Transcript Template



Word Barriers Transcript

Speakers: (A set of actors playing the following characters) Husband, Wife, Man 1, Woman 1, Man 2, Woman 2, Man 3, Woman 3, Man 4, Jackie, Coworker, Dave, Man 5, Woman 4, Moviegoer 1, Moviegoer 2, Moviegoer 3, Son, Mother 2, Consultant, Client

Slide 1 (on screen)

Denotation and Connotation

Connotation: emotional meaning

Denotation: literal meaning

Select a video.

A Living Room

Husband: Hey, honey, does the--did you, did you buy something for the house? I just got home and it smells…

Wife: It, it's new air freshener.

Husband: Really?

Wife: Yeah.

Husband: Wow. You know, yeah.

Wife: I thought it would cover up the dog.

Husband: Yeah, it's fine. It's fine.

Wife: Yeah.

Husband: (sniffing) Hmm.

Wife: You don't like it.

Husband: What? No, it's fine.

Wife: I can tell.

Husband: It does the job, it, it covers up the smell of the dog.

(On screen) Sometimes the emotional meaning of a word can cloud what a speaker really intends.

Wife: You'd rather smell the dog.

Hospital Waiting Room

Man 1: He's dead.

Woman 1: What?

Man 1: Yeah.

Woman 1: What?!

(On screen) Sometimes the correct word isn't the right word.

Woman1 : WHAT?! He's not dead!

Man 1: No, in many ways he is.

Campaign Strategists

Man 2: She's an important woman.

Woman 2: Indeed.

Man 2: These are important issues.

Woman 2: Indeed.

Man 3: Hmm.

Man 2: Right. Right. Right. Right.

Man 3: Yeah.

Man 2: Right.

Woman 2: Okay.

Man 2: Save the water.

Woman 2: Save the… but save, we're indicating that something's already wrong with it.

Woman 3: Mm. Mm.

Woman 2: The water.

Everyone: Like, maintain. Maintain. Maintain. Oh, maintain the water. Maintain it.

Man 2: But we're not janitors. I mean, janitors maintain a building.

Everyone: Right.

Man 3: Yeah. Preserve the water.

Man 2: Preserve.

Woman 3: Preserve?

Woman 2: Preserve.

Man 2: Preserve it. Are we gonna put it in like Ziploc or, do you think, do you think will people get the—

Woman 3: Pickling it?

Man 2: Pickling, yeah.

Man 3: Yeah.

Woman 3: Yeah.

Man 2: I mean, we could preserve it, in like, jar it. We could jar the water.

Woman 2: That's a little too, but it jar is.

Woman 3: That's an abrasive sound. Jaaar.

Man 3: Jar. Yeah, it is.

Woman 2: It's a little too home-town. I think we want to try to reach a different constituency.

Man 2: Don't kill Alaska.

Woman 2: Don't kill.

Man 3: Don't kill Alaska.

Woman 2: Don't kill. Ah.

Man 2: We're saving Alaska! Don't kill Alaska!

Woman 2: Right.

Man 3: Yeah.

Woman 3: It's harsh.

Man 3: It is harsh.

Woman 2: It's a little harsh.

Woman 3: It's harsh!

Man 2: What?

Woman 2: It's like, murder and, and violence.

Woman 3: Yeah.

Man 2: That's what gonna happen.

Woman 2: It’s true! I think

Woman 3: It brings to… I think blood. I think blood, and death, and, and, and that's just a…

Woman 2: It's a little, it's a little much.

Man 2: Fine. Fine. A little much. Whaddaya got?

Woman 2: Uh, uh. Alaska is a peaceful place.

Man 3: Oh, okay.

Woman 2: It is a lovely.

Woman 3: Breathe easy, Alaska.

Man 2: Ooh, breathe easy, Alaska.

Woman 2: Breathe easy, Alaska.

Man 3: Breathe easy, Alaska.

Woman 3: Breathe easy.

Woman 2: I get a, I get a sense that it's kind of, like, laissez faire. Like, aaahhh. Apathetic.

Man 2: We do really care.

Man 3: Yeah, yeah.

Woman 2: It’s, we do care. We have to save…

Woman 3: We do care.

Woman 2: We have to save the land.

Man 3: What about Leave the Eskimos alone?

Man 2: Yeah!

Man 3: Would that, you know? Yeah.

Woman 3: That’s very straightforward.

Man 3: Leave them alone.

