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Oral Communication
Quarter 2 - Module 2 :
Formation of Meaning
Oral Communication - Grade 11
Quarter 2 Module 2: Formation of Meaning
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Jennelou N. Angelo
Editor: Lucia A. Sunga
Reviewer: Divilyn M. Rodriguez
Illustrators: Julius V. Robles, MA and Angel De Gracia
Layout Artist: Julius V. Robles
Template Developer: Neil Edward D. Diaz
Management Team: Reynaldo M. Guillena
Jinky B. Firman
Marilyn V. Deduyo
Alma C. Cifra
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E-mail Address: [email protected]

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Oral
Communication
Quarter 2 – Module 2:
Formation of Meaning

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Introductory Message
For the facilitator:
Welcome to the Oral Communication Alternative Delivery Mode
(ADM) module on Formation of Meaning.

The activities in this module are arranged sequentially to help the

learners understand the topic and develop the desired skill or learning
competency.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use

this module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while
allowing them to manage their own learning.

Remind the learner that if there are things he/she doesn’t

understand, he/she must not hesitate to call for your help and assistance.

For the learner:

Welcome to the Oral Communication Alternative Delivery Mode
(ADM) module on Formation of Meaning.

The activities in this module are arranged sequentially to help you

understand the topic and develop the desired skill or learning competency.

As a learner, you must learn to become responsible of your own

learning. Take time to read, understand, and perform the different activities
in the module. If there are things you don’t understand, do not hesitate to
call your facilitator / teacher for assistance.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Use a separate sheet of paper in
answering the exercises.
2. Do not forget to answer Let us Try before moving on to the other
activities in the module.
3. Read the instructions carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking
your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are
through with it.
We hope that you will find meaningful learning as you go through the
different activities in this module.

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 Let Us Learn
I am pretty sure that you have enjoyed engaging yourself in learning and
doing the activities in the previous lessons. Congrats! You have shown
your interest in learning. Let me take you to another interesting lesson that will
engage you in interesting activities that I have made in this module.

In this module, we will be learning how the context, speech styles and
speech act dictate the form, duration of interaction, relationship of the speaker,
role, and responsibilities of the speaker, message, and delivery.

MELC: Explains that a shift in speech context, speech style, speech act and
communicative strategy affects the following: language form, duration of
interaction, relationship of speaker, role and responsibilities of the speaker,
message, and delivery (EN11/12OCIIab-22 / EN11/12OCIIab-22.1-22.6)

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. critique one’s choice of language based on in-depth analyses of several
contexts;
2. demonstrate appropriate language form; and
3. explain the factors that affect listeners’ formation of meaning.

Let Us Try
Directions: Read the statements below and encircle your answer. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
1. What refers to the choice of words, mood, or feelings of the speaker?
a. attitude
b. delivery
c. tone
d. message

2. Which of the following affects the formation of meaning?

a. delivery
b. role of the speaker
c. language form
d. all of the above

3. Which of the following deals with the ability of the host to use punctuations?
a. Communicative function
b. Specific Meaning
c. Social Context
d. Language Form

4. Which of the following does not communicate the tone?

a. audience
b. purpose
c. impact
d. occasion

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5. Which of the following interprets the content the way the sender delivers the
message?
a. receiver
b. feedback
c. encoder
d. author

6. What tone does student 2 imply in the conversation below?

Student 1: You never told me that today is the deadline for our project.
Student 2: I did. I even messaged you last night.
a. anxious
b. wary
c. apprehensive
d. sad

7. Which of the following speaks on how the host used the language to deliver
his ideas and opinions?
a. communicative function
b. social context
c. specific meaning
d. duration of interaction

