MANUAL

in

PURPOSIVE
COMMUNICATION

Academic Year 2020-2021

PRELIM

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 Communication for Various Purposes
(Prelim)

Learning Outcomes
Unit I aims to accomplish the following learning outcomes:
1. Define communicative competence;
2. Perform communication analysis;
3. Enumerate differences in intercultural communication;
4. Explain the impact of globalization on communication through critical
evaluation of texts including the multi modal texts;
5. Evaluate the messages in texts produced in different contexts;
6. Design a project which portrays the importance or value of effective
communication/communicative competence in different contexts.

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Read the Linguisticator blog (https://linguisticator.com/communicative-competence/) on
communicative competence below; then, express your realization or reflection on how to
become effective in communication while you are enrolled in Purposive Communication, a
language course. It is implied in the text that there are competences that you should
develop in order to achieve effective communication.

Communicative Competence

If a language learner is asked what they think the goal of a language course is, they would
probably answer that it is to teach the grammar and vocabulary of that language. However, if
they are asked what their goal is as language learners, they would most probably answer that it is
to be able to communicate in that language.

I am not saying that in actuality the goal of a language course is to teach solely grammar and
vocabulary – well, at least it shouldn’t be just that anymore. (I’ve been in a course with such an
outdated approach, and the results were, of course, poor). Fortunately, the focus of second
language teaching has moved from purely teaching grammar and vocabulary, to providing the
skills for effective communication. In linguistics terminology, a language course should not only
have “linguistic competence” at its goal, but “communicative competence” in general.

But what do these terms mean? Communicative competence is a term coined by Dell Hymes in
1966 in reaction to Noam Chomsky’s (1965) notion of “linguistic competence”. Communicative
competence is the intuitive functional knowledge and control of the principles of language usage.
As Hymes observes:

“…a normal child acquires knowledge of sentences not only as grammatical, but also
appropriate. He or she acquires competence as to when to speak, when not, and as to what to talk
about with whom, when, where, and in what manner. In short, a child becomes able to
accomplish a repertoire of speech acts, to take part in speech events, and to evaluate their
accomplishment by others.”
(Hymes 1972, 227)

In other words, a language user needs to use the language not only correctly (based on linguistic
competence), but also appropriately (based on communicative competence). Of course, this
approach does not diminish the importance of learning the grammatical rules of a language. In
fact, it is one of the four components of communicative competence: linguistic, sociolinguistic,
discourse, and strategic competence.

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 Components of Communicative Competence

Linguistic competence is the knowledge of the language code, i.e. its grammar and vocabulary
and also of the conventions of its written representation (script and orthography). The grammar
component includes the knowledge of the sounds and their pronunciation (i.e. phonetics), the
rules that govern sound interactions and patterns (i.e. phonology), the formation of words by
means of e.g. inflection and derivation (i.e. morphology), the rules that govern the combination
of words and phrases to structure sentences (i.e. syntax), and the way that meaning is conveyed
through language (i.e. semantics).

Sociolinguistic competence is the knowledge of sociocultural rules of use, i.e. knowing how to
use and respond to language appropriately. The appropriateness depends on the setting of the
communication, the topic, and the relationships among the people communicating. Moreover,
being appropriate depends on knowing what the taboos of the other culture are, what politeness
indices are used in each case, what the politically correct term would be for something, how a
specific attitude (authority, friendliness, courtesy, irony etc.) is expressed etc.

Discourse competence is the knowledge of how to produce and comprehend oral or written texts
in the modes of speaking/writing and listening/reading respectively. It’s knowing how to
combine language structures into a cohesive and coherent oral written text of different types.
Thus, discourse competence deals with organizing words, phrases and sentences in order to
create conversations, speeches, poetry, email messages, newspaper articles etc.

Strategic competence is the ability to recognize and repair communication breakdowns before,
during, or after they occur. For instance, the speaker may now know a certain word, thus will
plan to either paraphrase, or ask what the words is in the target language. During the
conversation, background noise or other factors may hinder communication; thus the speaker
must know how to keep the communication channel open. If the communication was
unsuccessful due to external factors (such as interruptions), or due to the message being
misunderstood, the speaker must know how to restore communication. These strategies may be
request for repetition, clarification, slower speech, or the usage of gestures, taking turn in
conversation etc.

