VERBAL COMMUNICATION Prepared by : Marrianne

QUES Ledesma, LPT

WHAT IS VERBAL COMMUNICATION?
Verbal Communication involves the use of the language to express
ideas.

 Based on that definition, who can give their own ideas about what really is Verbal Communication.?
THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF LANGUAGE
A) Language is made up of symbols.

 Every language contains symbols or elements which can create meaning when
put together.
In isolation , these elements are meaningless, but when put together they gain
meaning.
B) Language enables internal and external Communication

 A speaker uses language to engage in an internal conversation with him/herself.

 Language also enables the speaker to talk or respond to others through oral or written means.
C) Language is governed by rules
1) Phonological Component
The phonological component involves the rules for combining sounds
to form words.
e.i
For instance, in English the /ng/ sound can be found in the middle and/or the
end of a word, such as the word “ringing” but it cannot be used in the
beginning.
2) Syntactic Component
The syntactic component is consist of the rules that enable the speaker
to combine words meaningfully to form sentences.
e.i.
The utterance “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” for example, contains
correct English sentences, but “Let me how thee? Count the ways love the I do”
does not.
3) Semantic Component
The semantic component governs how meaning is conveyed in a language. It goes
beyond the literal interpretation of the words, and uses the shared culture to carry the
meaning successfully
e.i

For example the idiomatic expression “break a leg’” means that the other person is to wish
him/her a good luck on a performance instead of wish him/her to injure a limb.
4) Regulative Component
The regulative component governs how a message is interpreted
appropriately in a given context.
e.i.

For example, native English speakers usually say “See you later” as a closing
greeting.

* The message technically means that the speaker will meet the listener in the
immediate future, but the regulative rule of the English language tells the
listener that it was simply a way of ending the conversation.
D) LANGUAGE BASED ON SOCIAL
CONVENTION
The meaning of words in a language is based on social convention or
the agreement of the community who speaks the same language.

The community establishes how an expression or a word in their

language is to be used and interpreted. For instance the word
“salvage” means to save something form being destroyed, but in the
Philippines, speakers use the word to refer to the act of killing or
assassinating someone.
E) LANGUAGE CAN BE LEARNED
People can learn various languages through formal education,
immersion, migration and other ways. For instance, A Filipino who
migrates to France will, in time, be able to speak French.
F. LANGUAGE EVOLVES
Unique expressions, newly-coined words, and distinct language
patterns arise out of emerging trends and the creativity of speakers.
e.i.
Examples of newly coined words include:

unfriend jejemon
groufie Tom Jones ( hungry)
hashtag chaka ( ugly)
 Additionally, language does not change only through time, it also change
based on the place. Different versions of some languages and accents are
called dialects.

Dialect British English American English

Vocabulary Trousers Pants

Skyscrapers High-rise
Chips Fries
Wicked Cool
Spelling Colour Color
Agonise Agonize

Expressions It’s half-past three It’s three thirty

I reckon it’s going to be I think it’s going to be a
a good show good show.
G) PEOPLE, NOT WORDS, CREATE
MEANING
Ultimately, the meaning of the words depends on how people
interpret and process them. Since people have unique backgrounds,
their interpretations vary in different ways.
Reasons why dictionary meaning is not enough most of the time:
1) A word can contain several meaning
2) One cannot consult the dictionary while in a conversation.
3) Words gain different interpretation when used in conjunction with
other words. Ultimately, language obtains meaning when people
communicate and draw on the shared context to understand each
other.
SPEED UP!
(On your book, page 23)

Provide at least five examples for each group category. You may
choose the language.
FIRST, LET'S WATCH A VIDEO!
After which, you are to write a 250 word essay of your objective
observation and evaluation of the speaker/s watched and listened to.
Focus on the verbal cues of the speaker.
LET'S HAVE AN ACTIVITY!
Form groups of five members. Brainstorm with your group mates and invent ten original words that
you think could be used by Filipino teenagers today. Write the definitions of these and use them in
simple sentence.

Make a creative poster for your words and present both the words and the poster in front of the
class.

Rubrics :
Creativity of the poster - 40%
Uniqueness of the words- 30%
Logical Use of words in sentences – 30%
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Total: 100%
 NEXT STOP…

Non Verbal Communication Cues

NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION CUES
I. CHARACTERISTICS OF NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
A. Non-verbal cues show interaction among people
B. Non-verbal cues suggest how people feel.
C. Non-verbal cues provide clues, not facts
II. FUNCTIONS OF NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
A. Complementing
 - non-verbal behavior complements the verbal message to express meaning.

B. Contradicting
 non-verbal communication is sometimes used to oppose the meaning of the verbal
message.

C. Accenting
 - non-verbal cues can help emphasize oral messages.

D. Substituting
 - non-verbal communication is also used to express something without saying something
verbally.

E. Regulating
 -non-verbal cues can also be used to control the flow of verbal communication.

F. Repeating
 -repeated non-verbal cues have specific meaning.
III. TYPES OF NON-VERBAL SYMBOLS
Non-verbal cues can be classified into six groups.
A. Kinesics ( Bodily Motions)
1) Eye Contact
2) Facial Expression
3) Gestures
4) Posture
B. Paralanguage ( Use of Voice)
1) Tone (Vocal Quality)
2) Speed
3) Pitch
4) Volume
III. TYPES OF NON-VERBAL SYMBOLS
C. Haptics ( Use of Touch) – culture defines the meaning of human
touch; it varies according to age, sex, and status of the people
interacting.
* Heslin and Harper classify touch into five categories
oFunctional/ Professional touch
oSocial/ Polite touch
oFriendly/ warm touch
oLove/intimate touch
oSexual touch
III. TYPES OF NON-VERBAL SYMBOLS
D. Proxemics ( Use of Space) – refers to the way people use space to
convey meaning. This includes permanent structures, movable objects
within space, and informal space ( Verderber, 1999)
1. Permanent Structure- refers to immovable places in which we live
or work in.
2. Movable objects- the types of objects and their arrangement in a
room depend in the intended message.
3. Informal space- it is a person’s invisible comfort zone, an intimate
space around him/her at any given time.
III. TYPES OF NON-VERBAL SYMBOLS
E. Personal Apperance
1. Clothes
2. Hairstyles
3. Accessories
4. Tatooes
NEXT STOP…

Intercultural Communication
WHAT IS INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION?
Intercultural Communication is the sending and receiving of messages
across languages and cultures ( Arent, 2009). Past experiences and
cultural grids that were passed down to you influence that way you
communicate with others.
Cultural Grid is the framework of understanding for processing verbal
and non-verbal cues specific to a particular culture.
COMMUNICATORS ARE CULTURAL BEINGS
Each person is a cultural being. The values, traditions and the social
political views shared by a group of people are also part of an
individual’s culture ( cultural Identity).
Intercultural Competence enables a communicator to understand and
interact with other cultures by applying attitudes and values, and
understanding interaction skills (Huber & Reynolds, 2014).
The following are the eight (8) basic behaviors for intercultural
competence:
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE EIGHT (8)
BASIC BEHAVIORS FOR
INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE:
A. Display of Respect
B. Orientation of Knowledge
C. Empathy
D. Interaction Management
E. Task Role Behavior
F. Relational Role Behavior
G. Tolerance of Ambiguity
H. Emotional Expression and Interaction Posture
BARRIER TO INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
A. Ethnocentrism
B. Stereotypes
C. Interpretation of Time
Chronemics-study of how cultures perceive time and its use.

D. Personal Space Requirement

E. Body Language
F. Translation Limitations