Deck 5: Communicating with Words

Question 1

_________________ is/are a tool we use to form, maintain, and end our relationships.

A) Words
B) Language
C) Communication
D) Interpersonal communication

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Meanings for words do not reside in their symbols; rather, they reside where?

A) On the page
B) In the minds of those who use them
C) In the inflection

Answer 2

B

Question 3

This occurs when we think we understand one another, but instead, miss one another's meaning.

A) Interpretation
B) Emotive language
C) Polarizing language
D) Bypassing

Answer 3

D

Question 4

While these terms help spare feelings, they can also obscure or mislead those we speak with by masking the truth.

A) Denotative terms
B) Ambiguity
C) Bypassing
D) Euphemisms

Question 5

This "model" illustrates the relationship that exists among words, things, and thoughts.

A) Euphemisms
B) Triangle of meaning
C) Communication accommodation
D) Communication convergence

Question 6

This code establishes that words have both denotative and connotative meanings and that they represent or symbolize reality.

A) Syntactic
B) Semantic
C) Pragmatic
D) Language

Question 7

Words are _________________ when they enable us to describe a feeling, an event, or a circumstance unambiguously.

A) Concrete
B) Abstract
C) Clear
D) Confusing

Question 8

For Americans, what is the purpose of conversation?

A) Share secrets
B) Establish and maintain friendships
C) Buy time when bored
D) Gain knowledge

Question 9

The language and wording used to describe people in media and on the Internet reflect what kind of (or whose) judgments of worth and importance?

A) Individual
B) Societal
C) Cultural
D) Familial
E) Neighbors

Question 10

Effectively matching your speech patterns to speak with those you like is often called __________________________.

A) Communication accommodation
B) Communication convergence
C) Conversation subvergence
D) Effective communication

Question 11

Describing experiences in "either-or" terms is known as ________________.

A) Polarizing
B) Bypassing
C) Using equivocal language
D) Using emotive language

Question 12

Fillers such as "um" and "uh" tend to negatively affect how others perceive our ____________ in a conversation.

A) Ability
B) Knowledge
C) Power
D) Interest

Question 13

To stress our differences in communication styles, and possibly, to ensure that we do not have lengthy conversations with people, we engage in _________________.

A) Communication accommodation
B) Communication convergence
C) Conversation subvergence
E) Communication divergence

Question 14

To use language more effectively, we need to ensure the following:

A) Our words are clear
B) Our words are appropriate
C) Our words are concrete
D) All of the above

Question 15

Accurate decoding of messages leads to _______.

A) Encoding
B) Understanding
C) Lengthy explanation
D) None of these

Question 16

_________________ influences both human thought and meaning, and mediates between symbols and the ideas they represent.

A) Thoughts
B) Words
C) Language
D) Actions
E) Ideas

Question 17

The code of arbitrary symbols that allows groups of people to communicate and share meaning is known as ___________________.

A) Interpersonal communication
B) Impersonal communication
C) Language
D) Words

Question 18

When we make "blanket judgments," we tend to think in generalities, thereby ignore ___________________.

A) Similarities
B) The people themselves
C) Groupthink
D) Differences
E) Language barriers

Question 19

Men often use social media to post about sports games or politics; why do women often post?

A) To connect to others
B) As a kind of "public diary"
C) To share dreams
D) To vent about their significant others

Question 20

Those who disagree with the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis believe that language does not influence ________________.

A) Actions
B) Thoughts
C) Feelings
D) Results

Question 21

We tend to feel negativity toward someone if they do not use grammatically correct language.

Question 22

For Americans, a key function of speech is to prevent silence.

Question 23

Communication Accommodation Theory explains that we adjust our words based on how we feel about another person.

Question 24

Words are reality; they represent it.

Question 25

"Generic language" tends to include language patterns and sexual references that pertain to both men and women.

Question 26

Language only has repercussions if someone is offended.

Question 27

The words we use reflect and affect our feelings, thoughts, and actions as well as the feelings, thoughts, and actions of others.

Question 28

Without the ability to use words to create verbal messages, we would find interacting with one another much easier.

Question 29

Our words rarely announce our attitudes toward people or situations.

Question 30

We use language only to shape and express our attitudes.

Question 31

While we use emotive language when we want to mask or conceal our real meaning, we use euphemisms to editorialize on our feelings.

Question 32

These are letter combinations or spoken sounds that were arbitrarily selected at some point to stand for the things or referents about which we speak.

Question 33

If you change how you talk, you can, ultimately, change the way you think.

Question 34

Purposefully adopting a style of speaking that contrasts with the style of speaking of the person whom we desire to distance ourselves from is known as communication convergence.

Question 35

These three codes help us to explain how words came to have meaning; what are they?

Question 36

Understanding and respecting another person's mode of expression, regardless of whether we share the grammatical conventions, is important.

Question 37

Ogden and Richards create the _______________________ to help us understand why misunderstandings occur.

Question 38

Spotlighting tends to diminish stereotyping and leads to the revision of gender stereotypes.

Question 39

Euphemisms are unique vocabularies used by particular groups.

Question 40

The language we use tends to emphasize what we deem important in our societies.

Question 41

There are two distinct types of bypassing. Please explain them.

Question 42

What culture prefers reserve, formality, and silence and contrasts with Americans, who prefer informality, talkativeness, and assertion?

Question 43

List at least two ways one can be politically incorrect.

Question 44

When another person does not understand the denotative meaning of our words, we have a potential ______________ ______________.

Question 45

Why can we not make words mean what we want them to mean?

Question 46

Give an example of a word whose definition has changed as a result of the passage of time.

Question 47

______________________ oriented individuals are easily fooled by words and labels and as a result fail to inspect what the label represents.

Question 48

The prevalence of ____________________ may cause us to speak in shorter sentences and, eventually, wipe out spoken conversation.

Question 49

Please explain the difference between being "person minded" and "word minded."

Question 50

When communicating in this venue, we are more apt to share our thoughts without displaying concern for others' feelings.

Question 51

_______________ language often describes words that can have more than one interpretation.

Question 52

We more frequently define ___________ by their appearance and relationships.

Question 53

Persons who grew up in _______________ generations may experience more difficulty understanding each other than people who grew up in the ____________ generation.

Question 54

________________ ________________ language disparages one's sex, age, race, or social class.

Question 55

It is often easy to find "opposite" or "polarized" words when describing someone or some situation. (For example, we are either happy or sad.) Please explain why those words in the middle are much easier to identify.

Question 56

If we use language that has more than one interpretation, and it leaves both parties confused at the end of a conversation, we have just used what kind of language?