Chapter 1

Communication
in the Twenty-
First Century
 Lesson 1: Communication Models
Introduction
“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” (James
Humes)
It is a mistake to believe that communication is a simple process.
Although people communicate with one another every day, the real
question is whether the ideas one has expressed are truly understand
by another.
The art of one’s communication reflects the art of one’s thinking.
According to James Berlin (1982), one of the major proponents of the
New Rhetoric, “In teaching writing we are not simply offering training
in a useful technical skill that is meant as simple complement to the
more important studies of other areas. We are teaching a way of
experiencing the world, a way of ordering and making sense of it.”
 Communication Models
One way of thinking about communication
processes is by looking at the Different
Communication Models available. According to
Denis Mcquail and Sven Windahl (2013), in their
book Communication for the Study of Mass
Communications, “A model seeks to show the
main elements of any structure or process and
the relationship between these elements… it
helps in explaining by providing in a simplified
way of information which would otherwise be
complicated or ambiguous.”
Professor Romana S. Flores (2016), in her book Oral
Communication in Context, discusses four models of Communication
in the chapter. “Explaining the nature of Communication.” She
discusses the different communication models as follows (Aristotle,
Shanonn-Weaver, Schramm, and White, (2016).

Speaker Speech Audience Effect

occasion

Aristotle’s Model of Communication

 Shannon-Weaver’s Model of Communication

Decode Receive
Sender Encoder Channel
r r

Noise

FEEDBA
CK
Sender – would be the person giving the
message.
Encoder – would be the transmitter which
converts the message into signals.
Decoder – would be the reception place of the
signal which converts signals into message.
Receiver – would be the destination of the
message by sender.
 Osgood-Schramm Model of Communication

message

Encoder Encoder

Interpreter Interpreter

Decoder
Decoder

message
 Signal
sourc encod encoder sourc
e er e
 White’s Stages symbolizin
of Oral Communication
g
thinkin
g Expressin
g

Monitoring

Transmittin
g

Feedbackin
g
Receiving

Decoding
 Several Kinds of “Noise”
• Cultural Differences
• Technology
• Interpretation
 Lesson 2:
Communication
Ethics
 The US National Communication Association
(NCA,1999) discusses this in their Credo for
Ethical Communication, stating that, “Ethical
communication is fundamental to responsible
thinking, decision-making, and the development of
relationships and communities within across
contexts, cultures, channels and media. Moreover,
ethical communication enhances human worth and
dignity by fostering truthfulness, fairness,
responsibility, personal integrity, and respect for
self and others.”
 Four Ethical Principles of Communication
1. “Advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty and reason as
essential to the integrity of communication”
2. “Freedom of expression, diversity of perspective and
tolerance of dissent to achieve the informed and
responsible decision-making fundamental to civil
society.”
3. “Condemn communication that degrades individuals and
humility through distortion, intimidation, coercion, and
violence and through expression of intolerance and
hatred.”
4. “Accept responsibility for short and long-term
consequences of our own communication and expect the
same of others.”
 Lesson 3:
Communication
and Globalization
GLOBALIZATION has no exact definition but can be
define as a process of interaction and integration among the
people, companies, and driven by technologies. Globalization
has been a major factor and a great influence on what the
world has become today and the near future. It made an
impact in the industry of business, politics, and government
in every aspect of human lives. Changes can be associated to
globalization wherein the only permanent in this world is
change. As the world changes, the meaning of globalization
also changes.
 Because of the advent of the internet, the
world seems to be shrinking continually. One
can communicate internationally in a matter of a
seconds, whether one is sending an email,
chatting in social media, or sending text
message. Given this increasingly shrinking
world, one should know the difference between
the kind of English that we write and speak, and
the kind of Englishes that exist outside of the
Philippines.
World Englishes
The two most well-known varieties of English are those of
the colonial superpower: British English and American
English.
There are multilingual countries around the world in which
varieties of English have developed. This may be because
English was initially “Transported” in United States,
Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. English have
brought to the country as a language conquest by English
speaking colonizers as in South Africa, Hong Kong,
Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. English is also
studied as a foreign language in some non-English
speaking countries, such as Holland and Yugoslavia.
McCrum, Korea and Japan, there is less exposure to
English.
 American English British English (US)
Aspect (US)

Punctuation She said, “I’ll be at work She said, “I’ll be at work

by 8 a.m.” by 8 a.m.”

