Elements of Communication

1. LANGUAGE
2. VOICE
3. NONVERBAL
 LANGUAGE
A. “Language is a purely human and non-
instinctive method of communicating ideas,
emotions and desires by means of voluntarily
produced symbols.” (Edward Sapir)
B. Language determines one's entire way of life,
including one's thinking and all other forms of
mental activity. To use language is to limit
oneself to the modes of perception already
inherent in that language. The fact that
language is only form and yet molds
everything goes to the core of what ideology
is. (Benjamin Whorf)
Language Origin
 Old Theories
1. Bow-Wow Theory: Speech arose through
imitation of environmental sounds,
such an animal calls.
Evidence: Use of onomatopoeic words like “hiss”,
“pant”, “cuckoo”, etc.
2. Pooh-Pooh Theory: Speech arose through people
making instinctive cries,
such as those caused by pain or other emotions.
Evidence: Universal use of sounds as interjections
3. Ding-Dong Theory: Speech arose because people
reacted to stimuli in the world around them,
spontaneously producing sounds (“oral gestures”)
in
response to them.
 Eg: mama or some similar sounding word
referring to mother; bilabial nasal sound of [m]
could result from approximation of lips while
nursing.
4.Yo-he-ho Theory: Hypothesizes that when people
work together, their physical efforts promote
communal rhythmic grunts, leading to chants,
leading to language.
 Evidence: Universal use of prosodic features in
language, esp. rhythm (like stress or accent)
New Theories
1. Speech-Based Theory
Bipedalism led to restructuring of vocal tract
Big change: descent of the larynx (larynx much
higher in other animals), which produces a larger
pharyngeal cavity
Larger pharyngeal cavity useful in making a wide
variety of vowel sounds
Other changes (development of fat lips) useful in
making consonant sounds.
Ability to produce dynamic, rapidly changing stream
of sounds makes language
possible.
2. Intelligence-Based Theory
Increased brain size led to increased
ability for symbolic thought
Symbolic thought led to symbolic
communication (“mentalese” precedes
language ability)
Symbolic communication endows humans
with decided survival advantage
(cooperation, planning, etc.)
3. Protolanguage theory
The first linguistic systems were extremely
rudimentary, gradually developed
greater complexity
Protolanguage: Basically limited to nouns
(“object-names”) and verbs
(“actionnames”); supported by ontogeny
and some simple ordering requirements.
Essentially no grammar.
 4. Gesture to Speech theories
First human linguistic systems were
gestural (rudimentary sign systems)
Innovation of bipedalism frees up the
hands, can be used for communication
Existence of signed languages today. A
good vocal apparatus is not enough
5. The Cognitive Niche
Our niche in nature, the ability to understand the
world well enough to figure out
ways of manipulating it to outsmart other plants
and animals. Several things
evolved at the same time to support this way of
life.
a) Cause-and-effect intelligence:
E.g. How do sticks break, how do rocks roll, how
do things fly through the air?
b) Social intelligence:
How do I coordinate my behavior with other
people so that we can bring about
effects that one person acting alone could never
have done?
 c) Language:
If I learn something, I don't get the benefit of
it alone, but I can share it with my
friends and relatives, I can exchange it for
other kinds of commodities, I can
negotiate deals, I can gossip to make sure
that I don't get exploited.
Each one of these abilities -- intelligence
about the world, social intelligence, and
language -- reinforces the other two, and it
is very likely that the three of them
coevolved like a ratchet, each one setting
the stage for the other two to be
incremented a bit.
Voice
 The production of sounds

Whereas Speech means

the combination of sounds….

Voice Quality
- the distinctive characteristic of voice that
makes it pleasant or unpleasant to hear
Common Types of Voice Quality
 The Normal Voice
- Used in conversation, you speak naturally
showing little emotion or no emotion
- This is the normal quality of your voice
 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
 5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. Psalm 23
 Breathy Voice
-whispery or breathy
-create an atmosphere of secrecy and
mystery

 Fire and Ice

by Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say
in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold
with those who favor fire. But if it had to
perish twice, I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice Is also
great And would suffice
 The Full Voice
-when the voice must be projected to a greater
distance
-create a mood of reverence and solemnity

LEONATO:I learn in this letter that Don Peter of

Arragoncomes this night to Messina.
Messenger:He is very near by this: he was not three
leagues offwhen I left him.
LEONATO:How many gentlemen have you lost in this
action?
Messenger:But few of any sort, and none of name.
LEONATO: A victory is twice itself when the achiever
brings home full numbers. I find here that Don Peter
hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine
called Claudio.11
 The Chesty Voice
-deep hollow voice as if coming from a deep
and empty cave
-pectoral quality

DON PEDRO: That is the sum of all, Leonato.

