Chapter 6 and Commercial 9/30

In this chapter, Basil Bernstein discusses his ideas on restricted and elaborated codes in the speech of different classes of people. He argues that there is a difference in the way middle and upper class people talk to their children than the way working class people talk to their children. He also argues that these two “codes” have an effect on a how a child develops and thinks of their future and what they may be able to achieve. In short, elaborated code is used by the upper and middle class; it is much more complex in grammar and sentence structure, while vocabulary is more varied. Restricted code is used by the working class and is simple in grammar and sentence structure, while it tends to be more emotional rather than logical. Restricted code of speech gives the working class children a little less sense of possibility as Bernstein believes it shapes a person’s behavior. Working class children may settle for less in life with a rather simplistic outlook on everything. It should be noted that the restricted mindset makes it difficult for middle and upper class people to deal with the working class because of the difference of codes in the language being used. Our group is using the Axe Clean Your Balls commercial and I believe the ad is using a restricted code of speech. There is a low level of conceptualization being used in the commercial as it does not take a genius to figure out what the actors in the ad are trying to get across. The grammar is also very simple along with the sentence structure. Also, the context shapes the meaning in this commercial, rather than having the meaning elaborated verbally. The ad is targeting a younger, more open minded audience, as older people may find this type of commercial more immature than funny.

Chapter 5 9/28

In this chapter, Jonathan Culler states, “Where there are signs, there is a system.” By this he means that for signs to be meaningful to one another, there must be some type of society that teaches people how these signs are supposed to be interpreted. In simpler terms, the meaning of signs is not determined naturally, but by society. One interesting point made by author Karl Mannheim states that individuals do not do the thinking, individuals participate in thinking further what other men have thought before them. People come into a situation with knowledge of a certain topic and further elaborate on this topic based on inherited modes of response. Emile Durkheim makes another good point when he states individuals are in society, while society is in individuals. We all may have our own ideas and opinions, however these ideas and opinions are all shaped by the society we live in. The author goes on to argue that the “self-made” man, completely independent from society, is a falsehood and does not exist, while the egalitarian or individualistic society of the past overlooked the importance of social institutions.

Chapter 2 9/28

In this chapter, Ferdinand Saussure, one of the founders of semiotics (a science that studies the life of signs within society), discusses how signs work in regards to language. The linguist begins to explain the difference between language, which he describes as a system of signs that expresses ideas, and speech, which cannot be classified. Language unites a concept and a sound-image, defined as the impression a sound makes on our senses. The combination of both a concept and sound-image makes up a sign. Saussure then goes on to explain, “the relationship that exists between a signified and signifier are arbitrary and based on convention.” By this, he means that the meaning of words not only change over time, but based on each person as well. This brings me to a couple of the key words in the chapter: signified (concept) and signifier (sound-image). Saussure believes words get their meaning based on being opposite of other words. If Saussure’s theories are correct, language structures the way we think as human beings. In the ad I brought to class, the signifier would be the employees pictured in the computer screen. This signified the fact that Dell will always be there to provide customer service for a user of their product.

Chapter 9 9/26

In this chapter, the authors discuss the four main kinds of speech that play a role in our thinking. The first type of speech described is metaphoric, which is what we do most of our thinking in. This type of speech is based on analogy and similarity, where we talk about one thing in terms of another. Another type of speech is simile, which is a weaker form of an analogy. The third type of speech is metonymy, which is based on association. As we grow up, we learn to associate certain things with other things. An example of this would be associating the NIKE symbol with athletics. Another example of metonymy is associating a Rolex watch with wealth. A form of metonymy in which a part is used to stand for the whole, or the whole for a part, is called synecdoche. The example given in the book involving synecdoche describes how when we think of the Pentagon, we think of the entire military.

Chapter 4 9/26

In this passage, Sigmund Freud discusses many of his ideas. One of the main points he made involved the three levels of consciousness and how it can be represented by an iceberg. The part of the iceberg that we can see represents consciousness, while the part of the iceberg below the water that we can still see represents pre-consciousness. The majority of the iceberg buried in the darkness represents the unconscious, which is material in our minds, but not accessible to us. According to Freud, the unconscious material is very important as it shapes many of the things we do as human beings. Freud makes an excellent point here, as we do many things that just come naturally and we cannot help but do. As Freud later says, “We cannot control this unconscious power within us.” Freud goes on to suggest that there are three forces operating the human psyche. These forces are the id, representing list and desire, the superego representing conscience and guilt and finally the ego, which tries to mediate between the id and superego. It’s important to note that all three of these forces are unconscious. Other key points made in the passage are displacement and condensation. Both of these terms deal with how we block or mask sexual content in our dreams that would otherwise alert our superego and cause us to wake up. In displacement, we use substitute symbols to avoid alarming the superego. Such symbols include sticks or knives for male genitalia, while gardens or flowers are used for female genitalia. In condensation, we combine things to mask their sexual content. Although many of Freud’s ideas are far-fetched, they continue to play an important role in the thinking of many scholars today.

Chapter 3 9/23

Our choice of words is very important. Words we choose to use may mean one thing to us, however are completely different in meaning to somebody else. The meaning of a word may change over time as well. An example of this would be the word fresh. Hundreds of years ago and still to this day, the word fresh was used to describe something that wasn’t stale or something new. The term is still used in that sense today, however it can also be used to describe something that looks very appealing, such as an outfit that a person is wearing. The author mentions that it is important to recognize that the meanings of words are based on convention and are not natural or written in stone. Definitions of words change over the years and new words come into existence, which is one of the reasons why dictionary makers are forced to create new editions of their dictionaries.

