WESTERN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Course Number: NGEC5
Course Title: Purposive Communication
Instructor: Joebert V. Demayo, MILE
MIDTERM COVERAGE

I. Language, Communication Process, Types, Principles and Models

A. What is Language?

Language has a system of rules known as grammar, a sound system (phonology), and a vocabulary
(lexicon). When people use language, they can understand each other because they belong to the same
speech community. They share the same set of rules in the language system. While growing up, people
acquire the languages used by those people in the community. This is the process of language
acquisition. The language acquired while growing up is known as mother tongue which is also referred
as first language. People discover later languages for various reasons or as they contact with other
people, they learn other language. It is known as second language. It may be also learned formally in
school or informally through frequent communication with other people.

Language- is a set of arbitrary symbols which create possible combination of utterances primarily used for
communication.

A system of communication consisting of a set of sounds and written symbols used by people of a
particular country or region for talking or writing.

Summary:

Speech Community- A group of people belonging to the same place and speaking the same language in a
particular area.
Language Acquisition- A process where people develop speech while growing up.
Language Learning- Process where people acquire language formally or informally
First Language- Also known as mother tongue, the language acquired while growing up; language learned
from birth.
Second Language- a language a person learns for various purposes.
Language Contact- occurs when speakers of two or more languages or varieties interact and influence
each other.
Language Change- result of language contact.
Context- The environment where communication takes place.

What is Communication?

Communication is a process of transmitting message in the form of ideas, thoughts, and feelings from one
person to another. The process of communication refers to the transmission of message from the sender
through a selected channel to the receiver. While on the process of communication, barriers may come
along the way that affects the understanding of the message. Communication is a cyclic process that
begins with the sender and ends with the sender in the form of a feedback. It is a continuous and dynamic
interaction; both affecting and being affected by many variables.

In the communication process, the following elements are included:

• Sender/encoder-refers to the origin of the message

• Message/code- refers to thoughts and feelings sent to the receiver. It may verbal (written or spoken) or
non-verbal (sign, symbols) language
• Channel- refers to the medium or carrier of the message
• Noise- refers to the barrier or obstacle in the delivery of the message
• Receiver/decoder- refers to the listener or reader of the message
• Feedback- refers to the response or reaction to the message sent

Encoding- the process of translating an idea or thought into a code.

Decoding- the process of assigning meaning to an idea or a thought.

Types of communication categorized according to:

1. Mode
✓ Verbal- comes in a form of writing or speaking – uses spoken/utterance or written words to
communicate.
✓ Non-verbal- comes in a form of gesture, facial expression, body language
Messages are conveyed even when people are not actually speaking. These are used in
place of or simultaneously with verbal messages.
Grouped into four:
A. Kinesics- use of body- gestures, movements, posture, eye contact, facial expression,
and touch. Ex. Bowing, handshakes, raising of eyebrows.
B. Paralanguage- use of voice- voice should have intelligibility, variety, and
understandable patterns.
(intelligibility- loudness, rate of your speech, pronunciation, and enunciation) (variety-
pitch, force and pauses to avoid monotony)
(Stress- emphasis on a certain syllable. Putting too much stress might be considered
rude)
C. Proxemics- use of space- term used to study how space and distance communicates.
(Personal space-distance maintained when interacting with others. The more intimate
is the relationship with others, the more you allow him/her near your personal space.)
(Territorial space- a physical space which implies your sense of authority and
ownership. Own privacy, territory should not be invaded. Ex. Own rooms, closets,
partner)
(Acoustic space- the area where the voice of the speaker is heard or not. Competent
speakers adjust their volume and rate to match the space or make their voice audible.)
D. Chronemics- use of time- refers to how people perceive and value time.

✓ Visual- comes in a form of sign, symbol, picture, image, graph

2. Context
✓ Intrapersonal- means talking to oneself
✓ Interpersonal- means communication which purpose is to establish better relationship with
others
✓ Extended- involves the use of electronic, broadcast or print media which purpose is to
reach out extensive and remote audience
✓ Organizational- takes place in an organization or workplace
There are two types:
• formal structure- communication flows downward (management to subordinate), upward
(subordinate to management), and sideward (among peers at equal level)
• informal structure- communication comes from unofficial channels of message flow. Ex.
Grapevine message or “tsismis”
✓ Intercultural- takes place between or among people having different linguistic, religious,
cultural, social, political and professional background
 3. Purpose and Style
✓ To inform - When an author aims to inform, they usually wish to enlighten their readership
about a real-world topic. Often, they will do this by providing lots of facts. Informational
texts impart information to the reader to educate them on a given topic.
✓ To entertain - The author aims to engage and amuse the reader through storytelling,
humor, or other means.
✓ To persuade- to convince, motivate, or move readers toward a certain point of view, or
opinion. The act of trying to persuade automatically implies more than one opinion on the
subject can be argued.

