SAN BEDA COLLEGE College of Arts & Sciences Psychology Department

HRSOP - Activity Sheet 3 Name: __________________________________________ Section: _________________

PLEASE HEAR WHAT IM SAYING
Each of us has learned to see that world not as it is but through the distorting glass of our words. It is thru words that we are made human; and it is through words that we are dehumanized. A. Montagu INTRODUCTION Try answering this riddle: If words are only sound to which individuals associate a learned meaning, are meaning in people or in sound? As stated by Aldous Huxley in his book, Words and Behaviour words form the thread in which we strong our experiences. Without them, we should live spasmodically and intermittently. To this effect, we choose to give continuity to our experience by means of words, which at times, attempt to falsify the facts and adversely modify ones behaviour or character. But what are really those words that come out from a receivers mouth? They are mere collection of sounds after all, you may say. However, if we probe deeper, we find that there is something more to the sounds that you hear. Behind those groups of sounds, there is the revelation that therein lays the innermost core of the person. Through the exchange of words, minds meet, merge and mesh. We make sense out of people through their messages. Words can help initiate and maintain meaningful relationship into pieces.

Date: _____________________

Have you figured out by now, the answer to the riddle?

Yes, dear reader! Meanings are in people not in words. But we dont just stop here. We must move on further beyond recognizing that meanings exist in people. We must likewise attempt to find the right words to say what we really mean, and how our innermost thoughts and feelings are shared to affect a meaningful and growing relationship by using words effectively. Are these words about words clear to you? As we have emphasized in the precious sessions, communication plays a major role in human relations, and for that matter, effective communication and good human relations go hand in hand. For todays session, we will give you the chance to explore one mode of communication which we rely on most often to carry meaning from one person to another the verbal mode that is, when you try to communicate, either consciously or unconsciously, through written or oral form, using words. Although we have clearly pointed out that meaning resides in people and not in words, this is not suffice to say that we take our speaking or writing abilities for granted. Try the following Skills Builders at home or during your free time and check your ability as a verbal communicator: I. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? A definition is not attached to a word forever. Words evolve new meanings from one generation to another and from one culture to another. To explore how words continually change meaning, try this activity: 1. First, write your own definition of each word given below on the second column: WORD Pot Gay High Freak Grass YOUR DEFINITION AN OLDER PERSONS DEFINITION

Rock Straight Chick Joint Stoned Speed Appear 2. Second, show the list, but cover your definitions, to your parents, older relatives, or older friends, and ask them to define each word then write them down on the last column. Compare your meaning for each term with the meaning given by others you questioned. Why do you suppose their meanings are differed? Or in other cases, why not?

3. Pretend it is now year 2020. Create new meanings for each of words listed.

4. Can you write new words/slangs you often hear young people say? Are there terms pec uliar only to young people? List them down.

5. Enumerate as many gay lingo as you can.

Write your brief conclusion below as regards your insights gained from questions 1 to 5.

II.

DONT TALK IT LOUD! Interested in verbal taboos? Lets discover why individuals use dirty words. 1. Interview four people, two men and two women. They should be of the same age. Ask each of them the following questions: (encourage them to be honest and open) a. When do you use obscene words most?

b. Why do you use them at those times?

c.

What obscene words do you utilized most often, name them.

d. Do you ever use obscenities to release pent-up emotions?

2. Analyze their responses, noting similarities and differences between and among sexes. Write your findings below and give a brief conclusion.

3. Are most young people of today verbally obscene? What can you suggest to those who habitually use obscene words?

III.

HOW DID I SAY IT?

What does your speech reveal about you? What kind of accent do you have? Do you speak rapidly or slowly? Are you fluent both in English and Tagalog? What set of vocabularies do you use? Are you understood easily and clearly by what you say and how you say them? What impression do other people have on you with the way you speak and say words? Do you verbally communicate effectively? As honestly as you can, describe how you speak. On the space below, write a brief report on what you think your speech and your words reveal about you. ask your classmates, friends, and teachers to help you with their reactions, other things you can do to assess yourself regarding this is to use a tape recorder as you get a sample of your speech or to look in a mirror when you talk. MY ASSESSMENT AS REGARDS MY SPEAKING BEHAVIOUR

WHAT OTHERS SAY WITH THEY WAY I TALK

AS A VERBAL COMMUNICATOR, I WILL IMPROVE THE FOLLOWING: ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________