8. In the example transcript below, how do you view the speaker’s delivery?
My mother sometimes has to attend to something and she would ask me to
look after my siblings. It seems to me that I am the only one who could be of
help to my parents. Then, there were instances that I had to find work so I
could save some money and buy the things I need

a. apologetic
b. contrite
c. repentant
d. sorry

9. How do you think the speaker delivers the message below?

It is a commonly accepted notion that it takes a village to raise a child. This
means that several institutions are involved in shaping the child into becoming
an informed, civically engaged member of a community, and industrious
student at school. Institutions include the family or home, neighborhood or
community, church, government, and the school. The interplay of these
institutions is a critical factor in the formation of the child’s mindset and
behavior.

a. calm
b. irritated
c. convincing
d. gloomy

10. What is the initial step to communicate your point of view?

a. know the purpose
b. know the topic

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 c. know the occasion
d. none of the above

Reformulation
Directions: Which of the following sentences closely reformulates the given
statements? Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
11. “Everything, crazy and I mad at them.”

a. I am mad at them and everything is crazy.

b. Everything is mad and they are crazy.
c. Everything is just crazy, and it makes me mad at them.
d. I am crazy and everything is mad.

12. “The world doesn’t know why I am running very away.”

a. The world knew why I am running very away.
b. The world doesn’t know why I am running away.
c. The world knew I am running away.
d. I am running very away from the world that doesn’t know.

13. “COVID-19 is here, there, and everywhere and so it is pandemic."

a. The pandemic is everywhere.
b. The pandemic of Covid-19 is there, here and everywhere.
c. The Covid-19 pandemic is here, there and everywhere.
d. It’s here, there and everywhere; it’s the Covid-19 pandemic.

14. The landscape makes your heart jaw-dropping that it can leap for joy.
a. It is jaw-dropping, the landscape; that it makes your heart lead for joy.
b. The landscape is jaw-dropping that it makes your heart leap for joy.
c. It makes you heart leap for joy, that landscape is jaw-dropping.
d. All of the above

15. “I lost my friend from the virus and now I am most lonely.
a. The virus is lonely and I lost my friend.
b. I am most lonely because I lost my friend from the virus.
c. I am lonely because I lost a friend from the virus.
d. None of the above.

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 Module

2 Formation of Meaning

Let Us Study

Have you experienced that your speech utterance is misconstrued by your

listeners or your message is interpreted in different contexts? Well, these are the
common reasons why our message loses its meaning; so let me help you in
understanding the complexities of conversations and how form and context change.

There is an adage commonly thrown around that says, “meanings are in

people”. This denotes that a word or statement does not have an inherent or fixed
meaning. Rather, the meaning depends on the interpretation of the person who
hears such a word or statement, and the interpretation depends on the listener’s
beliefs, previous experiences, or background because no two persons can have
similar beliefs or experiences.

Activity 1 Watch My Words!

Look at the picture below and interpret what the mother said to her son.

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 In the previous lessons, we have learned that our speech mirrors who we are
relating to -- our speech styles, speech context, and communicative strategies.
When we are asked to speak publicly, the common questions you will ask are the
occasion, type of audience, and purpose. For instance, your teacher finds your
research project interesting, and he asks you to present your work to his other
classes.

In this situation, you will find the invitation interesting since it is a rare
opportunity for you to speak publicly. But with the type of audience that you have
and the occasion, which varies the delivery of the message, you will feel that you
can easily connect to the audience and your purpose is simply to inform. Maybe the
style of presenting your project to the audience will be based on your own personal
preference. Unlike when you are asked to speak to a parent’s orientation where the
target audience are the parents, who come from different backgrounds, your
purpose and the delivery of message are different from the previous situation.

So, it is then important to be able to determine the answer to the questions

below:

Occasion: What will you talk about?

Type of audience: Who will be there?

Purpose: Why?

Knowing your topic is the initial step to communicate your point of view;
while knowing your audience allows you to emphasize certain details or ideas
within your topic that is relevant to your audience; and knowing the intent of your
speech gives you the motivation to really connect to your audience. Thus, a
smooth transition of knowledge can be achieved.

Communication, as we have learned, involves the sender and the receiver.