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 COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
 Knowledge of the  Knowledge

LINGUISTIC/ 
SOCIOLINGUISTIC DISCOURSE STRATEGIC
GRAMMATICAL 
COMPETENCE COMPETENCE COMPETENCE  COMPETENCE

 Knowledge of the  Knowledge of the  Knowledge of  Knowledge on the

language code sociocultural rules of achieving use of
language use in a coherence communication
particular context and cohesion in a strategies to avoid
 Ability to create spoken or written breakdowns in
grammatically text communication
correct utterances  Ability to produce
sociolinguistically  Ability to produce  Ability to solve
 Refers to appropriate coherent and communication
knowledge utterances cohesive utterances problems
and skill in using as they arise
language resources  Refers to  Refers to
to form well knowledge and skills knowledge and  Refers to the
structured on appropriate skills related to knowledge
messages language use in a discourse, text types, and skills on the use
social context and genres, cohesion of verbal and
and coherence non-verbal
strategies to prevent
breakdowns in
communication

This presentation of the concept of communicative competence is a synthesis of

the different frameworks on Communicative Competence (Canale and Swain ( 1980,
1981), Council of Europe (2001), Hymes (1972), Savignon, 1983 cited in Bagaric,
2007)

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To enrich your knowledge on the concept of Communicative Competence, you are given
communication contexts below to recognize the different components of Communicative
Competence.
The following communication situations that happen in different contexts imply issues or
competences in communication. Choose the component of Communicative Competence to
which you can associate the implied idea presented in the context of communication. Your
answers must be reflected in Learning Task Sheet # 4.

COMMUNICATION CONTEXT #1. (Video Transcript)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZV40f0cXF4

Wife: Ricky Ricardo.Here Honey, I will show what I mean. Now you take this book and pretend
that our child has come to you and said, “ Daddy, read me a good night story.”
Husband: All right
Wife: There you are, daddy.( Wife handed the book)
Husband: ( Started Reading) “Once upon a time in the woods live a peasant, he was a good man
with a noble heart. He spent his time in the forest, cutting down booges from the trees.”
Wife: ( Interrupted the reading) wait, wait, just a minute, what is that booges?
Husband: (pointing the word from the book) “ Booges,” right in there.
Wife: That’s “boughs”.
Husband: B-O-U-G-H is bough?
Wife: Right
Husband: Bough! He spent his time in the forest, cutting down boughs from the trees. Cutting
woods all day made his hands strong and row. “One day..

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Wife: That’s rough.
Husband: Spelled the same way as the other: O-U-G-H?
Wife: That’s right, that shows how little you know about the English Language.
Husband: So, I made a little mistake. Made His hands strong and rough. “One day he cut the
wood so fast that by 3 in the afternoon, his day’s work was thruff. When the…
Wife: Hold it Shakespeare.
Husband: Thraugh?
Wife: T-h-r-o-u-g-h is pronounced “Through”
Husband: Through, that’s what I always say, Now stop picking on me , Will you? You’re getting
me all confused. His day’s work was through. “ It started to rain on the way home and he got so
wet that his nose became red and he developed a hacking….( stopped reading with a confused
gaze on the book)…coo? Well I know it can’t be “ Cow”
Wife: It’s “cough”Husband: Oh that did it, I had enough, or should I say, “enu”
Wife: That’s enough
*End of transcript

The communication between the participants presents constraint for effective

communication. The problem can be related to :

A. Language Competence C. Sociolinguistic Competence

B. Discourse competence D. Strategic Competence

COMMUNICATION CONTEXT #2 (Video Transcript)

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYu_bGbZiiQ

Tripp: Opens the door.. (Saying his name) Tripp Crosby. . .

