
MODULE 2: MODES OF COMMUNICATION
Introduction:

Communication means transferring messages from one to another through any medium. It is the
process of generating meaning by sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal symbols and signs that
are influenced by multiple contexts. Forms of communication vary in terms of participants, channels
used, and contexts. There are five main forms of communication, all of which will be explored in this
lesson. The five major forms are intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication.

 Intrapersonal communication occurs when you talk to yourself while dyadic communication
involves two people in the communication process. When more than two persons are involved
in the process, it is considered as small group communication.
 For public communication, there is no mutual feedback between source and receiver like small
group communication and it’s only focused on Speaker.
 For mass communication, large group of audiences is considered. The Speaker has his or her
technology and uses technology as a medium of transmitting messages to large groups of
people.

In addition, a person’s communicative intent may have varied modes or channels in conveying his/her
thoughts. Views or feelings can be communicated through face-to-face interaction, video, or audio. The
mode may also be text-based. The most common of all communication modes is the face-to-face
communication.

One advantage of face-to-face interaction is that aside from directly hearing the message being
conveyed, you are able to note visual cues through facial expressions, gestures, movements, or even
objects or realia from the person/s you are communicating with.

Another mode of communication is video. Web cameras are used so that two or more people who
cannot interact face-to-face can communicate. If there are no technical glitches encountered, this could
be a very effective mode of communication especially for people separated by distance.

The third mode of communication is audio. Audio means transmitted sound. Thus, in this mode of
communication, only the voice of the speaker is heard. The fourth and last mode is text-based
communication such as email, facsimile, text messaging, and instant messaging. Social networking sites
such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram likewise offer text-based interaction. While text-based
communication mode does not originally provide video and video benefits, it has a wider reach and can
disseminate information to a bigger audience quickly.

TOPIC 2: COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Introduction:

COMMUNICATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA

There are various modes through which we communicate with each other. In the past, these modes
took the form of handwritten messages, typewritten messages, short telegrams, computer-encoded
texts, as well as landline telephone conversation, and audio/video-recorded messages. Because each
mode of communication is distinct from the other, the ways in which we craft our messages differ. For
example, there is a greater tendencies for us to write a longer, more visually detailed message if we
encode it using a computer. If we handwrite the same message, or deliver it through an audio-recording,
the message will not be the same.

Communication is the actualization of a person’s quests for connections, relationships, sharing of

oneself, gaining a spot in the workplace and being part of the whole world. Its purposes are to inform, to
share, to argue, to persuade, to ask, to respond and a lot more depending on the intentions of the
speaker.

The impacts of communication in globalization are the following:

1. establishing connections in business, economics, politics, social systems, cultural dimensions,

educational endeavors, information and digital technologies, professional relationships and on
health and medical areas and a lot more for bridging the gap among all nations for prosperity
and good governance.
2. Reducing communicative distance and demolishing physical boundaries.
3. Increasing relations among peoples, governments and cultures.
4. exposing substantial populations tom foreign cultures, educational practices, religions and
beliefs.
5. forging harmonious relationships among various races, colors, religions and beliefs.

Globalization is the disappearance of borders between nations that give rise to international relations.

Information technology is the combination of hardware equipment, organizational structure, and social
values through which individuals collect, process and exchange information with other individuals.
These are the digital technologies and infrastructures and products that facilitate the acquisition,
storage and analysis, manipulation and distribution of information such as voice, data, text,images,
videos, and animations. It also includes webcams, emails,DVDs, flash memory, hard drives, servers, and
networks as well softwares. These also include data transport, video conferencing, email,Web browsing,
and various forms of distributed collaboration, enabled by transmission media that have also expand to
include microwave, terrestrial wireless, sateliteand broadband fiber transport.