Woman 3: Very, just, done.

Man 2: Leave them all alone.

Man 3: Protecting.

(On screen) Sometimes the emotional meaning of a word can reinforce what a speaker really intends.

Woman 2: Feels a little 1960 protest-ish.

(On screen) Or not.

Man 2: Mm.

Woman 3: Oh.

Man 3: Oh, yeah.

Woman 2: So it feels a little like…

Man 2: Yeah, it’s more of a chant. That it’s more of a chant.

Everyone: Yeah.

Slide 2 (on screen)

Denotation and Connotation

Answer the following questions.

1. Why is the distinction between denotation and connotation important?

2. What are some common words in your vocabulary that may have unintended emotion for your “audience”?

3. How can the connotation of words be used to a speaker’s advantage? Are there times when this is unethical? Give three examples of “meanings are in people.”

4. Give three examples of “meanings are in people.”

Slide 3 (on screen)

Concrete & Abstract

After a Jam Session

Man 4: Jackie, just wanted to say, good riff out there, lady.

Jackie: Thanks. Thanks. I’ve been working on it.

Man 4: Yeah. I mean, you were just, tight. Everything you were doing was UNGH! It was like, making my head explode from the inside out.

Jackie: It was making your head explode?

Man 4: Yeah.

Jackie: Oh. You know, I, I didn’t mean it to be like that. I’m, I’m sorry.

Man 4: No, no, no. It was, it was, you were making me reimagine the way that I look at music. It was, it was showing me something.

Jackie: Well, I, I’m sorry, don’t read music, I’m really trying to keep up. I…

Man 4: Yeah, no, you did. You did, I mean, it’s good. It’s good. You were, you were tight out there. You made me want to go back and become a different kind of musician, is what you were doing.

Jackie: A, a different kind of, wha—I…

Man 4: Yeah.

Jackie: You know what, I…

Man 4: It just, it spun me around a couple of times and it made me see the world in a different way. You know, not like a dizzy sort of way, but a good dizzy.

(On screen) When words have multiple interpretations, audiences may miss the message.

Jackie: You know, I, I, I’m not sure if I’m up to this. I’m sorry, I don’t know.

Slide 4 (on screen)

Concrete & Abstract

Answer the following questions.

5. How can using abstract terms cause problems for a communicator?

6. What makes a term “abstract”?

7. How do you react to abstract language? Do you clarify or ignore it in conversations?

Slide 5 (on screen)

Directness

Select a video.

An Office

Coworker: Hey, Dave?

Dave: Hey.

Coworker: You got a quick second?

Dave: Yeah. Yeah, go for it. Sure.

Coworker: You’re sure?

Dave: My door is always open.

Coworker: Thanks. I was just wondering if I could, uh, talk to you, just, about just some like things, office stuff, you know.

Dave: Yeah. I love talking shop.

Coworker: Alright. Yeah, so do I. Um, I, one thing was just, um, sometimes, like, you know, if you’re heading out early or, and, you know, dropping some stuff on me, which is fine, I understand…

Dave: Sure. Great.

Coworker: ‘cause I can get it done.

Dave: I like your work ethic.

Coworker: Yeah. Well, I’m a hard worker. Um, but I was wondering if you could maybe give me a little more notice. Or, you know, just so I can kind of plan out some things over here, and get things done. ‘Cause I have, you know, things after work, sometimes.

Dave: Right. My job is just kind of to make sure everything gets done around here. It’s not to, you know, plan everyone’s schedule.

Coworker: Yeah.

Dave: You know what I’m saying?

Coworker: Yeah.

Dave: So, I just kind of, that’s what I do.

Coworker: Right. But, I was saying, like, just like that, or if you could like, let me know, you know? Just so….

(On screen) Indirect speech often occurs when the context for communication is uncomfortable.

Dave: Have I told you how good you are at your job?

Waiting for a table in a restaurant

Man 5: Seems like you’re pretty engrossed in that book, huh?

Woman 4: Yeah. Yeah. I jus…

Man 5: I love to read. Ach! I mean it’s just one of my favorite pastimes ever. I’m reading a book right now, it’s called The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

Woman 4: Mm-hm.

Man 5: It’s about a guy who goes to a gas station at night during college and meets this little guy named Socrates, who teaches him the spiritual way of life. It’s really cool.

Woman 4: That, that sounds interesting.

