Language and Communication

Two sides of a coin

Is it really so?
Dilip Barad, Ph.D.
Department of English, Bhavnagar University.
Gujarat. (India)
[email protected]
www.dilipbarad.com
12th February, 2011
Saturday

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 What is the meaning of ‘language’?
• 1. communication with words: the human use of spoken or written
words as a communication system
• 2. speech of group: the speech of a country, region, or group of people,
including its vocabulary, syntax, and grammar
• 3. system of communication: a system of communication with its own
set of conventions or special words sign language
• 4. nonverbal communication between animals: a nonverbal form of
communication used by birds and animals
• 5. nonverbal communication between humans: the use of signs,
gestures, or inarticulate sounds to communicate something
• 6. specialist vocabulary: the forms of expression used by those in a
particular group or sphere of activity
• 7. style of verbal expression: the verbal style by which people express
themselves the language of diplomacy
• 8. COMPUT Same as programming language
• Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.
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 What is communication?
• … is a process of transferring information from
one entity to another. (wikipedia)
• … is the activity of conveying information (?)
• … is a process whereby meaning is defined
and shared between living organisms.
• No Petrol / Diesel Day – 14th Feb.

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 No Petrol / Diesel Day – 14th Feb
• Fight against Govt’s policy to liberalize price of
Crude oil.
• Ecological reasons – Save Environment!
• Ambush marketing of Valentine’s Day!
• Cultural attack?

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 Communication !?!
• “Please communicate this message to all
employees";
• "He communicated his anxieties to the
psychiatrist"
• "communicate a disease"
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

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 Mr. A (tom, dick and harry) married
Ms. B (jill, jane and julie).
• ‘Sania married Shaoib.
• So and so Minister married some Beautician.
• Preeti Zinta married Yuvraj
• Amitabh married Rekha.

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• Cna yuo raed tihs? Suteids sohw taht olny aoubt
55 prcenet of plepoe can. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I
cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I am rdanieg. Tihs
sohws us the phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan
mnid. Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
an Elingsh Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr waht oerdr
the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng
is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer are in the rghit
pclae. The rset of the txet can be a taotl mses and
you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey
lteter by istlef, but isntaed raeds the wrod as a
wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and we awlyas
tghuhot slpelnig was ipmorantt!
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Shouldn’t this student get 10/10?

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 What message is conveyed by this
example
• If milkman wants to sell 10 liters of milk and cow
gives only 6 liters, how much water will he have
to mix with milk?
• 10 – 6 = 4 Liters.

• The message conveyed is - ‘there is nothing

wrong in mixing milk with water to increase
sales’.
• Raises questions – ethics in business – ‘Aren’t our
best models of entrepreneurship dealing with
mixing milk and water as ethical practices?’
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 Is communication skill English
language skill?
• No where the above definitions speak of English
as language for communication.
• C.S. is more about negotiations
• … about convincing people…
• … about understanding difference between
argument and discussion (A discussion is an exchange of
information, but an argument is a contest of wills.)

• … about making people believe in what we

believe.
• One should has CS in mother language first…
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Some say Picture is worth a thousand
words:
Tigermomism

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Image of
INDIA:

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Pictures also communicate in context

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What we want to teach is BC in Business letters / emails. Are we
teaching email writing or …….. ???

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 Let us check general knowledge:
• What is Jawaharlal Nehru’s son’s name?

• ‘Save The Girl Child’

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Stop Racism / casteism / creedism /
colourism

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 Myths of Communication
• Myth:
• CS is English language skills.
• Language communicates…
• Language & Communication - two sides of a coin?
• Reality:
• CS is not all about English language, it is about soft skills in mother
language.
• Language does not communicate… it is ‘context’ that gives/defines
meaning…
• The context is not two dimensional, it is multidimensional.
• It is context that gives meaning – not the language.
Communication happens because of context – and
• Aprior understanding of the words is necessary – words are
predefined (conditioned/programmed) and its predefinition gives
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• Watch this video:
• Your observation is at test
• At the same time the idea that ‘seeing is
believing’ – is challenged.

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• Language in any form – verbal, non-verbal,
animated – does not communicate.
• Language is double-edged sword – it seems
that it is power – it seems that it strengthens
us – in fact, it exploits us.
• The people in the ‘centre’ (power) uses
language to exploit the ‘other’.
• Important thing is to be in ‘power’ (centre)
from where one can define language.
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 Source:
• Western discourse on psycholinguistics –
Lacan and Kristeva – ‘Otherness of Language’
and ‘Strangers to Ourselves’.
• Indian Aesthetics – Shabda Brahma - meaning
of a word has four layers – par, pasyanti,
madhyama, and vaikhri.

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 To conclude, I make two statements…
• Language does not communicate…
• Language is used to ‘condition’ mind
(identity), not to communicate…

• If you do not agree with me, the first

statement is true…
• If you agree, second is true…
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 Finally,
• To be effective communicator in 21st Century
we should have two characteristics:
• One, while communicating keep all our senses
open (even common sense), so that none can
exploit and subjugate us.
• Second, learn the skills to use language to
exploit others.

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 Thank You!
• The topic does not end here, it begins from
here…
• Your comments, observations, suggestions are
invited on virtual world:
• Please share your views on ‘Discussion Board’
on Facebook.
• Search for ‘Dilip Barad Page’ on Facebook and
click ‘Discussion’…
• [email protected]
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 Reference
• http://www.people-communicating.com/what-is-communication.html
• Monipally, Matthew. A Craft of Business letter. TataMcGrowHill.
• Seturaman, V.S. Indian Aesthetics. Macmillan.
• Besley, Catherine. Poststructuralism. A very short intro series. OUP
• The Times of India. February, 2011.
• www.indiatimes.com
• Microsoft Encarta. 2007.
• Barad, D.P. To Spell or Not to Spell. Voices. IATEFL. 2008.
• www.youtube.com
• Whodunnit? Video released by Transport of London.
• www.wikipedia.com
• www.dictionary.com

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