Formal Communication employs formal language delivered orally or in written form. (Lectures, public
speeches, project proposal, reports.

Informal Communication involves personal and ordinary conversations with friends, family members or
acquaintances about anything under the sun.

Purposive Communication- The basic rule in communication, whether in oral or written form, is to express
and not to impress. Communication in the 21st century is a vital component in fostering productive learning and
working environments to get things done in shortest time possible.

The emergence of digital communication has made conventional ways of disseminating information.
Technology-based communication have become familiar to many- messenger, social media post, vlogs, chats,
emails, videos, and sorts.

Purposive communication is more than just conveying, but rather communicating for various purposes. It is not
confined to the mere giving out of information; it is about getting the information through. It is obtaining,
providing, and disseminating information to move people to action through persuasion or through
argumentation.

B. COMMUNICATION MODELS

Knowledge of communication models is very important in understanding how communication process

works. If we know the process, we know as well how we could make communication effective and
understandable to the receiver. A model is abstract, and it comes in the form of graphic or symbol. It is a
representation of a reality like a relationship of one variable to the other. In the following illustration of
different models, you will find out how each model works so that the goal of communication to achieve
acceptable feedback is attained.

1. Linear – Also called the transmission model; based on the assumption that communication
transmitted in a straightforward manner- from sender to a receiver. This reflects that
communication is a one-way process. There are a lot of communication models, but this module
will introduce only four which are considered the most popular and recognized in the
communication world. These are: (1) Aristotle’s model; (2) Laswell’s model; (3) Shannon-Weaver’s
model; and (4) David Berlo’s model of communication.

a. Aristotle Model- Aristotle emphasized that there are three variables in the communication
process: speaker, speech, and audience. Aristotle’s model emphasized the importance of the
speaker. Without the speaker, there will be no speech to be produced. When talking to
audience, the speaker considers the audience age, sex, culture, religion, education, and
political orientation. Considering these demographics, the speaker is helped to find out if the
message is clearly received by the audience.
b. Berlo’s Model- Conceptualized in 1960, David Berlo’s model is the most well-known among
the communication models. It is called SMCR: sender of the message, sent through a channel
or medium to a receiver. The source is the encoder of the message. The kind of information he
transmits is influenced by his communication skills, attitudes, knowledge, social system, and
culture. The message refers to the content, elements, treatment, structure, and code. The
encoder uses hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, and tasting as channels of communication.
The receiver decodes the message. His/her understanding of the message is affected by
his/her communication skills, attitudes, knowledge, social system, and culture.

c. Lasswell- Named after him, Harold Dwight Laswell focused his model on Who says What in
Which channel to Whom and With What effect. Communication process begins with the
communicator (who) sending out a message (what) using a medium (in which channel) for a
receiver (to whom) experiencing an effect (with what effect) afterwards. The process may be
analyzed through the content sent, the medium used, as well as the effect on the recipient of
the message.

d. Shannon- Weaver- Claude Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver’s model of communication
was introduced in 1949. It was conceptualized for the functioning of the radio and television
serving as a model for technical communication and adopted in the field of communication. In
this model, the sender is considered the information source, the encoder as the transmitter, the
channel may be affected by noise or feedback, the decoder is the reception going to the
receiver which is the destination.
2. Interactive Model- In contrast with linear model which considers communication as only in one
direction. In this model, communication is a two-way process which involves an exchange or an
interaction between sender and receiver. This indicates that the receiver is not just a mere
absorber of the message. As the receiver gets the message, he/she processes it, provides his/her
own interpretation of the message, and delivers it back to the sender which makes the process a
continuous one. There is feedback. In this model, the personal field of experience is very important.
This explains why misunderstanding occurs. The communication process is enhanced or
weakened depending on the field of experiences of the communicators.