Man 5: Oh, my God! It is the most interesting thing, ‘cause you think that life is kind of very simple, you know, like you go through it, but, honestly, there’s all these illusions in the world that you never even knew about, you know?

Woman 4: Yeah.

Man 5: If you want it, the author’s name is Dan Millman.

Woman 4: Dan Millman.

Man 5: I can write it down for you.

Woman 4: Oh, that’s okay, no, that’s alright. See, I, I’m, I’m reading a really good book too, I’m, I have a test next week, so I, I’m trying to get a jump start on my studies, so…

Man 5: You know what? The friend I’m waiting for, we’re going to have dinner…

Woman 4: I’m just studying…

Man 5: You know, I’m trying sushi for the very first time.

Woman 4: Oh, really?

Man 5: Anyway, she’s going to school too. Where do you go?

Woman 4: Oh, just at the university.

Man 5: Wow, that is incredible. It’s such a small world.

Woman 4: It is. Um…

Man 5: The, the main character of the, the book is actually a former gymnast, and he went to go to this university also. It’s a local writer.

Woman 4: You know, I’m, I’m sorry, you’re a, you’re a very nice person. But I, I…

Man 5: Thanks.

Woman 4: I really, I really need to study. So…

Man 5: Oh!

Woman 4: I’m sorry.

Man 5: Oh, you know, I, you know what? I’m, I’m very sorry. I, I didn’t, I didn’t, you know what? Please, go ahead, I, I know what it’s like to cram.

(On screen) When people don’t pick up on subtlety, speakers may need to be more direct.

Outside a Movie Theatre

Moviegoer 1: Alright, so, what do we want to see?

Moviegoer 2: Uh

Moviegoer 3: Something action!

Moviegoer 1: Yeah! Yeah.

Moviegoer 3: Action! I’m definitely in the mood for action.

Moviegoer 1: Action film. Lots of action.

Moviegoer 2: I don’t care. I’ll see anything. I’ll watch Riptide.

Moviegoer 3: Oh, okay. Alright.

Moviegoer 2: Alright.

Moviegoer 1: If you’ll watch anything?

Moviegoer 2: Yeah, I’ll watch, I’ll watch anything.

Moviegoer 1: Yeah, great.

Moviegoer 3: Alright, yeah. Riptide sounds good, actually.

Moviegoer 1: How about The Enormous Team? Yeah. The Enormous Team is supposed to be great.

Moviegoer 3: The Enormous… Oh, I’ve heard really good reviews.

Moviegoer 2: I have not, I have, I’ve been hearing bad things about that one.

Moviegoer 1: Oh, okay.

Moviegoer 3: Alright.

Moviegoer 1: Oh.

Moviegoer 3: Follow Maris?

Moviegoer 1: Follow Maris. Yes. Yeah. Let’s go see that. We’ll do…

Moviegoer 3: Very good, independent film. It’s strong.

Moviegoer 1: That’s supposed to be really good.

Moviegoer 2: Yeah, it’s, I it’s weird. I heard the ending, like, she dies and, it’s just like, everyone…

Moviegoer 3: Oh.

Moviegoer 2: You’re like, what? Like, oh.

Moviegoer 1: Well, what do you want to see?

Moviegoer 3: Yeah! Yeah.

Moviegoer 2: I don’t care! I’ll see whatever. I, I, seriously, I don’t care, I’ll see any of these. I don’t even care.

Moviegoer 1: Okay. Alright.

Moviegoer 2: I’m easy.

Moviegoer 1: Okay. Well, why don’t we go see 1531? 1531. Yeah. 1531.

Moviegoer 3: 1531.

Moviegoer 1: I mean, the costumes were supposed to be amazing.

Moviegoer 2: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I saw that. I saw that. I’d rather see something I haven’t seen yet.

Moviegoer 3: Oh.

Moviegoer 2: But, Riptide is still, still available, a little later.

Moviegoer 3: Well.

Moviegoer 2: Alright. I would see that.

Moviegoer 3: I guess it’s Rip… Riptide.

Moviegoer 1: Yeah, I guess we’ll go, we’ll all see Riptide? Wanna go see Riptide?

Moviegoer 3: Riptide?

(On screen) People sometimes use indirectness to achieve an agenda.

Moviegoer 2: If you guys want to, I’ll see that. I don’t really care.

Moviegoer 1: Okay. Riptide.

Moviegoer 3: Okay, I guess it’s Riptide.

Slide 6 (on screen)

Directness

Answer the following questions.

