Language and words have a lot of power. Language has the power to build and shape relationships and the power to cause misunderstandings and conflict. Some of this can even happen with the basics of how people come to understand each other. This discussion helps you to see some of the ways that even things that seem simple can be understood in different ways.
After reading Chapter 5, please answer the following questions:
- Make a list of ten to fifteen familiar, everyday words (such as "home" or "online communication") and write both their denotative and connotative meanings.
- Then take your list of words and share them with two or three friends and ask them to write down what those words mean to them. Compare the connotative meanings from your friends with the connotative meanings that you had.
- Discuss your findings here on the discussion board. Are there differences in what a word can mean to different people? Is there a wide range of meanings that people can have of everyday words? What might influence a person's understanding of a word? How might differences in meaning impact how people communicate with each other?