The impacts of technology in communication are the following:

1. It has made communication between and among people easier, faster and more accessible.
2. Communication techniques and tools enhance connections, build close relationships and ties
and foster cooperation and collaboration as well as teamwork.
3. It allows people to have immediate access to an incredible array of devices and services with
anyone, anywhere at anytime.
4. Everyone has the power of communicating with our families, friends etc. When we are present
in remote areas from them and which really stands true for its positivity.

Social media refer to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or
exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. It not only allows you to hear
what people say about you, but enables you to respond. These are some of the popular social media
tools and platforms; blogs, facebook, twitter, You Tube and vimeo, Flickr, Instagram, snapchat, and
Linkedln groups.

On the status of Filipinos in the use of social media, the Philippines holds on to its title of social media
capital in the world for third year in a row. The 3 main reasons why social media resounds well among
many Filipinos:

1. Socio Economic
2. Age
3. Cultural Aspect
4. Social Media and Social Movement

As humans in the communicative arenas converge and synergize, ethics must be upheld and must be
actualized in order to build up nation to nation’s values of respect, justice, human dignity, honesty and
truthfulness, stewardship,care and all other ethical practices in dealing with people across the globe.

MODULE 3: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Introduction:

According to Science, each person is generally unique. Except for identical twins, each person has a
unique genetic composition. This uniqueness becomes even more heightened because of individual
experiences. Human are formed by forces other than genetics. Final background, religious affiliations,
educational achievements, socio-cultural forces, economic conditions, emotional states, and other
factors shape human identities. Because of this, no two people can ever be exactly the same (as cited in
Madrunio & Martin, 2018, pg. 104). It is then important to be culturally sensible to the differences
between and among individuals in any communication process and setting.

DEFINITION OF CULTURE

Culture has been defined in a number of ways, but according to (Useem & Useem, 1963), “the learned
and shared behavior of a community of interacting human beings” or as “a system of belief,
assumptions, and values shared by a group of people” (Fielding, 1996, as cited in in Padilla, Dagdag,
Roxas, & Perez, 2016).

CHARACTERISITCS OF CULTURE
(Chase & Shamo, 2013, as cited in in Padilla, Dagdag, Roxas, & Perez, 2016, p.21).

1. Cultures are learned, not innate.

2. Cultures are shared.
3. Cultures are multifaceted.
4. Cultures are dynamic.
5. Cultural identities are overlapping.

ADAPTATION TO NEW CULTURES

Many other countries are now considered a “melting pot”; a place, where city or country where people
of various races or cultured live together and gradually create a community. As these countries coexist
in cultures, overcoming cultural differences is difficult. However, people learn to adapt despite the
difficulties.

People use ways of adapting to new cultures:

a. cultural integration,
b. cultural assimilation,(responding to new situation)
c. multiculturalism, (cultural pluralism or diversity)
d. cultural accommodation (automatic adjustment), and
e. separation. (such as employment or military service)

THE NATURE OF COMMON CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Cultural differences are apparent (clear) in four basic traits: (a) leadership, (b) work productivity, (c)
group allegiance, (d) task commitment (Chase & Shamo, 2013, as cited in in Padilla, Dagdag, Roxas, &
Perez, 2016 ).

COMMUNICATING WITHIN AND ACROSS CULTURES

Nobody is capable of fully understanding all languages and all cultures of the world, as well as how they
are similar and different from one another. To bridge the intercultural communication gaps, we need to
be open-minded (getting rid of prejudiced and biased beliefs), respecting cultural differences no matter
how seemingly strange or “primitive they are or seem to us (as cited in in Padilla, Dagdag, Roxas, &
Perez, 2016 ).