8. Is it ever desirable to be indirect? If so, when?

9. What are some possible consequences, good and bad, for being direct? Will this influence my strategy?

10. What are some strategies to be both direct and tactful in speech choices?

Slide 7 (on screen)

Hyperbole & Jargon

Select a video.

Mother and Son

Son: So we were down by the lake.

Mother 2: Okay.

Son: And Billy climbed the tree, right? He was up, like, maybe 100, 200 feet, right? On that branch that…

Mother 2: He was up that high?! 200 feet! That’s…

Son: Well, no. Okay. So, like, a basketball hoop.

Mother 2: Oh. Okay.

Son: Like, what’s that? 10 feet.

Mother 2: About 10. Yeah.

Son: 10 feet?

Mother 2: 10.

Son: Alright. And he climbed out on the branch, and he was up above it, right? And there’s still ice on the lake, you know? It’s just completely covered in it. It’s like, you know, two feet thick, and just like this rock solid thing. He’s climbing out on the branch, like he’s Spiderman. And he fell. And broke his whole arm right off. It was wild.

Mother 2: Wait, his arm became detached, and was laying on the ice?

Son: No, no, he had like this huge bruise, and like, he was holding it and crying.

Mother 2: Oh, he was, he was bruised.

Son: Yeah.

Mother 2: Oh. I see.

Son: You, you know, but, like, it was really bad. I had to, like, take off my shirt and splint it up, and, like, he couldn’t move it for, in fa… he lost feeling in his, all of his fingers.

Mother 2: From the bruise, he lost feeling in his…

Son: No, we were cold, ‘cause it, we were outside.

(On screen) Hyperbole can distort situations, making it hard to understand.

Mother 2: It was cold. Ah.

Marketing Consultant Visits a Client

Consultant: So the way I was thinking of running this campaign was to first segment the list into LYBNTYs and SYBNTYs, and then after we read the letters, we would take…

Client: Uh, can we just go back for a second? Um…

Consultant: Yeah, yeah.

Client: Lye-buns and Sigh-buns?

Consultant: Last Year But Not This Year. Same Year… Same Year But Not This Year.

Client: Okay. Got it. Go ahead. Alright, continue. Okay. I’m on board.

Consultant: Right. So we take the mail list and we’ll, we’ll, um, send it to the mail house, and we’ll have then NCOA it, and hygiene it, and merge/purge it. And after we get the counts from that, we’ll…

Client: Um. They… hygiene the letters?

Consultant: No, hygiene the list.

Client: Okay.

Consultant: The list of names.

Client: Okay. And…

Consultant: You know what that is, right?

Client: Uh, right, yeah, sure, now I do. I just was confused for a second. Um, and the NCOA thing? Was that short for…

Consultant: Yeah, National Change of Address

(On screen) Technical language can obscure your meaning with some listeners.

Client: Right, right. Okay. Right.

Consultant: Those are hard, not, yeah.

Client: Yeah, alright, power through. I’m, I’m, yeah, I’m on board.

Consultant: Okay.

Slide 8 (on screen)

Hyperbole & Jargon

Answer the following questions.

11. How do you gauge the appropriateness of jargon?

12. How do these concepts apply to slang?

13. In what situations is hyperbole positive, negative, or neutral?

14. Do you believe hyperbole and jargon is used more among friends and family than other communication contexts? Why or why not? Give examples for each.

Slide 9 (on screen)

Click ‘select all’ to highlight your responses.

Then cut and paste into an email to send to your instructor.

SELECT ALL

1. Why is the distinction between denotation and connotation important?

2. What are some common words in your vocabulary that may have unintended emotion for your “audience”?

3. How can the connotation of words be used to a speaker’s advantage? Are there times when this is unethical? Give three examples of “meanings are in people.”

4. Give three examples of meanings are in people.

5. How can using abstract terms cause problems for a communicator?

6. What makes a term “abstract”?

7. How do you react to abstract language? Do you clarify or ignore it in conversations?

8. Is it ever desirable to be indirect? If so, when?

9. What are some possible consequences, good and bad, for being direct? Will this influence my strategy?

10. What are some strategies to be both direct and tactful in speech choices?

11. How do you gauge the appropriateness of jargon?

12. How do these concepts apply to slang?

13. In what situations is hyperbole positive, negative, or neutral?

14. Do you believe hyperbole and jargon is used more among friends and family than other communication contexts? Why or why not? Give examples for each.

[End of Audio]

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