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Computer recognition device: has joined the meeting. 
Beth: Opens the door. (Saying her name) Beth
Computer recognition device: has joined the meeting.
Beth: Hello?
Tripp: Tyler?
Beth: No, this is Beth, from ICS.
Tripp: Oh, hey, Beth. How are you doing?
Beth: Oh, yeah, good. Makin’ it, you know.
Tyler: Opens the door. (Saying his name) Tyler
Computer recognition device . . has joined the meeting.
Tripp: Alright, well, uhh, this is Tripp. Who’s here?
Tyler; Tyler’s here.
Beth: Beth’s here. OK, well, the purpose of today’s meeting is to discuss the, uhh. . .
John: (Opens the door) Yeah, I’ll be able to do it in, like, thirty minutes. (Saying his name)John
Computer recognition device: has joined the meeting
Tripp: Hi, John. I was just trying to go over the purpose of today’s meeting, which is to discuss
the delivery of. . .
Tyler: (Interrupting and saying his name) Tyler.
Computer recognition device: has joined the meeting.
Tyler: Sorry, guys, I got cut off. Is Paul here? I sent him an invite.
( Someone, knocking by the door)
Beth: (Facing the door, seems giving an instruction) Put in your access code!
John: ( Facing the door) No, no, that’s your PIN number!
Tripp: ( Facing the door ) It should be a nine-digit number!
Tyler: ( Facing the door )Try pressing the pound key.
( Door Opens)
Paul: Paul
Computer recognition device: has joined the meeting.
Tripp: Any questions before we move on?
Beth: Yes, this is Beth. What’s our best plan of attack for the second quarter?
John: (Simultaneously talking with Tripp) I think what we should do. . .
Tripp: The question actually. . .
Tripp: (Gesturing to John to talk ahead of him) Go ahead!
John: ( same gesture with Tripp) Go ahead!
John: Well, I think what we should really do is diversify, because. . .
Tripp: (Interrupting) Well, it actually depends on how you really look at it, because the really
com...
Tripp: ( Gesturing to John) Go ahead.
John: ( Gesturing to Tripp) Go ahead.
Beth: Well, given sales. . .
John: ( Simultaneous with Tripp) Well, lemme just say. . .
Tripp: OK. That’s a great graph, John. Uhmm . . . Tyler?
Tyler: Well, my main concern with (…) the projections for (…) year (…) was that they’re
insufficient.I mean, they’re not even taking into account the. . .
John: Did we, uhmm, did we lose Tyler again? Hello?
Tripp: John, uhmm, are you guys taking distributions? John?

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John: My bad. I was on mute. Lemme, lemme let me start over.
Tripp So, I’ve prepared a presentation. I’m sharing it with all of you. You should be able to see it
on your screen right now.
Beth: Got it! ( while playing solitaire on her screen)
Paul:I don’t see a link anywhere.
John: It says I need to download a plug-in.
Tripp: We are all using Macs, I’m assuming?
Everyone: Yeah. Yup ( except Paul, who turned his attention to his laptop cover).
Tripp: How can you. . . uhnn. Finances are looking great. Paul, do you have any comments on
staffing?
Paul: I was thinking about that, because if we get a few more contractor types in. . .( Dog
Barking) Hold on for a second. Rex, get down!
Beth: I feel like when . . . tighten that up, and I . . .(Barking Dog in the background) ( Coffee
Brewing Sound is heard also in the background)
Tripp: For me, staffing is a huge. . .
Beth: (Echoing sound is heard in the background) What is that?!
Tripp:Is that me? That’s not me, I don't think.I just want to go over a couple of details as we
move into our next section here.
(Tyler seems tuning out, and is seen gazing on his laptop screen. “Happy hour in 5!” is seen
popping on the same screen)
Tripp: We got three new departments coming on
Tyler: ( Attempting to interrupt while shutting his laptop down). . . Breakin’ up a little bit, guys.
Driving through a dead spot
Tripp: . . .by the end of Q3, so I need everyone to give me detailed evaluations each month . . . . .
so that we know. . .
Tyler: ( leaves the room, closes the door) Sorry, guys.
Tripp: That’s it, guys. Beth, you’ll send out a recap email that could have basically taken
the place of this whole meeting, correct?
Beth: ( Gestures of safekeeping the laptop in her bag) Yup! Always do.
Tripp:Thanks for doing that, Beth. Dave! You been here the whole time?
Dave:Yeah.
Tripp: Ah. Well, thanks everyone, once again. Oh, one more thing …

*end of transcript

The participants in this communication situation manifest inappropriate

behavior/actuation during their business meeting. Which component of communicative
competence should be developed so that the meeting becomes successful?