The sender communicates the message with the goal of delivering the message
clearly and the receiver who receives it will also have the goal of interpreting the
content the way the sender delivers the message. But, sometimes, it never happens
this way. Sometimes, the message that you would like to convey is put into a
different context.

This is often true when you are commenting on your friend’s post on
Facebook or imposing a specific policy in the classroom. Your message would come

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across to some as arrogant and inconsiderate even though you did not intend it
that way.

Take the case of President Rodrigo Duterte. The President has supporters
and critics. These two groups of people may be looking at the same cup that is
either half-full or half-empty. To the supporters, the cup can be half-full but the
critics view it is half-empty. Thus, your identity as either a supporter or critic
already determines the kind of meaning you will form.

The concept of understanding the message imposes the role of the sender in
being mindful of his words and fitting the context of his message to the type of
audience he has. Even the delivery of the message and his role as a speaker must
also be considered. The same is true to the receiver of the message. He must also
consider what form of language the speaker intends to communicate. Does the
speaker intend to impose a command? Does he want to show his authority?
Whatever the intentions are, it will only show that the message implies a purpose.

There are other factors that affect the listeners’ formation of meaning and
these are as follow:

Language form

The kind of language used by a speaker is important in establishing a

connection with his/her audience. The greater the familiarity of the audience to the
language or words used, the better the connection. Hence, the higher chances that
the audience thinks or acts according to the speaker’s desire.

Let us study this picture again…

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 We usually interpret the above words as sarcasm as mothers do not
encourage spending time on playing and just watching tv all day long, which is
derived from the listener’s experience. The listener, may interpret this otherwise if
there is a change in tone and intonation when the above words are uttered.
Interpretation also differs depending on who uttered the above words. If it were a
friend or a colleague, then it can be interpreted differently.

Bygates (2010) explains that limitations in understanding of the text or

message can be a reason for conflict and misunderstanding. He emphasized that
often, we think that we sent a message in a complete and self-sufficient way, so we
assume we are perfectly understood by our intended listeners only to realize later
that we are not. As a result, we could come across as arrogant, mean, and obscure
because our message lacks explicitness. We must leave our listeners with
something to work on or to interpret the message based on the context it entails
the listener to process.

That is why Bygate (2010) presents the three kinds of sentence meanings to
help listeners understand the forms and structure: Communicative function which
deals with the ability of the host to use the punctuations properly such as how
interrogatives are formed, how to complain, ask or apologize. Specific meaning
speaks about how the host used the language to deliver his ideas and opinions.
Social context refers to the manner of conversing whether it be making connections
or exchanging ideas.

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Duration of interaction

Duration or time factor is crucial in sustaining the interaction between the

speaker and the listener. If the listener is a supporter of the speaker, then the
former has high chances of staying until the latter finishes the message’s delivery.
But if the listener is a critic, he/she may not have the patience to stay until the
end. As such, the duration of interaction can then affect the formation of meaning.
Critic leaves midway of the interaction then the meaning can be distorted.

Keep your message simple, brief, precise and determine only the important
points and give examples for each point.

Relationship of Speaker

The nature of the relationship between the speaker and the listener
determines the kind of interaction would transpire. The closer the relationship, the
better is the exchange of information.

Observe the dialogues below:

Convo 1: Teacher and Student

Teacher: Donnie, is it true that you took Arthur’s lunch money and threw his books
at the rubbish bin?
Donnie: Ahhh..No ma’am, that’s not true. Besides, Arthur and I were having fun.
Right, Arthur?
Arthur: (scared and timidly answered). Yes ma’am. Donnie and I were just goofing
around.

Convo 2: Donnie and his friends

Friend 1: Hey, Donnie! Is it true that you took Arthur’s money and books?
Donnie: Yeah, you should have seen the look on his face when I threw his books into
the bin. And when our teacher asked about it, I made sure Arthur would not snitch
on me.

Convo 3: Arthur and his friends

Friend: Arthur, I heard what happened between Donnie and you. Is it true?
Arthur: Yeah, it is.
Friend: I am so sorry about that, I wish I were there to help you out.
Arthur: Yeah, I wish there was a way I could stop him. Thank you though for caring.