3. Transactional Model- this model is adopted in response to the failure of interactive model to
portray the dynamism of communication.
• This depicts that time element which influences how people communicate; communication
is varying (not constant) and dynamic (not static).
• The outer lines indicate that communication occurs within systems that influence how
people communicate. The system includes culture, context, and family background.
• The model does not label one as sender and the other is receiver. Instead, are
communicators who actively, equally, and simultaneously participate in the communication
process.
• In sum, this is a model in which people interact with and trough symbols overtime to share
and create meaning.
C. Principles of Communication

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

1. Know your purpose in communicating.

2. Know your audience and fit your message to their level.
3. Know your topic. It should be interesting and informative to the audience.
4. Adjust your speech or writing to the context of the situation.
5. Work on the feedback given to you.

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

1. Be clear. Write according to the purpose of your message. CLARITY
2. Be concise. Go direct to the point by avoiding unnecessary words. CONCISENESS
3. Be concrete. Support your claims with facts and figures. CONCRETENESS
4. Be correct. Observe the rules of grammar and proper mechanics. CORRECTNESS
5. Be coherent. Connect your ideas using appropriate transitional words. COHERENCE
6. Be complete. Include only necessary and relevant information. COMPLETENESS
7. Be courteous. Eliminate confusion and misinterpretation of words; and promote friendly tone in
your writing. COURTESEY

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE ORAL COMMUNICATION

1. Be clear with your purpose.
2. Be complete with the message you deliver.
3. Be concise.
4. Be natural with your delivery.
5. Be specific and timely with your feedback

D. Communication and Globalization

Globalization is the process by which people and goods move easily across borders (Gray, 2017 World
Economic Forum). As people transfer from one place to another to trade their business or as they just simply
move and socialize, they communicate to express their intentions, their thoughts, and ideas. Truly,
communication is indispensable in all social and business transactions. As more people cross borders because
of globalization, more language contact happens. With this even, more words are coined thus vocabulary is
becoming extensive.

Related to globalization is diversity- the concept that endures respect, acceptance, and understanding. It
recognizes that people are unique from each other with respect to their age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture,
socio-economic status, educational background, and ideologies.

Varieties of English Language

Varieties of English or World Englishes are used or spoken in

certain areas. In the Asian context, the concept was
introduced by Braj Kachru in his famous “Three Concentric
Circles of Asian Englishes”. The Three Concentric Circles of
English are:

Inner Circle with ENL (English as a Native Language). The

member countries are USA, Australia, UK, New Zealand, and
Canada. English as a native language, these are native
speakers born in an English-speaking country, having then this
language as their mother tongue or first tongue.
For Outer Circle with ESL (English as a Second Language), member countries are: Bangladesh, Ghana,
India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Zambia. English as
a second language, these are the non-native speakers who have learnt English almost at the same time as their
mother tongue.

Lastly, the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) include countries such as: China, Caribbean Countries,
Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South America, Taiwan CIS, and
Zimbabwe. English as a foreign language, these are the non-native speakers who learnt English in a country
where English is not usually spoken.

Registers of English Language

When it comes to language variation, we often encounter the term “register”. Register refers to a variety of
language defined according to its use in social situation e.g., a register of scientific, religious, formal English.
Language register refers to the formality of language which one speaks; the level and style of spoken and
written discourse depending on the context you are in. Different registers are used in different situations. It is
through register that you can determine the kind of lexicon or vocabulary to use as well as the kind of structure
to be used.

1. Formal – Used in a professional context. It is highly structured, impersonal, and more serious in its tone,
vocabulary, and grammar. It is common in workplace, academe, business, trade, and other industries.
Formal language is usually employed when interacting with a boss, facilitating a meeting, or attending
formal gatherings such as conference, seminars, and the like.
• Business letters, official speeches, job interviews, academic essays, business meetings

2. Informal- Is casual, personal, and more intimate in its tone, sentence structure, and choice of words. This is
appropriate when communicating with people you know very well such as family, relatives, and friends.
This is used during informal gatherings such as family dinners, parties, and other informal encounters.
• Short notes, text messages, personal emails, friendly letters, chatting or hanging out with friends,
Blogs/Vlogs

3. Neutral- This is more factual and non-emotional type of language register. Mostly used in highly business-
oriented and technical contexts.
• Reviews, articles, technical writing, business presentations