A. Language Competence C. Sociolinguistic Competence

B. Discourse competence D. Strategic Competence

COMMUNICATION CONTEXT #3

Chris was simultaneously enrolled in a university writing course and working as a co-op student
(student internship) at the Widget Manufacturing plant. As part of his co-op work experience,

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Chris worked with his supervisor/mentor on a safety inspection of the plant, and was asked to
write up the results of the inspection in a compliance memo. In the same week, Chris’s writing
instructor assigned the class to write a narrative essay based on some personal experience.
Chris, trying to be efficient, thought that the plant visit experience could provide the basis for his
essay assignment as well.
He wrote the essay first, because he was used to writing essays and was pretty good at it. He had
never even seen a compliance memo, much less written one, so was not as confident about that
task. He began the essay like this:

On June 1, 2018, I conducted a safety audit of the Widget Manufacturing plant in New City. The
purpose of the audit was to ensure that all processes and activities in the plant adhere to safety
and handling rules and policies outlined in the Workplace Safety Handbook and relevant
government regulations. I was escorted on a 3-hour tour of the facility by…

Chris finished the essay and submitted it to his writing instructor. He “aced” the essay, getting an
A grade.
He then revised the essay slightly, keeping the introduction the same without changing the
narrative style in his writing and submitted it to his supervisor.
His supervisor told him that the report was unacceptable and would have to be rewritten –
especially the beginning, which should have clearly indicated whether or not the plant was in
compliance with safety regulations. Chris was aghast but eventually he realized that a narrative
essay is different from a compliance memo in terms of structure and content. (The situation is
adapted and modified from T.M Georges’ Analytical Writing for Science and Technology)

Chris could have researched the characteristics of compliance memo before he submitted
his assignment to his supervisor. Although he has language competence in writing essays ,
his language ability alone did not prosper him in writing a compliance memo. Which
component of communicative competence needs to be enhanced?

A. Language Competence C. Sociolinguistic Competence

B. Discourse competence D. Strategic Competence

COMMUNICATION CONTEXT #4

Our very own Catriona Gray was crowned Miss Universe 2018. But before she claimed the
crown, Cat had the opportunity to give her Final Word on the same question that the Top 3
Finalists answered during the Question and Answer segment of the pageant:
Question: "What is the most important lesson you've learned in your life, and how would you
apply it to your time as Miss Universe?"
Answer of Miss Philippines: Catriona Gray (Miss Universe 2018)

"I worked a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila. And the life there…it's poor, and it's very sad.
And I've always taught myself to look for the beauty in it. To look in the beauty in the faces of
the children, and to be grateful. And I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see
situations with a silver lining, and to assess, where I could give something, where I could provide
something, as a spokesperson, and if I could teach also people to be grateful, we could have an

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amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on
their faces."

The answer of Catriona Gray shows that she is well-trained to effectively deliver an
impromptu speech. The impromptu speech contains very substantive content and the ideas
are logically organized. Aside from the language competence that she manifested, another
competence stood out when she delivered her speech. Which competence relates to
Catriona’s knowledge and skill in delivering an impromptu speech?
A. Language Competence C. Sociolinguistic Competence
B. Discourse Competence D. Strategic Competence

COMMUNICATION CONTEXT #5

There are many different ways to blow a job interview and turn off an employer. Some responses
to interview questions reveal flaws in your attitude, preparation, interest in the job, or
qualifications to get the work done well. They may also reflect negatively on your work ethic or
your ability to work well with others.

Here are a few examples of the worst types of answers to interview questions, along with tips on
what you can say instead to impress the interviewer.
Why Should We Hire You?
Bad answers: "I don't know." "It sounds like a good job."
Saying you don't know or giving a vague answer is never a good way to respond to any interview
question. If you need to, take a little time to think about an answer before you respond. Instead,
respond to the question "Why should we hire you?" with an answer that illustrates how your
qualifications and strengths fit the job, along with some anecdotes to illustrate your
qualifications.
Tell Me About Your Last Job
Bad answer: "Didn't you look at my resume?"

A snide "Didn't you look at my resume?" is not the way to answer questions about your
employment history. Be prepared to discuss your previous jobs with the interviewer, and review
your resume ahead of time so you know where you worked when.

What Did You Like Least About Your Previous Position?

Bad answer: "I hated the job and the company. They were awful to work for."

It's important not to badmouth the companies or people you worked for because you don't know
what relationships they may have with the company you're interviewing with. I once had an
applicant who told me that her employer was the worst place to work ever. That employer
happened to be our biggest and most important customer. It's always a good strategy to focus on
the positives when discussing your previous job, including how you grew from your experiences.

What Are Your Strengths?

Bad answers: "I do good work." "I'm the best." "I'm not sure, but I'm a good learner."