Signior Claudio and Signior Benedick, my
dear friend Leonato hath invited you all. I tell
him we shall stay here at the least a month;
and he heartily prays some occasion may
detain us longer. I dare swear he is no
hypocrite, but prays from his heart.
 Thin Voice
- high-pitched
- Extreme fatigue, old age, ill health

Thou knowest my years entire, my life, (My long and

crowded life of active work—not adoration
merely;) Thou knowest the prayers and vigils of
my youth; 15Thou knowest my manhood’s
solemn and visionary meditations;Thou knowest
how, before I commenced, I devoted all to come
to Thee;Thou knowest I have in age ratified all
those vows, and strictly kept them;Thou knowest
I have not once lost nor faith nor ecstasy in
Thee; (In shackles, prison’d, in disgrace, repining
not, 20Accepting all from Thee—as duly come
from Thee.) Prayer of Columbus by Whitman
Voice Levels
Pitch
- The quality of a sound governed by the
rate of vibrations producing it; the degree
of highness or lowness of a tone.
Characteristics of Pitch
 Key Tone
-general pitch level

• Voice Inflection
-the change in pitch occurring between
syllables

Melody Patterns
-rhythm and swing of your phrases
Voice Intensity
-effect of a sound on the ear,its loudness or
softness

a. Effusive - deep, restrained feelings

b. Expulsive - firmly but rapidly, vigor
c. Explosive – sudden outburst, violence
Activities
 Here is a six-step method for relaxing your
voice. If you do these simple exercises
several times daily for a few minutes each
time, you will soon notice a difference.Your
voice will sound richer and more colorful.
1. While standing or sitting comfortably, place
your hands lightly on your throat muscles
and speak in a normal tone. Note the
tenseness of the throat muscles and the
tightness of your jaw.
2 .Yawn. Open your mouth wide. Finish the
yawn with an easy “ho-hum,” prolonging
the “hum” for several seconds. Drop your
jaw as far as it will go without stress.
Waggle the jaw from side to side and
continue humming with your lips closed
and jaw loose.
3 . Repeat the yawning and humming.
Notice how your throat muscles have
loosened and become relaxed. See how
comfortable your throat feels with the
strain removed.
4. Retaining this feeling of ease and looseness,
say the following words: hang, harm, lane,
main, lone, loom. Open your mouth wide,
dropping your jaw loosely. Exaggerate your
lip and jaw movements.
When your throat feels tired, stop and yawn
again.
5 . Lightly knead the throat muscles with your
fingers to eliminate tightness.
6. Slowly repeat the following sounds: nah, nay,
nee, no, noo. Drop your jaw and relax your
throat. Prolong the sounds, giving each equal
length.
Breathing Exercise
1. Exhale all air from your lungs. Continue
pushing it out even after you feel it’s
totally expelled. When no more air can be
forced out, you will automatically inhale.
Inhale deeply. Observe how the air rushes
in. Only a deep, full inhalation will satisfy
your hunger for air. Repeat this process
frequently, but not more than three or
four times at each repetition.
2 . Exhale comfortably. Then take a
moderately filling breath, not crowding
your capacity. Hold it for 15 seconds, then
exhale quietly. Repeat this process
frequently for several days. Then gradually
increase your holding time to 20 seconds,
30 seconds, and 45 seconds. Eventually,
you will be able to hold your breath for a
full minute. This exercise will help you to
develop breath control by strengthening
your diaphragm and related muscles.
3 . Standing erect, inhale with five quick,
short gasps through an open mouth.You
will notice that you cannot gasp like this
without using your diaphragm. Five gasps
should fill you to capacity. Then exhale in
five quick gasps or puffs. Next, practice
gasping and puffing through your nose
with your mouth closed.
4. Laugh heartily with a big Ha Ha Ha. Carry
this through to complete exhalation, then
inhale deeply and quickly.
5 . Close your lips and laugh soundlessly
through your nose.You will exercise your
diaphragm whether you breathe through
your mouth or your nose, but laughing
silently through your nose will promote
better control.
6. Lie on your back. Place a book on your
diaphragm. Try to relax each part of your
body, then concentrate on the movement of
your diaphragm. As you inhale, the book
rises. As you exhale, flatten your abdomen as
much as you can. Repeat this exercise until
you automatically expand and contract your
waist as you breathe.
7. Stand, then bend over as if to touch your
toes, but just hang limply. Remain in this
position for a full minute, then straighten and
repeat the exercise.Your breath is expelled
naturally when you bend
at the waist.
8. Standing, place your hands on your hips, lean
your head back, look at the ceiling, and yawn.
Your waist will expand as your diaphragm
flattens and draws in air. Then, as you exhale,
produce the sound ah, holding it as long as
you can without discomfort.
9 . Standing, take a deep breath. As you
exhale, count aloud from one to five on a
single breath. Repeat the exercise,
counting from one to 10. Do not strain.
Allow the air to flow easily.

10. Read aloud a paragraph that contains a

mixture of short and long sentences. Read
each sentence on a single breath, if
possible, inhaling before the sentence,
then controlling your exhalation as you
read.
Extending and Controlling
Your Pitch
1. Sing the sound ah at a normal volume. Increase your volume
until you feel yourself straining or losing clarity of sound.
Repeat this process several times in smaller segments until
you reach the maximum loudness level comfortable for you.
2 . Sing the sound ah as in the preceding exercise, but this time
do it at various higher and lower pitch levels. Do not do this
exercise for more than a few minutes at a time and stop
whenever you feel strain. Periodically rest your voice by
performing breathing and throat relaxation exercises. Do not
do this exercise if you have a cold, a sore throat, or other
irritation that affects the voice.
3 . Repeat the two preceding exercises, but this time recite
letters of the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, or months
of the year. Always strive for total relaxation of the vocal
apparatus.
Nonverbal Communication
 is the process of communication through
sending and receiving wordless (mostly
visual) cues between people.