Chapter 1 9/23

"Whatever else we are, above all else we are communicating animals, and one of the most important ways we communicate with one another is through language and words," writes the author of this chapter. The section goes on to discuss how we learn a language when we are very young and start to speak recognizable words by the age of one. A key term from this chapter is phenomes, which are the basic units of sounds by which morphemes, words and sentences are represented. This fact leads to one of the more interesting parts of the chapter, in which the author points out that there are hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, however all of these words are created out of just three dozen sounds. This was a very interesting point being made because it shows just how complex the English language can be, yet how simple it is at the same time. I also thought it was very fascinating when the author pointed out that once a child masters a language they will be able to speak and create sentences they’ve never heard or seen. Language is the basis and cornerstone of our culture and it affects everything we do in life.
3 words that play an important role in the history of our country:
• Life
• Liberty
• Happiness
3 words that play an important role in my life:
• Opportunity
• Hope
• Determination
2 words that have changed meaning over time:
• Hot
• Fresh
2 words that are new and popular right now:
• Sexting
• Tweeting

Chapter 25 9/19

In this chapter, Anthony Cortese begins by explaining the term provocateur. The term provocateur is used to describe the female models that Cortese feels are being taken advantage of by the advertising industry. He describes these women as unreal, rather freakish, long-legged, size four, semi-anorexic models. This type of advertisement that provocatively portrays these models causes many women much anxiety as they can, often times, never live up to the level of perfection seen in the picture. Women become extremely afraid when they feel they do not compare to these “perfect” models because many believe men are only attracted to this type of flawlessness. The author also points out that many of these pictures can be altered to become more perfect. Also, most of the money people spend on cosmetics goes directly into the advertising efforts and packaging. Only eight cents of every dollar is spent on the actual ingredients involved in the cosmetic. When people use cosmetics, they get into a mode of thinking that a certain makeup or perfume will turn them into a god or goddess. Once a person starts thinking this way, they begin to think “magically” about products and if they feel any lack of success, the blame falls on using the wrong product. After this occurs, the endless search for perfection goes on and on.

Chapter 20 9/19

In this chapter, the author discusses how important fashion is to some people and how people are always changing their style to keep up with the times. Rubinstein also mentions the idea of “gender scripts”, which help identify social expectations for sex-appropriate behavior. It has been proven that as early as two years old, a child can classify a person’s gender based on what they are wearing. These “gender scripts” create two different social categories involving men and women. Men learn to be more straightforward by manipulating, grasping and holding, while women learn to convey their bodies as being more “delicate and precious”. Rubinstein also includes the ideas of psychologist C.J. Flugel, who argues that people’s fashion is tied to their sexuality. Women’s fashion is meant to display their “suitability for sexual intercourse”, while men’s fashion is meant to elicit sexual excitement in women. The excerpt goes on to include the work of another fashion expert who argues that fashion plays a role in the hierarchy system. Women’s clothing is based on a “seductive principle” and is designed to make women desirable to men, ultimately giving them a secondary status.

You Tube Videos 9/16

The first video describes research done by the University of Toronto, which found that common facial expressions such as fear or disgust not only show how a person is feeling, but also alter the environment around oneself. According to the researchers these common emotions were found to adjust the way we use our senses. A question being asked during the research process was whether or not a person can see better when they feel fearful of something, causing their mouths and eyes to open wide. After performing a number of tests, the researchers found that open eyes and mouths allowed more of the world in, quicker visual recognition of objects and also increased air intake without extra effort. The video goes on to describe that these findings are consistent with the fact that the expression of fear improves information gathering in reaction to something that might harm you, while the expression of disgust hinders sensory input. The second video is a very insightful look into how to spot people that are lying to you. In the video, a polygraph examiner interviews people and points out certain signs that may indicate whether or not that person is lying. According to the polygraph examiner, “eyes are the windows to the soul”. He also explains that if a person is looking up and to the right that person is making up something because they are visually thinking about something that only exists in their imagination. Looking up and to the left means that the person is trying to remember something, however this formula is opposite for left-handed people. Shifty eyes, leaning back in a chair, sitting to the side, crossed arms or keeping the hands tightly gripped are also signs that may detect lying.

Chapter 19

After reading this chapter , I found a person’s semiotics are always sending messages, with our facial expressions, body language, clothes, use of language, etc., and others are reading those messages, while at the same time they are sending us messages about themselves. The facial expression a person has tells others many things about them. The chapter lists many of these things that include affective state, cognitive activity, temperament and personality, truthfulness, and psychopathology. Through basic research, scientists have found that facial expressions can identify when specific mental processes are occurring. Facial expressions also hold promise for applied medical research. When a person reads a face they look for certain signs that express or indicate emotions, moods or other phenomena. The author states that we read a face when we read a person, however most of us are amateurs and don’t really know how to do it. Facial expressions provide much more information about a person than many people realize and can be a tool that creates many opportunities in different areas.

Chapter 18

After reading Chapter 18, I found that a person’s nonverbal clues are something that contributes greatly to the process of communication. Nonverbal communication may include facial expressions, postures, movements and gestures. When a person’s words contradict what their nonverbal actions are saying, others may be suspicious of what one is actually trying to communicate. The chapter also discusses the three primary ways a person communicates nonverbally, which are liking or disliking, dominance, and responsiveness. Psychologists believe people look for reinforcement through communication in their basic values and beliefs. If a person likes or dislikes somebody’s actions (nonverbal actions), then they transfer those feelings over to whatever it is they were talking about. The second primary nonverbal dimension is dominance, which refers to a controlling versus a submissive attitude. An example of dominance would be a king’s noble postures contrasted to a shrinking posture of a submissive person. The third nonverbal dimension is responsiveness, which refers to the extent of awareness of and the reaction to another. Nonverbal communication is extremely important as it shapes the way a person will interpret and respond to what one says.