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Vague answers don't go over well. The interviewer wants to know what strengths you have that
specifically relate to the job you are being considered for. When answering questions about your
strengths, talk about the skills you have as they relate to the job, rather than giving general
answers.(Source: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/worst-interview-answers-2061232)

Job Interview is different from other type of communication context. Thus, there is a need
to learn how to successfully participate in this kind of interaction (interviewee-interviewer
interaction). What component of communicative competence relates to the idea that having
a training on Job Interview as a discourse prepares a student to become successful in Job
Interview in the future?

A. Language Competence C. Sociolinguistic Competence

B. Discourse Competence D. Strategic Competence

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ON LANGUAGE COMPETENCE
To enrich your idea on LANGUAGE COMPETENCE, you are going to learn the reality of Formal
English and Informal English in communication. Knowing when to use formal and informal
English is part of mastering the language. English is not only one, there is Formal English and
Informal English (some references will tell you there is also neutral English) .The grammar rules
in standard English that you have learned in your English classes since elementary years cannot
be applied in some contexts of communicatIon.
There are informal contexts where communication happens; therefore, the language that the
participants use may also become informal, personal, and more relaxed. Non-standard English
appears in informal contexts. You do not use the rules in formal English to evaluate the
grammaticality of someone’s utterances in informal situations. Specific grammatical and
vocabulary choices can be associated with Formal and Informal English.

FORMAL AND INFORMAL LANGUAGE

Formal Language/Formal English is a type of language resource that is used in formal or

serious academic situations. The following are communication contexts or types of texts that are
characterized by formal English or formal language: research article or scientific journal article,
academic essays, college term papers, business reports, textbooks, legal papers, school
documents, research paper (thesis), formal meeting minutes, etc.

Informal Language/Informal English is a language resource which is used to communicate

with friends, relatives and on social media. It usually occurs in casual situations and informal
communication contexts such as: family communications, sports/field interaction, conversation
with friends, movie conversations, talk shows, informal social gathering, birthday parties,
jeepney conversations, facebook interactions, messages in messenger, etc.

Features of Formal and Informal language (Source: helpteaching.com)

Informal English Formal English
Contraction No Contraction
Personal pronouns lack of personal pronouns
Slang and idioms longer and more complicated sentences
Fillers (er, umm, uh) bigger and more sophisticated words
Shorter sentences follow etiquette guideline
Shortened or less complicated words sound extremely polite
Sometimes less proper or less polite

INFORMAL FORMAL
(Source: BBC English Masterclass/BBC Learn English)
Common words formal words
Phrasal verbs full form
Short forms passive structures
Short and simple sentences complex sentences

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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT #1 for FORMAL AND INFORMAL LANGUAGE

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdKYl8Tg_FQ

Hi, Sian here for BBC Learning English. In this Masterclass we're going to look at some
differences between formal and informal English. Hey, how's it going? Good afternoon, how are
you? Sometimes formal and informal can seem like two different languages. In the same way
you wouldn't normally wear shorts and a t-shirt to a job interview, if you use language that's too
formal or too informal, you can give a bad impression. Let's look at some differences between
formal and informal English. Now, I received an email this morning. Have a look at this email -
do you think the language is formal or informal - and why? Dear Mrs Brown, I'm writing to find
out whether you have any jobs in your company this summer. At the mo I'm studying Economics
at uni. I have been working part-time in a shop and recently they promoted me to the role of
manager. I am enthusiastic. I work hard. I pay attention to detail. Ok, so that email used informal
language and it's too informal for this style of letter. We're going to look at four features that
make this informal and we're going to change it to make it more formal.

Number one choice of vocabulary. In informal English we use more common words and more
phrasal verbs. For example here we have a phrasal verb find out. It would be better to use a
more formal equivalent like enquire. Same with jobs, this is quite informal, so instead let's use
vacancies here. Instead we have "I'm writing to enquire whether you have any vacancies."

Number two. It's more common in informal language to use abbreviations, contractions,
shortened forms of verbs. Let's have a look. So, here we have at the mo, which is short for at the
moment. This is OK when you're speaking, but not when you're writing. Here, we could use
currently which is even more formal. Same here, uni is short for university, so don't use this
short form in a letter. "Currently, I am studying Economics at university."

