We can comunicate with other people in many
different ways. We can talk and write, send
messages with our hands and faces and there is also
the phone, fax and e-mail.
The history of communication:
Since ancient times people have used different
signals to communicate over long distance. The Red
Indians of North America used fire in a different
way: to smoke signals to each other.
In many countries of Europe it was common to ring
church bells, not only to call people to church, but
also to warn them of denger. Sometimes they were
rung to announce a celebration – after a wedding or
at christmas. In Africa, jungle drums were used in
similar ways to send messages.
Nowadays, the most widely used is, of course, the
telephone, which was invented by Alexander
Graham Bell towards the end of the last century.
A similar form of communication, radio, has also
been widely used during the twentieth century and
the use of radio has helped to make air and sea
travel much safer.
Verbal and non-verbal communication:
Communication is sending messages from one
person to another. Animals use only non-verbal
methods of communication. Non-verbal
communication are facial expressions and gestures
many of them have the same meaning all over the
world. E.g. people smile when they are happy,
people froun when they are sad. Another way of
showing your feelings is touch and sounds, e.g.
groans show that we are bored or depressed,
laughter shows that we are frightened. Handshakes,
hugs and kisses are different ways of greeting
people.
The way people talk to each another:
Adults do not speak to children in the same way as
they speak to each another, doctors speaking to
doctors about an illnesses use different language
from doctors talking to patients.
We use different words in different situation, e.g.
when we are on interview we use different
vocabulary then we are at birthday party
celebration.
Communication is very important part of our lives.
It´s the basis of making oneself understood between
people. Today we live in digital world and we can´t
imagine our lives without communication. It isn´t
possible, because we are inundated (zaplavený)
with information and it´s important to give them to
the others.
People begin to communicate thousands of years
ago. At first they communicated through pictures,
later they started to utter (vydávať) different sounds
and they begin to talk gradually (postupne). It was a
very long way of human´s history.
Today we have lot of possibilities how we can
communicate. Verbal communication is personal.
People speak face to face. It´s spoken language,
everything is spontaneous. We can use stress
(dôraz), ton and the modulation of the voice to
express different meanings. Spoken language can
also include mime, gestures, laughter or pauses to
emphasize (zdôrazniť) the meaning of our words.
Verbal communication is very important, because
people are in personal touch with another people,
they can built relationships etc. Written
communication requires more thought and planning
and is often expressed in more formal terms. The
disadvantage is, that people aren´t in personal
touch, they can´t use voice modulation or mime.
For deaf people there is a sign language, which
includes gestures and hands movements, which
represent words. There isn´t no international sign
language, it differs from region to region.
The development of science and technologies
causes, that communication have became more
impersonal. People are addict to computers, they
communicate through e- mails or they chat. They
spend hours on the Internet. There are some
advantages, they can find friends everywhere in the
world, they can communicate in foreign language.
Today is English the international language.
Another form of impersonal communication is
using mobile phones. People send messages, they
don´t meet another people so often. They lose the
personal touch.
For me are modern ways of communication very
interesting. I can talk with peopl from foreign
countries, I can improve my communicative
language skills. On the other hand the personal
touch is better. I like to talk with my friends face to
face. It´s more personal. I can express my feelings,
my mood. I can use gestures, modulation of the
voice to emphasize what is important and it´s better.
Questions
1. Compare the pros and cons of verbal and nonverbal communication.
The verbal communication is more personal. It´s
easier to express feelings or mood with words, with
using gestures and mime. In verbal communication
I can use the modulation of the voice, I can
emphasize what is important. And the most
important thing is, that I am in personal touch with
people, I can speak face to face and it´s better. Nonverbal communication like written communication
or using mobile phones or computers is impersonal.
People can´t express everything what they want. It
isn´t possible, they can´t express feelings or mood,
they can´t use gestures. I think, that it´s more
difficult.
2. Many people think, that modern methods of
communication are too impersonal. What do you
think?
I agree. Sending e- mails, messages or using mobile
phones is impersonal. People aren´t in personal
touch with another people. They don´t meet each
other so often. They don´t communicate face to face
so often. There are some advantages of these
modern methods. Everything is so fast, you send
message or e- mail and in few minutes you can
receive the answer. I prefer verbal communication. I
like meeting my friends and family, I like talking to
them face to face. I can show my feelings, my mood
and it´s better for me.
3. Do you speak the same way to adults as you do
to your peers? Describe how the languages are
different.
When I talk to my friends it´s different. I feel more
relaxed. We can talk about everything. We have our
own language and it´s different. We have some
special expressions, only we can understand to
them. When I talk to adults it´s different. I have to
talk like they talk.
4. Analyse the language used in families.
It depends on the region, which is the family from.
In different regions is language different too.
People´s pronunciation is different, some words are
different, their meanings are different. In families
people can speak different dialects, it depends on
the region.
5. What languages do we use in different
situations? (E. g. emergencies, emotional
situations, when we are in trouble, whe we are
relaxed, etc. )
It depends on situation. In different situations we
are looking for different words. People in
emergencies use expert words, which are connected
to their branch. In emotional situations we try to use
words, which can help to people, who are in
trouble. We try to make them calm, to soothe them,
to support them. And it´s very important to find the
right words. It´s the same with people who are in
trouble. We have to help them and the right words
can be miraculous. When we feel relaxed, our
language is relaxed too. We laugh often, we are
funny, we have no troubles.
6. Explain the pros and cons of using computers.
I think, that there are lot of pros of using computer.
Today we live in a digital world and it´s necessary
to use computer. It can make our life easier, because
evrything is so fast. We can send message and in
few minutes we can receive the answer. We can
make everything via the computer. We can pay
bills, we can do the shopping. And it´s very
comfortale, because we can make it in one click .
There are some disadvantages too. People become
addict to computers. They spend lot of time by
chatting or sending e- mails. They lose a personal
touch with another people. They don´t meet their
friends, they are still sitting by computer.
7. How often do you call your friends? How
much time a week do you spend speaking on the
phone just chatting?
I call my friends daily. We are speaking or sending
messages. Of course we meet each other often, but
it´s easier to call especially when I have no time to
meet them. I call them so often, because I have so
much free minutes to call.
8. Do you have many friends via the Internet?
I don´t have many friends via Internet. I have no
time to chat with people via the Internet. I usually
use Internet to find some information I need for
school. I sometimes send e- mails to my friends but
that is all.
9. Why do people share personal things via the
Internet?
I don´t know, why they make it. Maybe they want
to find new friends or love. They want to recognize
other people and they wnat to be recognized by
another people. They can be other personalities via
the Internet. They don´t have to say the truth. They
can make their lives more interesting, they can be
more interesting for the another people.
10. Mobile phones should be forbidden/banned
in public places.
I agree. I don´t understand why people use mobile
phones in public places. I don´t like it. If I sit in a
bus and somebody who sit next to me is calling. All
people can hear him, they can hear his personal
things. I think it would be better when people will
receive calls only when they are alone. They will
have no prvacy.