We can respond cultural differences in variety of ways:

1. Avoiding. We may refuse to comply to do business in cultures that operate according to ethical
principles that differ from ours.
2. Accommodating. We can accept the different ethical system and conform to practices different
from ours.
3. Forcing. We can insist on doing business in a way we believe is ethically proper.
4. Educating –Persuading. We can try to convince the people with whom we want to do business
why our ethical principle is more appropriate.
5. Negotiating –Compromising. We and the other party can each give up something to negotiate a
settlement.
6. Collaboration –Problem Solving. We can work with the other party to face the problem directly
and reach a mutually satisfying solution.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION

(McKeiver, 2013; Chase & Shamo, 2013, as cited in Padilla, Dagdag, Roxas, & Perez, 2016)

Ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism refers to the belief that a person’s culture (his “in group” culture) is much
better than any other group’s culture (an “out-group” culture), and a tendency is for that person to
judge any “out-group” culture by using the norm of his “in-group” culture.

Stereotypes and Prejudices. Stereotyping and being prejudiced against cultural groups are the main
barriers to intercultural communication.

Stereotypes. Stereotyping is a generalization of a group of people based on a small sample of these

people.

Prejudice. An offshoot of stereotypes is an unfair thought, belief, or feeling of dislike for a person or
group because of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, etc.

Assumed similarities. It is a baseless, unreasonable refusal to see cultural differences where they exist.

Anxiety. Intercultural communication anxiety is the fear or apprehension associated with either real or
anticipated communication with people from another cultural group.

Globalization is the communication and assimilation among individuals, ethnicities, races, institutions,
governments of various nations supported by technology and compelled by international trade. Due to
globalization, the more you become exposed to diversity-the valuing of the uniqueness or differences in
gender preferences, color, age, religious affiliation, ethnicity, education, social and economic status and
political beliefs. It is not a new process or concept. Years before the advent of technology, people had
been purchasing and selling each other properties, goods and other objects of certain value.

Globalization has affected us in numerous ways, like:

1. Airfare has become cheaper and one can travel internationally more than one could do in the
past.
2. Many Filipinos have decided to work or live abroad, with some of them migrating to other
countries.
3. The free trade of goods and services all over the world has brought multinational companies and
foreign investors.
4. One can communicate internationally in a matter of seconds, whether sending an email,
chatting in social media, or sending a text message.
5. One can read about different cultures, and have access to films, academic papers, and the like
from other countries around the world, and vice versa.

TOPIC 2: LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL SETTING

Introduction:

No matter where you are in the world, communication is important. But communicating across cultures
can be pretty hard. Others think that their culture may be better than the others, but it is a fact that
there is no such thing as one culture being more superior than others. In addition, language barrier can
also be an issue. Cultures too, actually have very different styles of communicating. This includes the
high context and low context of a culture.

Some cultures are sequential which sees time as one line consisting of equal building blocks. While the
others are synchronic which sees various activities can take place at the same time.

People from affective cultures tend to express their feelings and emotions openly whereas people from
neutral cultures usually try to hide their thoughts and feelings. Some cultures are informal while others
use a whole series of ritual greetings before having a conversation, and some cultures consider it rude to
show up to a meeting on time.

But what do all these cultures have in common? Well, for once, you can offend each of them if you don't
understand their communication practices. And we want to avoid that. What do we do? Well, to put it
simply, we learn to communicate!

TOPIC 3: VARIETIES AND REGISTERS OF SPOKEN AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE

Introduction:

Varieties of language develop for a number of reasons: differences can come about for geographical
reasons; people who live in different geographic areas often develop distinct dialects—variations of
standard English. Varieties is the quality or state of being different or diverse; the absence of uniformity,
sameness, or monotony.

Varieties of language:

 BRITISH ENGLISH is the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom or, more
broadly, throughout the British Isles. Slight regional variations exist in formal, written English in
the United Kingdom.
 AMERICAN ENGLISH is sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of
varieties of the English language native to the United States and widely adopted in Canada.
 AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH is a major variety of the English language, used throughout Australia.
 CANADIAN ENGLISH is the set of varieties of English native to Canada.
 INDIAN English public instruction began in India in the 1830s during the rule of the East India
Company.
 UGANDA English, or Uglish (pronounced you-glish), is the dialect of English spoken in Uganda.
Language register is the level and style of writing. It is determined by factors as social occasion,
purposes, context, and audience. There are 5 distinct registers (Nordquist, 2018):

