Language as an Element of Interpersonal Communication - Report Example

Language as an element of interpersonal communication Language as an interpersonal communication element ment of purpose The purpose of this interpersonal group project is to demonstrate and analyze the aspect of language in interpersonal communication. In particular, the project discusses the use of language and its various sub elements in the occupation of a waiter. The project will show a short video of a waiter serving three youths in a restaurant and the communication that ensues. Specifically, the video aims to show the different components or functions of language such as directives, impressive, expressive, and performative. Today, I am going to show how language is used in the waiter profession by relating to the short video. Language is the system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other. It is any one of the systems of human language that are used and understood by a particular group of people. In this element of interpersonal communication, conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings are used to systematically communicate ideas or feelings. In this this project, the language in use was English and although the waiter admits to having poor oral skills in the language, they manage to communicate well. In fact, one of the major elements demonstrated in the video is the hindrance to communication posed by language differences. Three students embark on an excursion in which they visit a Chinese restaurant to try out Chinese food. The waiter at Id cha house is excited to see them and starts a conversation in which he asks them how many they are. One of them responds that they would want to be reserved a table for three but it turns out that the waiter does not understand. On seeing this, one of the students is quick to use gestures showing the number three to save the situation. In addition, the waiter asks them if they want water. His pronunciation of the word water is however skewed and the students are surprised. The look on each of their faces betrays the fact that they expected everyone else to be fluent in their language. The waiter is adamant that he does not speak fluent English and had in fact spoken to the customers in Chinese initially. However, this is overcome by the use of conventional gestures and signs to convey meaning. The waiter uses his lip movement to say the word water and the students understand his meaning. Another component of language that is evident in the video is the use of directives in communicating between the waiter and the three customers. For example, when the customers request for three glasses of water, they use direct requests in making that communication. There are very many instances in which the customers use directives in communicating with the waiter. Another instance is when the lady customer appeals for more time before they could place their orders. It appears to her that the waiter was being impatient with them and was rushing them to make fast orders. In response, she indirectly requests that the waiter stops nagging them by asking for more time, albeit with a smile. At the start of the video, one of the friends requests that they suggest somewhere they can go. The other guy suggests that they go and have Mexican food but the lady objects by suggesting that they try out Chinese food. An argument ensues in which one of the guys demonstrates his distaste for Asian food but is eventually prevailed upon by the others to tag along. The interesting bit is the language used in convincing him to join the rest. The lady argues that he shouldn’t even be complaining since it was not his car that was in use and that he would part with nothing. In so doing, the lady uses di9rectives in making the guy come with them to the Chinese food restaurant. Another element of language used is the use of impressives in communicating ideas and feelings. In particular, the video uses both euphemism and evocative words to portray both appealing and hurtful messages. When the other two students insist that they try out the Chinese food joint, the third guy pulls back his distaste for Chinese food and opts to go with them. Although reluctant in the first place, the gentleman joins them, not because he starts liking Asian food instantly but because he knows it would make them happy if he did go. The language he uses is appealing as well, especially when he says “Asian food, really!” The statement, though meant to despise Asian food does not come out as such and one may think that he was just not in it that day. As the video comes to an end, the waiter’s friend comes to the defense of the students for not paying tips. He argues that they do not have enough money to pay tips and should therefore not be despised or condemned for not doing so. In another instance, the contrast opposite of euphemism is used to show the use of impressives in conveying messages. When the students leave, the waiter curses upon realizing that they did not pay a tip. He is recorded as saying “fu*k” therefore showing his disinterest in the excuse given by his friend. The user of evocative words is of great importance in showing the emotions and feelings of the person communicating a particular message. This element of communication is like a double edged sword because it can be used to convey hurtful messages as well as conceal the hurt by using euphemism. The video also uses the element of gestures in language to show how interpersonal communication can be more effective. The number of times that the video explores gestures is countless in this video but this project will give out examples of a few. Particularly, gestures are important in solving barriers to communication that are occasioned by language use. Gestures are body movements especially the hands and arms to convey or expound messages. It is believed that they were the first form of human communication long before language was invented. They play a big role in general communication and are unconscious bodily movements. In one instance, when they reach the restaurant, one person opens the door and gestures to the rest to go in first. The element of communication is so effective that he does not need to speak to convey that message. Automatically, the other two students do as he “says” as if it were a command or a request that he made to them. When they request for a table for three people, one of them gestures using his three fingers to show that they wanted a table for three people. The message is driven home with so much accuracy that even the language barrier is overcome. The waiter is then able to understand what they mean and organizes for that. In this respect, the importance of gestures in conveying messages that would otherwise seem hard to convey through language is emphasized. Both conventional and non-conventional signs are used in the video deliberately to show that gestures are intuitive and unconscious ways of communication. It needs not be conventional for it to be understood. The use of gestures is wide and diverse and this fact is shown in the frequency of its use in the video. When they are deciding on what to eat, the t5hree students use gestures to point to each other and to change the communication from one speaker to the other. For example, when the lady tells the gentleman to choose, she does so by pointing to him. Moreover, the gentleman calls the waiter by gesturing to him to come. This he does by raising his hand and snapping his fingers thereby getting the waiter’s attention. The waiter reciprocates this by raising his open hand to show that he had seen them. It appears that the use of gestures in language communication was somehow ‘contagious’ therefore compelling the waiter to use it as had the student. Facial expression is another notable element that is highly evident in this video. Both the waiter and the three customers are privy to the fact that facial expressions are important elements in language communication. Although not used alone, facial expression is important in showing the mood of the message being passed across. According to DeVito (2009) the use of facial expressions bolsters the conveyance of messages in any interpersonal communication. When the lady suggests that they visit the Chinese restaurant, one of the gentlemen frowns to show that he does not like the idea. In contrast, the lady smiles a lot in pleading with the gentleman to tag along thus showing her happy mood. The smile on her face remains intact showing that she is happy that they reached that decision. When the waiter does not understand their language, the three students astonished. This can be seen by how they look at the waiter and how uneasy they are. Perhaps this is the reason the waiter admits that his English is poor because he can read that from their facial expressions. This is also evident in their decision to keep quiet and just stare at him obviously out of astonishment. In addition, the customers are very serious when they explain their order especially when they realize that the waiter does not speak fluent English. Another facial expression is the smile that the customers have on their face when they realize that the waiter has eventually understood what they want. The posture of the people in the video is also important in conveying their ideas and feelings. When the communication between the customers and the waiter becomes hard, the customers change their body position and at times look away from the waiter. That body posture communicates the message that the customers are bored. In one instance, the gentleman has his hands wrapped at the front of his chest thereby showing that he was bored of waiting for the food for that long. When they eventually make the order, the lady moves back and forth to try and communicate her message to the waiter who looks surprised that they want to share one plate of food. The body posture is important in portraying the feelings of the people in any communication. In this video, the element portrayed the different feelings that the people had and a change in posture reflected a change in their feelings. This project has identified the element of language in interpersonal communication and how the various sub elements of language are used in the video. Language is an important element in interpersonal communication and it would be impossible to communicate without it. The video is not an isolated case in how language is used but an example of the many scenarios in which language is used in interpersonal communication. References DeVito, J. (2009). The interpersonal communication book (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Read More