Introduction to

Communicative
English
What is Communication?

Communication originates from the Latin word, communico or communiare which means “to
share”.

Communication essentially means the transfer of information, ideas, feelings, plans, or

messages from one person to another.

Communication is the act of conveying intended meaning to another person through the use
of mutually understood signs and language.

“Communication is any behavior that results in an exchange of meaning.” - The American

Management Association.
What is language?

● A code used by human beings to communicate with each other.

● Humans do not a “call” like animals.

● Language, with its creative properties, makes human communication more advanced

than others.
7 characteristics of language

● Abstract

● Artificial

● Arbitrary

● Restrictive

● Redundant

● Recursive

● Creative
Language is ABSTRACT

Which of the utensils can be used to drink cold drink?

 Think of the word GLASS.
Which one of the following images
matches your thought?
Language is abstract

Language allows us to generalize concepts in our brains.

We use this ‘mental’ definition to understand what a thing is, when we see it.

This is called abstraction.

Eg. The general concept of dress= formal wear

Indian office: saree/ suit/ shirts/ trousers

American office: shirt/ trousers/ dress

Language is artificial

In the next two slides you will see pictures of humans.

You need to guess the language that they speak.

Language is artificial

● We are not born with language.

● We learn it through practice.

● So, language is not genetic, but artificial.

● Every language is a man-made system of sounds and graph.

● Each language-society has its own system of sound-graph code.

Language is arbitrary

Look at the picture.

Name it in at least 3 languages.

Different scripts, but same object.

● Rose

● गुलाब

● గులాబీ
Language is arbitrary

● Language is man-made.

● There is no genetic connection between the words and their referred objects.

● This makes language arbitrary.

● There is no connection why a four legged creature is called a dog in English and kutta

in Hindi.
Language is restrictive

Say in at least 3 ways:

“I’m fine.”
Can you tell the difference?
Language is restricted

● Language cannot express our thoughts and feelings exactly and totally.

● It needs non-verbal hints to indicate meaning.

● So, language is restricted, or limited.

Language is recursive

● “Recursive” means using same grammar-formula to build infinite number of sentences.

● A recursive sentence is long and full of clauses.

● “This is the dog that chased the cat that caught the rat that ate the malt that lay in the

house that Jack built.”

● In technical communication, it is used in writing legal texts like license agreement.

Language is redundant

Find the extra words in the following sentences.

● This is your last and final warning.

● Amazon is giving free gifts on Diwali sale.

● All of you meet me at 3 PM in the afternoon.

● I will never ever forgive you.

Language is redundant

● Redundancy means ‘extra’.

● We use extra words in sentences, without contributing to the meaning.

● This happens most when we speak.

Language is creative

● We use different processes of word formation, to make new words out of the limited

grammar and alphabets.

● Eg.

○ Blending: Smoke + Fog = Smog

○ Clipping: Mic (Microphone)

7 Cs of Communication
7 C’s of Communication
 Clear

The message should be clear and easily understandable to the recipient. The purpose of
the communication should be clear to sender then only the receiver will be sure about it.
The message should emphasize on a single goal at a time and shall not cover several ideas
in a single sentence.

Begin every message by asking the question, “What is the purpose of this
communication?”. This will enable you to make the objective of your communication clear
to the recipient.

If you’re not sure what the purpose of your communication is, then the chances are that
your recipient won’t be either.
 Correct

The message should be correct, i.e. a correct language should be used, and
the sender must ensure that there is no grammatical and spelling mistakes.
Also, the message should be exact and well-timed. The correct messages
have a greater impact on the receiver and at the same time, the morale of the
sender increases with the accurate message.
 Complete

The message should be complete, i.e. it must include all the relevant
information as required by the intended audience. The complete information
gives answers to all the questions of the receivers and helps in better
decision-making by the recipient.
 Concrete

The communication should be concrete, which means the message should be

clear and particularly such that no room for misinterpretation is left. All the
facts and figures should be clearly mentioned in a message so as to
substantiate to whatever the sender is saying.

Why use 10 sentences to explain something when a single sentence will

suffice.
 Concise

The message should be precise and to the point. The sender should
avoid the lengthy sentences and try to convey the subject matter in the
least possible words. The short and brief message is more
comprehensive and helps in retaining the receiver’s attention.
 Consideration

The sender must take into consideration the receiver’s opinions,

knowledge, mindset, background, etc. in order to have an effective
communication. In order to communicate, the sender must relate to the
target recipient and be involved.
 Courteous

It implies that the sender must take into consideration both the feelings
and viewpoints of the receiver such that the message is positive and
focused at the audience. The message should not be biased and must
include the terms that show respect for the recipient.
 Communication Process

The communication is a dynamic process that begins with the

conceptualizing of ideas by the sender who then transmits the
message through a channel to the receiver, who in turn gives the
feedback in the form of some message or signal within the given time
frame. Thus, there are Seven major elements of communication
process:
● Sender

● Encoding

● Message

● Channel

● Reciever

● Decoding

● Feedback
 Communication Barriers

There are various problems and difficulties in the process of

communication which often result in the occurrence of the barriers
to communication.
Communication barriers are interferences or obstacles which
affects not only the transmission of idea or information but also
the understanding and acceptance of it.
It has an effect on entirely preventing communication,
filtering part of it, or giving it an incorrect meaning. The
three main causes for the barriers in communication are due
to:
1. The deficiencies of the sender
2. The deficiencies of the listener
3. Inappropriate means of communication
 Types of barriers

The various barriers to the process of communication are given as follows.

I. Physical or environmental barriers V. Emotional

II. Physiological barriers VI. Socio- psychological

III. Semantic or language barriers VII. Cultural barriers

IV. Personal barriers VIII. Organizational barriers