1. Frozen – it refers to historic language or communication that is intended to remain unchanged.

E.g. constitution or a prayer
2. Formal – it is used in professional, academic, or legal settings where communication is expected
to be respectful, uninterrupted, and restrained.There are various rules to be followed in formal
language such as the proper use of punctuations, proper nouns, spelling-out of words, the use of
active voice, and the sentence structures. E.g. TED Talk, business letter
3. Consultative – it is used in conversation when the communicator is speaking with someone who
has specialized knowledge or who is offering advice. E.g. local TV news broadcast or talking to a
doctor
4. Casual – it is used when the communicator is talking to their friends, close acquaintances, co-
workers, and family.
5. Intimate – it refers to the type of language the communicator use when talking to immediate
family members or anything that are of confidential matters.
Talking to an expert in the field is an example Consultative Register, while communicating with friends in
a casual language is an example of Casual Register.

TOPIC 4: EXPLORING TEXTS REFLECTING DIFFERENT CULTURES

INTRODUCTION

CULTURAL TEXTS

In the previous lesson, you learned that intercultural communication has an important role to
play in effective communication. Indeed, awareness of the different varieties of English with their
features as well as understanding the registers of English should be the goal of everyone so that there is
less misunderstanding and miscommunication.

Note that one cause of miscommunication is pronunciation. Speakers of different varieties of English
have different ways of pronouncing words. This is so because of differences in phonology. Kachru and
Nelson (2006) claimed that in terms of pronunciation, most Outer- and Expanding-Circle varieties display
differences from the Inner-Circle varieties, similar those found between regional dialects may lead to
grammatical consequences affecting comprehension. For instance, among Singaporean and Malaysian
speakers of English, a feature noted is the simplification of final consonant clusters, e.g., [lef] for left and
[pick] for picked. Such is also the case in the Philippines English.

Interpretations then vary because of differences in pronunciation. If one says “hit it” instead of “head it”
or “She ass” instead of “She asks,” miscommunication is likely to happen.

In Philippine languages, every vowel is pronounced with a full, distinct sound. Filipinos pronounce words
as they are written or spelled out making it syllable-timed and not stress-timed. Americans, on the other
hand, blend syllables or sometimes even drop some sound making the syllables short.

American English: Gotcha! Philippine English Got you!

American English: Whatche say? Philippine English: What did she say?

American English: Wherd yu go? Philippines English: Where did you go?

American English: Ja hitit? Philippines English: Did you hit it?

American English: Can I getche adrink? Philippines English: Can I get you a drink?

A cultural barrier does not only pertain to differing languages. It may also be in the form of a cultural
practice or even a bodily gesture. For instance, in English-speaking countries and even in the Philippines,
the thumbs-up gesture signals approval. However, it is considered offensive in other countries such as
Greece, Italy, and some parts of the Middle East. Likewise, making a circle with one’s thumb and
forefinger generally means okay in many Western cultures but this is not so in countries like Japan
where it is interpreted as a sign for money, and some Arab cultures as a threat. Thus, one should be
careful in using bodily gestures.

FORMAL AND INFORMAL LANGUAGE

In the previous lesson, you also studied language register which refers to the formality and informality
of the language which one speaks. As it is, different registers are used in different situations. Your
purpose for communication and the relationship you have with the listeners/readers will determine if
you are not use formal or informal language. When you are in the gymnasium and a teenager offers you
a seat, you acknowledge the kind gesture by saying: “Thanks for the seat.” However, if you are in
academic forum and an organizer offers you a seat, you say: “Thank you very much, (Sir or Ma’am).”

When speaking impromptu on a certain topic, you should use ordinary, conversational language.
However, if you are to give a lecture in a conference, your language should be formal. In the same
manner that when you write your speech and your purpose is to inform your audience on climate
change, it is expected that your language is formal. In contrast, if your speech is meant to entertain your
listeners on a light topic, language should be informal.