Since the beginning of human existence, communication has been a way for individuals to express their thoughts and feelings. Although many people tend to think that language is the only form of communication, it is clear that language works together with nonverbal cues to convey a specific message. The television show Modern Family illustrates various interactions between language and nonverbal codes. During one of the scenes, it is clear to see that Alex is upset about the fact that she had to break up Sanjay, her boyfriend, due to the fact that he is going off to college. Although she repeatedly states that she is okay and tries to justify the break up with logic, the combination of her language and nonverbal cues allows Cam to see how distressed …show more content…
Even though she says she is okay, it is incredibly clear to see that she is upset. One verbal issue that appears to be at play here is the matter of connotation and denotation. While connotation is the emotional response to a word or phrase, denotation is the dictionary definition (O’Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2015, p. 72). When Alex says that she and Sanjay “both feel really good about [the breakup]”, it is clear that the words she says and the meaning behind them are completely different (Levitan & Lloyd, 2015). The denotative meaning behind her phrase suggests that Alex is coping well with the break up; however, the way she says it allows Cam to see that she really is not okay. Combining this with her pitch, it makes it more obvious that Alex is trying to mask her true feelings. Normally, when people say “it’s fine”, it suggests that they are okay with the situation at hand; however, in Alex’s case, what she is really saying is that it is not fine but there is nothing she can do because Sanjay is going off to college. If her nonverbal cues had complemented what she was saying instead of contradicting it, there could have been an incredible misunderstanding between Alex and Cam. In addition, she does not make eye contact with Cam as she says that, reinforcing the fact that she is upset. Although Alex tries to hide her …show more content…
According to O’Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, and Teven, high language is more formal, polite language, usually used in business settings or in formal social gatherings, while low language usually involves slang and is the type of language used in a comfortable atmosphere (2015). As Alex explains to Cam the issue that is upsetting her, she says everything very rationally, taking a logical approach instead of an emotional one. Her diplomatic attitude seems inappropriate for the situation at hand because it demonstrates that Alex is attempting to hide her feelings instead of admitting them. Although this use of high language could potentially cause an issue in the conversation, the interaction between Alex’s verbal and nonverbal communication permits Cam to see how upset she is. Contrary to Alex’s use of high language, Cam decides to utilize low language in order to comfort her and make her feel better. He understands that even though she is very intelligent and mature, it is more appropriate to speak to her in a more emotional and intimate way instead of taking a logical, adult approach. Cam uses words like “honey” and tries to relate and console her rather than following Alex’s behaviors and justifying the end of her relationship. Pairing his use of low language with physical
In the course of this essay I shall be looking at the role of the
In this project, we were told to analyze two pieces of pop culture and report back the ratio of men versus women, racial minorities versus whites, homosexual couples versus heterosexual couples, adults over 40 versus adults 18-40, and the number of whole women versus the number of parts of women’s bodies. The pieces of media that I chose to analyze were The Goldbergs and Modern Family. I believe that the target audience for The Goldbergs is people who grew up in the 1980s because this show is supposed to be set during that time and references many things that those people could relate to. In addition to this, they tend to feature older people as the main characters in order to draw in their obvious target audience. It seems as though the target audience for Modern Family is young adults to adults. They feature more minorities and things that the young generation tend to relate to more. Both of the target audiences are made quite clear if you really pay attention to the programs.
There are two forms of communication, verbal and nonverbal. The strongest form of communication is when both of these elements work together to convey the person’s message. This essay will analyze the forms of verbal and nonverbal communication in the show “Blackish” by Kenya Barris, an American comedy that surrounds an African American family. The episode being analyzed is from season 3 episode 2, titled “GOD”, where the daughter explains to her dad that she is beginning to lose faith that god exists, so the father tries to persuade her in different forms. To be more specific, the scene being analyzed is when the family goes with the mother to get a sonogram of the baby. The use of verbal and nonverbal language can affect the environment or
Communications generally occur in body languages: how the individuals interpret each other. Her essay is an event that is reoccurring more and more lately. The event results in a failure in marriage. In today’s society more and more people are splitting up or having divorces due to miscommunications. The essay, “Sex, Lies and Conversation,” that Deborah Tannen wrote is much use of today because it explains where miscommunications happen and she has her own studies and research to back it up. The essay goes into depth about her ideologies that cause miscommunications. Look at a miscommunication twice and do not be quick to judge because it will save plenty of
Family members’ ability to effectively express their emotions, insights, and ideas to each other reflects how well members relate to each other, and how well the family functions as a whole. According to Kirst-Ashman & Hull (2012) assessing communication patterns within a family is crucial to the planned change process that must occur in order to assist families reconcile their problems in the best possible way (p.331). There are various facets of communication in addition to verbal and nonverbal communication. There are at least five different paths of communication, referred to as avenues of communication, which include: consonance, condemnation, submission, intellectualization, and indifference (p. 331-332). An assessment of the various facets of communication used by a family is useful in indicating where change is
While communicating with another human being, one only has to examine the other’s face in order to comprehend what is being said on a much deeper level. It is said that up to 55 percent of a message’s meaning can be derived from facial expression (Subramani, 2010). These facial manipulations allow thoughts to be expressed in ways that are often difficult to articulate verbally, with the face demonstrating “the thoughts of the mind, and the feelings of the heart” (Singla). Many expressions are said to universal, particularly those showing happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, and...
