Language and thought

1. Language? - message of what thinking – convey ideas, share feelings, describe experiences Language – shape and influence thinking Sloppy – vague, general, indistinct, imprecise, foolish, inaccurate Clear, precise language leads to clear precise thinking, speaking and writing – crucial What if no language?, evolve over time Symbolic nature of language – represent something else Language – system of spoken sounds and written marks Semantic (denotation)-general properties and examples Perceptual-unique, personal feelings based on experiences and associations Syntactic-defines its relation to other words in sentence Language and thought

2. Pragmatic-situational meaning Using language effectively – how language functions depends on how it is used – read widely Language reflects thinking, thinking shaped by language Two distinct processes – very closely related, interactive Improving vague language – no vague words Using language in social contexts - Standard American English Slang Jargon – professional circles, interest groups, not general public Dialects – different for particular region Social boundaries of language – smaller groups – distinct language patterns – social context, social variation Using language to influence – don't be unconsciously manipulate

3. Euphemistic language – substituting a more pleasant, less objectionable for blunt, more direct way – why? Can be dangerous – mislead Language – provides a structure for learning, shapes and forms our thoughts, organizes, communicate our thinking – others can comprehend our meaning Gender differences in thinking? Wives – want conversational partners, husbands don't Women – intimacy is the fabric of relationships, talk is thread, conversation is cornerstone of friendship – sense of closeness, life shared Men – less on talking, more on doing things together, don't like to listen – feel one-down Women – face each other directly, eyes on each others faces Men – angles to each other – periodically glance

4. Women – talk at length about one topic Men – jump from topic to topic Girls – exchanged stories about people they knew Boys – teased, told jokes, things in room Switching topics – women assume men aren't listening Problems – boys dismiss, girls ask probing questions, expressing agreement and understanding, women perceive as belittling and unsupportive Women make more listening noises, men silent attention, men interpret noises as overreaction and impatience Women finish each other's sentences, anticipate what about to say – men see as interruptive, intrusive, lack of attention Women express agreement and support, men point out other side of argument – women see as disloyal

5. Women – talk increases intimacy, greatest fear is being pushed away, men – talk maintains independence and status – on guard to protect themselves from being put down and pushed around. Once problem is understood, improvement comes naturally.

6. Men prefer to hold the floor, speaking for an average of three-and-a-half minutes, frown on interruption and compete for expert status. • Women, on the other hand, cooperate with each other to tell a story, finishing each other's sentences, making more encouraging noises then men and often even talking at once. • "For males, conversation is the way you negotiate your status in the group and keep people from pushing you around; you use talk to preserve your independence. Females, on the other hand, use conversation to negotiate closeness and intimacy; talk is the essence of intimacy, so being best friends means sitting and talking. For boys, activities, doing things together, are central. Just sitting and talking is not an essential part of friendship. They're friends with the boys they do things with."

7. Assign #14: pg. 220, thinking activity, 6.4 – (due 5/18, 5/20)‏ • Assign#15: pg. 224, thinking activity, 6.5, include a review – (due 5/18, 5/20)‏ • Assign#16: pg. 232, thinking activity, 6.7, – (due 5/18, 5/20)‏