Date March 2, 2017 2 March, 2017

Spelling Center, color, organize, Centre, colour, organise,

program programme

Words Elevator, pants, diaper Lift, trousers, nappy

Expression/Local Idiom Ruffled feathers Knickers in a twist

(agitated) (agitated)

Grammar Do you have that book? Have you got that book?

Pronunciation Vase / vas/ - sounds like Vase / va:z] – sounds like

(Irrelevant in Writing) VEYZ VAHZ
 Sutherland also notes that “Every English-speaking
nation has its own set of English phrases and idioms;
English is equally idiosyncratic in, say, India, Jamaica,
Zimbabwe, Or Singapore.” In fact Sutherland says, “The
many versions of English spoken around the globe merely
serve to make English an even richer tongue.”
In everyday speech and informal contexts, one is free
to use his or her own variety of English. However, in
more formal writing contexts, one should be able to
identify which features of this variety may not be
understood by other speakers of English and to use
alternatives that will be understood by a wider audience.
 Culturally Sensitive and Bias Free Language
To write in a culturally sensitive way means to be aware that
cultural differences and similarities between people exist and that these
should not be assigned a positive or negative value via words and
descriptions selected in writing.
Some general principles to follow when referring to different
groups or categories.
1. Race and Ethnicity
Racism, is a form of discrimination against a person of a different race. Race is an
emotionally charged topic, so it is best to tread carefully with the language used and to
refer to race, as Patricia Arinto (2009) asserts in English for the Professions, “only if it
is relevant to what you have to say.”
Next, one must be attuned to the current terminology by which racial and ethnic
groups refer to themselves. This may be done by reading newspaper and watching
television news. According to Kitty Locker and Donna Kienzler, one should “refer to
a group by the term it prefer,” which means some research is required to a group by
the acceptable and prefered terms.
2. Gender and Sexual Orientation
Sexism refers to the prejudice and discrimination based on sex or gender. To be
inclusive of all people in general references, one should favor gender-neutral words and
phrases over gender-biased words. Neutral words should also be chosen over words
with “man” and “woman” in job titles or descriptions.
Pronouns may also be gendered-biased. Gender-biased pronoun can be avoided by:
a) dropping pronouns that signify gender and restating the sentence
b) Changing to plural construction
c) Replacing masculine or feminine pronouns with “one” or “you”.
Examples:
Restatement Each student should submit a term paper by Monday.

Plural Construction Students should submit their term papers by Monday.

Use of “you You should hand in your term paper by Monday.

 Other gender-related terms may have to do
with gender orientation or sexual orientation.
It is important to be sensitive to new
attitudes about homosexual, transsexual, and
transgender people.
Again, as a matter of principle, one should
refer to societal groups in the way that
members of these groups prefer to be
referred to.
3. Social Class
Class discrimination or classism is a form of prejudice
against a person or people because of their social class.
There are examples from Philippines culture as well, in
the informal terms “conyo” and “jologs”, both deregatory
terms referring to class.
Classism may also appear even in more formal
terminology, Sociologist/Activity Betsy Leondar-Wright,
argues in a video interview that classist terms “attribute
favorable traits to wealthy and powerful” and “those in
poverty or near-poverty are similarly cast in a negative
light.”
4. Age
Ageism is a form of discrimination against other people
because of their age, or assuming that older people are less
physically, intellectually, or emotionally able than other age groups.
The capabilities of younger people should also not be
underestimated on the basis of their age. Again, it is important to
refer to a person’s age only when that information is pertinent to
what is being discussed.
Lastly, according to the American Psychological Association,
writers should be specific when referring to males and females in
terms of their age; females 18 years or older are women, not girls.
“Girls” refers to those in high school or younger (under18). The
same is true for “ boys” and “man”.
5. Disabilities
Discrimination in this area often arises because of lack of
understanding and awareness. Therefore, first it is important to
distinguish some terms that are mistakenly understood to be
synonymous.
When referring to people with disabilities, the focus should be on
the person, not the condition. In Patricia Arinto’s English for
Professions, advises writers to avoid hurtful expressions such as
“retards” or even seemingly neutral description “the mentally
retarded” and to use instead “people with mental retardation.”
similarly, instead of “the blind” and “cancer patients,” one should
instead use “people with vision impairments” and “people being
treated for cancer” respectively.
Disability First: The blinds student used a special keyboard during
the exam.
Person First: The student, who is visually impaired, used a special
keyboard during the exam.