COMMUNICATION AND
GLOBALOZATION
Prepared by: Loremie L. Masunag
Varieties and
registers of spoken
and written language
WRITEN AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE
1. Spoken Language – the actual use of
speech, sounds, or related utterances
that convey meaning to share
thoughts or information.
2. Written Language – the
communication by means of written
symbols/writing system.
LANGUAGE VARIETIES
Also called “lects” - refer to the different
variants of a language that can be
sufficiently delimited from one another
in terms of social, historical, or geo-
spatial factors, thus forming language
clusters.
CATEGORIES OF LANGUAGE VARIETY
DIALECT - - It includes the differences in
grammar, morphology, vocabulary, syntax,
and pronunciation. - Also refers to the way
people speak their native language.
REGISTER - -refer to particular ways of
using language, whether formal or informal
in particular contexts and in social
situations.
CATEGORIES OF LANGUAGE VARIETY
PIDGIN - - a simplified language derived
from two or more languages used by people
who do not share a common language in a
given geographical location.
CREOLE - - a pidgin that is used by native
speakers and with fully developed grammar
and syntax. people who do not share a
common language in a given geographical
location.
TYPES OF DIALECT
Regional Dialect- spoken in a particular
geographical area.
Sociolect- Differences in speech associated
with various social group such as income
level, education, occupation.
Ethnolect- spoken by a specific ethnic group
Idiolect- A person’s specific way of speaking
that differs from the way other people talk.
TYPES OF REGISTERS
Frozen/Static Register - These are specific
written or oral acts that remain unchanged.
It is “frozen” in time and content.
Formal Register - used when
communication is expected to be respectful,
uninterrupted, and restrained. This
language is used in formal settings and is
one-way in nature.
TYPES OF REGISTERS
Consultative Register - used when speaking
with someone who has specialized
knowledge or who is offering advice. It is
formal and societal expectations accompany
the users of this speech. It is professional
discourse.
Casual Register - This is informal language
used by peers and friends. Slang, vulgarities
and colloquialisms are normal. This is
“group” language.
TYPES OF REGISTERS
Intimate Register - usually between two
people and often in private.
Multimodal Text
and Cultural
Sensitivity in
Multimodal Text
MULTIMODAL
Multimodal is a dynamic convergence of
two or more communication modes within
the same text. All modes are attended to as
part of meaning-making (The New London
Group, 1996).
MULTIMODAL TEXT
A multimodal text combines two or more
semiotic systems like picture book, in which
the textual and visual elements are
arranged on individual pages that
contribute to an overall set of bound pages;
webpage, in which elements such as sound
effects, oral language, written language,
music and still or moving images are
combined; and live performance, in which
gesture, music, and space are the main
elements.
MULTIMODAL TEXT
It can be delivered via different
media or technologies like paper,
digital, live, and trans media.
According to The New London Group (1996), there are five
semiotic systems to make meanings in a multimodal text:
Written or Linguistic meaning: for spoken and written
language through the use of vocabulary, generic
structure and grammar
Audio meaning: for music, sound effects, noises,
ambient noise, and silence, through use of volume,
pitch and rhythm.
Visual meaning: for still and moving images through
the use of color, saliency, page distance and angle;
camera movement, subject movement.
According to The New London Group (1996), there are five
semiotic systems to make meanings in a multimodal text:
Gestural meaning: for movement of body, hands and
eyes, facial expression layouts, vectors, viewpoint,
screen formats, visual symbols, shot framing, subject
demeanors, and body language, and use of rhythm,
speed, stillness and angles.
Spatial meaning: for environmental and architectural
spaces and use of proximity, direction, layout, position
of and organization of objects in space.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN A MULTIMODAL TEXT
Culture comes in many shapes and sizes. It includes
areas such as politics, history faith, mentality,
behavior and lifestyle.
Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in South East
Asia by emphasizing that it "whitens your teeth." They
found out that the local natives chew betel nuts to
blacken their teeth which they find attractive.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN A MULTIMODAL TEXT
The fast food giant McDonald's spent thousands on a
new TV ad to target the Chinese consumer. The ad
showed a Chinese man kneeling before a McDonald's
vendor and begging him to accept his expired discount
coupon. The ad was pulled due to a lack of cultural
sensitivity on McDonald's behalf. The ad caused
uproar over the fact that begging is considered a
shameful act in Chinese culture.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN A MULTIMODAL TEXT
The film "Hollywood Buddha" showed a complete lack
of cultural sensitivity by causing outrage and protest
on the streets of Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Burma when
the designer of the film's poster decided to show the
lead actor sitting on the Buddha's head, an act of
clear degradation against something holy.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN A MULTIMODAL TEXT
Both Clairol and the Irish alcoholic drink "Irish Mist"
did not properly consider the German language when
they launched their products there. Clairol's hair-
curling iron Stick" and the drink "Irish Mist" both
flopped - why? 'Mist' translated in German as
"manure.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN A MULTIMODAL TEXT
A new facial cream with the name "Joni" was
proposed for marketing in India. They changed the
name since the word translated in Hindi meant
"female genitals.“
Coors had its slogan, "Turn it loose," translated into
Spanish, where it became "Suffer from diarrhea”.
In creating a multimodal text, the Purpose, Audience,
Context must all be considered
As to purpose, the creator of the text must be clear
on the message and the reason(s) why the message
has to be delivered.
As to audience, the nature, interests and sensitivities
of the target audience must be considered so the text
will not be offensive and hurt people’s sensibilities.
In creating a multimodal text, the Purpose, Audience,
Context must all be considered
As to context, the message should be clearly
delivered through various semiotic resources, and in
consideration of the various situations where and
how the text will be read by different people having
different cultural backgrounds.