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 The examples above emphasize that there is a need to build a deeper
relationship between the (speaker) teachers and (receiver) students, so that
students can be more trusting of their teachers. For effective communication to
happen, trust is vital. Once the audience trusts that a speaker is reliable or an
expert on the said topic or is someone they know to be trustworthy, the flow of
communication becomes smoother.

Role of the Speaker

The speaker’s purpose in an interaction allows the listener to assess whether

the exchange of information is worthwhile or otherwise. If the speaker’s role, say, to
inform, is achieved, then the listener tends to value the message that was
imparted. But if the listener thinks the purpose was not achieved, then the
information shared might just be disregarded.

Therefore, the speaker must determine his purpose and role in administering
the speech. He needs to understand his topic, its essence, and its impact on the
audience. It allows the speaker to determine beforehand the necessary changes or
improvements he needs to undertake.

Delivery

The manner by which the message is delivered affects the formation of

meaning. “The medium is the message,” an expression coined by McLuhan in (Carr,
2010), alludes to the importance of message delivery. The medium can be as
powerful, if not more powerful, than the content.

Message

A message is brought to life by how the speaker delivers it. A topic or the
content in itself may be compelling, but it needs human emotion to draw out a
reaction from its audience. Most of the time, the audience’s reaction mirrors the
emotion and reaction of the speaker. So when President Duterte said, “My God, I
hate drugs”, his raw emotion and disgust over drugs are mirrored by those that
share his opinion.

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 Let Us Practice
Activity 2 Decipher Me!
Study the dialogue below. Then, compare the use of words, message, tone,
and delivery. Your work will be rated on the following criteria:

Content - 10pts
Spelling, Grammar and Consistency - 5pts
Total = 15pts

Dialogue 1: Teacher and Student

Teacher: Donnie, is it true that you took Arthur’s lunch money and threw his
books in the rubbish bin?
Donnie: Ahhh..No ma’am, that’s not true. Besides, Arthur and I were just
having fun. Right, Arthur?
Arthur: (scared and timidly answered). Yes ma’am. Donnie and I were just
goofing around.

Dialogue 2: Donnie and His Friends

Friend 1: Hey, Donnie is it true that you took Arthur’s money and books?
Donnie: Yeah, you should have seen the look on his face when I threw his books
at the bin. And when our teacher asked about it, I made sure Arthur would not
snitch on me.

Dialogue 3: Arthur and His Friends

Friend: Arthur, I heard what happened between Donnie and you. Is it true?
Arthur: Yeah, it is.
Friend: I am so sorry about that, I wish I were there to help you out.
Arthur: Yeah, I wish there was a way I could stop him. Thank you though for
caring.

Let Us Practice More

Activity 3: Write Me In!
Choose one (1) topic below and make an essay. Then, discuss the
choice of words used. Your work will be rated on the following criteria:
Content - 10pts
Spelling, Grammar and Consistency - 5pts
Total = 15pts

Topic: COVID-19: How it Changed the World

A. Pulled Economics Down to its Knees: Countries suffered economically when
businesses had to be closed to avoid the further spread of the virus. This

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 caused financial losses for small and big businesses that were forced to stop
during the spread of the pandemic.

B. Unemployment Increased: As more companies became bankrupt, more

employees had to be retrenched to cut losses resulting in the increase of
unemployed individuals.

C. Environmental Restarter: COVID-19 caused factories to shut down and so

people’s movement and human imprint slowed down, allowing the
environment to heal itself.

Let Us Remember
Activity 4: The Price is Right
Essay! Answer the question below. Your work will be rated on the
following criteria:

Content - 10pts
Spelling, Grammar and Consistency - 5pts
Total = 15pts

How Does Context Change?

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____________________________________________________________.

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 Let Us Assess
Directions: Read the statements below and encircle your answer.