Quite often in formal language we choose passive structures over active. Let's have a look here.
The active sentences they promoted me is quite informal - it'd be much better to use a passive
form here to make it more formal I was promoted. So, "Recently I was promoted to the role of
manager." This doesn't mean don't use active structures in a formal letter,

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but have a think about whether a passive one is more appropriate. Finally, in informal English,
short, simple sentences are much more common. Whereas in formal English, we use more
complex structures. Take a look at this one. Here we have three short, simple sentences and this
is fine in informal English, but in formal English it's better to use a complex structure. We can do
this by adding relative pronouns or linkers. For example, "I am an enthusiastic person who works
hard and pays attention to detail. So, would you kindly visit our website... ah, we're friends, that's
too formal. Go to our website bbclearningenglish.com for more information about this and to
practise formal and informal English. See you soon - goodbye!

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT #2 FOR FORMAL AND INFORMAL LANGUAGE

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LmhIu3phqk&t=3s ( helpteaching.com)

formal versus informal language J and Justin J and Justin are brothers but they are still as
different as can be J has blonde hair justin has brown hair J likes red Justin likes blue they differ
in so many ways but they differ the most in the way they talk whenever J talks he uses formal
language whenever Justin talks he uses informal language as you can probably tell J is more
serious while Justin is a bit more laid-back formal language is a type of language that you use in
more formal or

serious situations some places you may find formal language are at school at a business in court
in essays and academic papers when talking with someone important while dining with the
Queen you some traits of formal language include no contractions a lack of personal pronouns
longer more complicated sentences bigger and more sophisticated words follows etiquette
guidelines sounds extremely polite phrases Jay has been known to utter include may I participate
in your competition the soup is divine I have completed my homework this evening let us head
to the park after dinner unfortunately I will not be able to attend your celebration in the formal
language is a type of language you using more laid-back and casual situations it's everyday
language some places you may find informal language are at home on the sports field with your
friends with family a mud kids and teenagers at the park or playground any place that is casual
some traits of informal language include contractions personal pronouns slag in idioms fillers
like her shorter sentences shortened or less complicated words sometimes less proper or polite
phrases Justin has been known to say include can I join your game your soup is yummy I'm done
with my homework tonight let's go to the park after supper no I can't go to your party you decide
which sentences are formal and which are informal you don't know what I'm talking about this is

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too complicated for what to comprehend we'll talk about it later let us have a discussion in a little
while formal language sucks informal language lacks tactic respectability
*end of transcript

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The following communication contexts (conversation in films and talk show) provide examples
on the use of informal or non-standard English in communication.

COMMUNICATION IN FILM CONVERSATION

To highlight the use of Informal English in some contexts of communication, you are given an
excerpt of film conversation (transcript) and talk show (transcript) where informal English is so
rich. In conversation, sometimes the language being used does not reflect the grammar of the
Formal English or Standard English. You can also observe that aside from film conversation and
talk show provided here, during informal conversations, the speakers or participants also use
informal English characterized by idioms, contractions, colloquialism (slang and short forms)
abbreviations, shortened forms of verbs because when we communicate with friends or family in
casual interactions we are more spontaneous and natural.

The following is a conversation that happens in the movie, “Avengers: Infinity War”. Read
the video transcript then identify examples of informal language. Use the Learning Task
Sheet #6.

1. Ebony Maw: Hear me… and rejoice. You have had the privilege, of being saved by the
Great Titan. You may think this is suffering. No. It is salvation. Universal scales, tipped
toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile, for even in death, you have become
children of Thanos.
Thanos: I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail
nonetheless. As lightning turns the legs to jelly. I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run
from it… Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it’s here. Or should I say… I am.
Thor: You talk too much. 
2. Loki: Almighty Thanos, I, Loki, Prince of Asgard… Odinson… The rightful king of
Jotunheim, God of Mischief… Do hereby pledge to you, my undying fidelity. (Loki tries
to stab Thanos)
Thanos: “Undying”? You should choose your words more carefully.
Loki: You… will never be…. a god. (Thanos chokes him and eventually snaps his neck)
Thanos: No resurrections this time. 
3. Wong: We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives.
Tony Stark: And I swore off dairy, but Ben & Jerry’s named a flavor after me, so…
StephenmStrange: Stark Raving Hazelnuts.
Tony Stark: It’s not bad.
Stephen Strange: A bit chalky.
Wong: “A Hunka-Hulka Burning Fudge” is our favorite.
Bruce Banner: That’s a thing? 
4. Tony Stark: Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. He’s offline.
Bruce Banner: What? Tony, you lost another superbot? 
5. Peter Parker: Ned, hey. I need you to cause a distraction.
Ned Leeds: Holy shit! We’re all gonna die! There’s a spaceship!

