Ethnography of Communication Theory Quiz

Study Notes

Ethnography of Communication Theory

The ethnography of communication is a form of communicational analysis that addresses how people interact in certain situations. It focuses on the social life of human beings by examining their everyday activities. This approach offers a picture of what people do with those around them in daily interactions.

Interactional Patterns

Interactional patterns refer to the repeated sequences or structures of behavior within human relations. They involve verbal, vocal, gestural, spatial, temporal, and sequential aspects of communication. These patterns can be observed through ethnographic methods such as direct observation, participant-observation, informal interviewing, selected questionnaires, documentation of texts, and artifacts.

Key concepts related to interactional patterns include interaction settings, which are places where communication occurs; roles, which involve attributes or functions assigned to members of a group; and speech events, which are occurrences involving two or more people engaged in some jointly undertaken enterprise.

Communication Within Cultural Contexts

Communication within cultural contexts involves understanding the specific meanings and values that derive from shared histories, beliefs, norms, traditions, and other factors unique to particular groups or communities. For example, the meaning of "going out" might vary significantly between different cultures. In one culture, it could signify dating while another culture sees it merely as leisure time. Each meaning is derived from its cultural context.

In terms of communication within cultural contexts, there are three key modes of interaction: vertical application, horizontal application, and spatial application. Vertical application refers to generalizations drawn across cultural boundaries, horizontal application describes relationships among different cultures, and spatial application relates to relationships within a single intercultural space.

Ethnographers explore these various levels of communication depth in order to understand underlying motivations, attitudes, and behaviors driving individuals' actions or responses. By doing so, they gain insights into the complexities of human communication and how it varies based on culture, context, and situation.

Description

Test your knowledge on the ethnography of communication theory, which focuses on how people interact in different situations and the social life of human beings. Explore concepts like interactional patterns, communication within cultural contexts, and key modes of interaction.