1. What dictates the formation of meaning and its context?

a. language form
b. audience
c. delivery
d. purpose

2. What element of communication needs human emotions to draw out a

reaction from the audience?
a. receiver
b. sender
c. message
d. feedback

3. In the example transcript below, how do you view the speaker’s delivery of
the context of the message?
I can’t endure looking at my younger siblings who have nothing to eat.
Hence, I would use my money to buy food. I couldn’t bear looking at
them crying because of hunger.

a. pathetic
b. shame
c. indifference
d. pitiful

4. What is the purpose of the speaker in the interaction?

a. to decode the message
b. to allow the listener to assess whether the exchange of information is
worthwhile or not
c. to value the message
d. to limit the understanding of the text

5. When we deliver our message, what are the three things that we normally
ask?
a. occasion, audience, and purpose
b. mood, tone, and delivery
c. the setting, time, and choice of words
d. length of piece, tone, and occasion

6. Which of the following factors affects the formation of meaning?

a. choice of words
b. duration of interaction
c. delivery
d. all of the above

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 7. What tone does Friend 2 imply in the conversation below?
Friend 1: Hey, Donnie! Is it true that you took Arthur’s money and books?
Friend 2: Yeah, you should have seen the look on his face when I threw his
books into the bin. And when our teacher asked about it, I made sure Arthur
would not snitch on me.
a. hubristic
b. opportune
c. advantageous
d. adoring

8. What is the common problem that communicators usually face when trying
to express their messages accurately?
a. vocabulary
b. time
c. genre
d. attitude

9. What form of oral skill helps someone to understand the message and
intonation beyond its immediate context?
a. contextualization
b. decontextualized
c. mood and tone
d. language form

10. Which of the following deals with the ability of the host to use punctuations?
a. communicative function
b. specific meaning
c. social context
d. language form

Meaning: Read the statements write the letter of the correct answer on a separate
sheet of paper.
11. “The plan is to create a module that is comprehensible, but it turned out
abstruse which was disappointing.” Which best relates to abstruse?

a. very interesting
b. difficult to understand
c. hard to deny
d. very clear

12. Which word means acumen? “He had the acumen to handle any kind of
situation with ease.”
a. Shyness
b. Eagerness
c. Shrewdness
d. Style

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 13. “He was so hurt with the way you handled things, and how you callously
criticized him.” What does callously mean?
a. truthful
b. cruel
c. kindly
d. None of the above

14. “She was probably under duress when she signed that confession.” What
could duress mean?
a. forced
b. fun
c. willingly
d. enjoyed

15. “Have you heard about the investment firm that was close down earlier today
due to embezzlement?” What could embezzlement mean?
a. Safe appropriation of funds
b. Fraudulent appropriation of funds
c. Dangerous appropriation of funds
d. Interesting appropriation of funds

Let Us Enhance

Activity 5. Show-and-Tell
Choose one dialogue below and explain how the duration of interaction and
the role of the speaker will affect the language form. Your work will be rated on the
following criteria:

Content - 10pts
Spelling, Grammar, and Consistency - 5pts
Total = 15pts

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Dialogue 1

Dialogue 2

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Dialogue 3

Dialogue 4

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 Let Us Reflect

Activity 6: Complete Me
Solve this puzzle by answering the clues below.

2 3

2 3

6 4

7 5

8 7

Across

1. It pertains to sentence structure.

2. It is one of the most important elements in the communication process. It can be
in written or oral form.
3. It expresses the meanings and context.
4. It is used to communicate. It involves syntax, semantics, pragmatics, phonology,
and phonetics.
5. Content
6. The one who interprets and decodes the message
7. It is the ability to express our thoughts and opinions.
8. It is used to send and to receive the message.

Down
1. It deals with meanings.
2. It affects the formation of meaning.
3. The one who transmits the message
4. It can be misinterpreted and misconstrued.
5. The smallest unit of sound.
6. It expresses our moods.
7. It deals with the use of language in conversing with someone.

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