Sociologists view the family as a universal institution that is central to social life (Powell and Branden 2007). The family is defined as a group of people related by descent, marriage, or adoption (pg 365). Marriage plays a pivotal role in families, marriage is the socially acknowledged and approved and often legal union of two people, allowing them to live together and to have children by birth or adoption (pg 365). The key to understanding the family are the concepts of endogamy and exogamy; endogamy is marriage to someone with similar characteristics in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, education level, social class,
Society seems to have many different opinions when it comes to relationships and families and what is ideal. The ideal family may not exist anymore. We now have in our society families that are complete that do not necessarily contain the traditional material. The traditional family, as society would see it; usually consist of a married, mother and father and usually children. Moms are supposed to stay at home while dads work the forty-hour a week job. However, in our 2003 world, families exist in a lot of non-traditional ways. A lot of families now consist of single parent families, or same sex parents and their children, or even couples that are unmarried but live together. And even now, if a family contains what society sees as traditional as far as having a mom, dad, and kids, other aspects are not traditional anymore. Women now have more opportunity in the workplace than they have ever had, therefore, many moms are career moms and dads are sometimes staying at home. Years ago, these types of families were given labels for being dysfunctional or abnormal, however, this label is not holding up as well as it did years ago. There are many non-traditional families that are raising children in a loving, nurturing home with a substantial amount of quality love. Quality is the key in any relationship between anyone. Society is finding out that it is not the traditional image that makes a loving family, but the quality of a relationship that people give to each other is what really makes a family. In the essay "The Myth of the "Normal" Family", written by Lousie B. Silverstein and Carl F. Auerbach, they make references to the cultural idea of what a "normal" family should be and what i...
In every society nonverbal communication is one of the most powerful tools that a person can use to interpret the message that is being delivered. Even though verbal communication is fairly straightforward, nonverbal communication allows others to sense the true emotions of the person that is expressing them. For example even though a person may say that they are not irritated, their usage of voice may display otherwise. Nonverbal communication not only reveals hidden messages, but it also complements, substitutes, and exaggerates verbal communication.
The presence of nonverbal messages in our communication is very important. Following the text, researchers have estimated it is up to “65 percent of social meaning we convey in face-to-face interactions is a result of nonverbal behavior” (131). The movie “Mrs. Doubtfire” is a typical example about the interactions among characters, also with audience. Several scenes in this movie show us the effects of nonverbal messages in communication, especially through the character Daniel, who disguises himself as a middle-aged British nanny in order to be near his children.
The world, as of the 21st century, is increasingly becoming an interconnected, interrelated social place in which avoidance of human interaction is near impossible. From telephone calls to advertising billboards, communication is ubiquitous. Communication essentially refers to the generation and receiving of messages across a variety of contexts, channels, media, and cultures. This complex interaction is composed of both verbal and non-verbal interactions. Verbal language is defined as the use of sounds and language to communicate a message and thus accents, dialects, and languages all fall under this “verbal code.” Its counterpart, non-verbal language, is communication through a host of nonlinguistic methods, including physical appearance, kinesics, and olfactics.
The television sitcom Modern Family produced by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd shows the many different types of a modern American family. According to Andrew Hampp, “The show is among the most-viewed scripted programs in prime time in its second season, averaging 11 million viewers during original airings and often ranked as the most DVRed program most weeks” (2). The television show is a frequently watched show and is liked by many viewers. Modern Family's storyline helps the families of viewers by being an influential and relatable show to different types of families. The show is about the lives of three different families that are all related. In the show there are Jay and Gloria, an intergenerational couple with two sons-- Manny (from Gloria’s previous relationship) and Joe, their new baby. Jay’s adult son Cameron is married to his gay partner Mitchell, and they adopted Lily from Vietnam. Finally, Jay’s daughter Claire is married to her heterosexual partner named Phil and they have three children. The show is influential to our culture today because it shows these different types of families and addresses controversial themes such as gay adoption, the different family connections and communications, intergenerational coupling, and acceptance of diversity within an extended family. The family is easy to relate to while watching because it is based off of real family situations.
In order for society to meet the basic social needs of its members, social institutions, which are not buildings, or an organization or even people, but a system whose of social norms, mores and folkways that help make people feel important. Social institutions, according to our textbook, is defined as a fundamental component of this organization in which individuals, occupying defined statues, are “regulated by social norms, public opinion, law and religion” (Amato 2004, p.961). Social institutions are meant to meet people’s basic needs and enable the society to survive. Because social institutions prescribe socially accepted beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors, they exert considerable social control over individuals.
Have you ever wondered who taught you to talk the way you do? People learn to talk and express themselves everyday of their lives. Starting from the day you were born you used language or some form of it to communicate with those around you. As a baby you usually show your displeasure with your new surroundings by crying, and if you don’t the doctor will make sure you do. Everyday we express our point of view to others in some form of language. Whether it is through verbal communication, written discourse or through body language, you can tell if a person is upset, angry, or happy. We as human beings don’t realize how much language has to do with our lives. How can you determine if one of your friends is angry with you? Is there a different tone to their voice? Do they have a stern look on their face? Of course they do, your friend feels the need to express their anger to you by these different forms of language. Where do we learn to use these different forms of language? How are our uses of these languages shaped? The three main contributing factors to how we express ourselves through language come from our schooling, our friends, and most of all from our families.
I learned a lot about Human Communication in this class when I read the chapter about Nonverbal Communication. Nonverbal Communication is the process of using messages that are not words to generate meaning. I learned that it happens every day. I also learned that is very hard to read or understand depending on the person you are speaking to or with. Verbal and Nonverbal codes work in conjunction with each other. The words we speak or say are used in conjunction six different ways: to repeat, to emphasize, to complement, to contradict, to substitute, and to regulate. I never knew until reading this chapter that we do these things all most every time we communicate. These are things I took for granted until now. I now know that I will pay