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 The Watcher Informant (as bus driver): What’s the matter with you kids? You never
seen a spaceship before? 
6. Tony Stark: Where’s your guy?
Bruce Banner: I don’t know. We’re certainly having a thing.
Tony Stark: There’s no time for a thing. That’s the thing right there. Let’s go. (Bruce
tries to change into Hulk unsuccessfully) Dude, you’re embarassing me in front of the
wizards.

7. Peter Quill: Groot, put that thing away. Now. I don’t wanna tell you again. Groot.

Groot: I am Groot!
Everyone: Whoa! hey! Language! Wow!
Peter Quill: You got some acorns on you, kid.
Rocket: Ever since you got little sap, you’re a total d-hole. Keep it up, and I’m gonna
smash that thing to pieces! 

8. Peter Quill: How the hell is this dude still alive?

Drax: He is not a dude. You’re a dude. This… This is a man. Handsome, muscular man.
Peter Quill: I’m muscular.
Rocket: Who are you kidding, Quill? You’re one sandwich away from fat. 
9. Peter Quill: You’ll not, be taking our pod today, sir.
Rocket: Quill. Are you making your voice deeper?
Peter Quill: No.
Drax: You are. You’re imitating the god-man. It’s weird.
Peter Quill: No I’m not.
Mantis: He just did it again!
Peter Quill: This is my voice!
Thor: Are you mocking me?
Peter Quill: Are you mocking me?
Thor: You just did it again.
Peter Quill: He’s trying to copy me. 
10. (Gamora and Peter kiss, crunching sound is heard in background – Drax eating nuts)
Peter Quill: Dude! How long have you been standing there?
Drax: An hour.
Peter Quill: An hour?
Gamora: Are you serious?
Drax: I’ve mastered the ability, of standing so incredibly still… That I’ve become
invisible to the eye. Watch.
Peter Quill: You’re eating a zark nut.
Drax: But my movement… So slow… And it’s imperceptible.
Peter Quill: No.
Drax: I’m sure I’m invisible.
Mantis: Hi, Drax.
Drax: Damn it. 

18
 11. Peter Parker: I’m Peter, by the way.
Stephen Strange: Doctor Strange.
Peter Parker: Oh, we’re using our made-up names. Um… I’m Spider-Man, then.
12. Peter Quill (about Mantis and Drax): See, not winging it isn’t really what they do.
Peter Parker: What exactly is it that they do?
Mantis: Kick names, take ass.
Drax: That’s right.
13. Stephen Strange: I went forward in time, to view alternate futures… To see all the
possible outcomes of the coming conflict.
Peter Quill: How many did you see?
Stephen Strange: 14,000,605.
Tony Stark: How many did we win?
Stephen Strange: One.
14. Peter Parker: I’m Peter, by the way.
Stephen Strange: Doctor Strange.
Peter Parker: Oh, we’re using our made-up names. Um… I’m Spider-Man, then. 
15. Peter Quill (about Mantis and Drax): See, not winging it isn’t really what they do.
Peter Parker: What exactly is it that they do?
Mantis: Kick names, take ass.
Drax: That’s right. 
16. Stephen Strange: I went forward in time, to view alternate futures… To see all the
possible outcomes of the coming conflict.
Peter Quill: How many did you see?
Stephen Strange: 14,000,605.
Tony Stark: How many did we win?
Stephen Strange: One (end of transcript

COMMUNICATION IN TALK SHOW

This is another communication context which offers abundant examples of informal language.
Read the video transcript of Ellen Degeneres show on April 24th, 2004 and identify the examples
of informal language used by the participants in the talk show by answering the same Learning
Task Sheet # 6.

TALK SHOW

Identify the examples of informal language used by the participants in the talk show.
Video Transcript of Ellen Degeneres show interview , April 24th, 2004, 4:33 pm
19
David and the band performed "Changes" and "Never Get Old". He was dressed in brown
trousers, an olive green t-shirt and a black zippered fleece jacket with NEW YORK in white
lettering and five little stars underneath.
Interview portion:
*"Rebel Rebel" playing in background as David enters and joins Ellen on stage*
*David starts doing some hand-clapping, hip-swaying to the music -- Ellen joins in (Ellen's
talkshow has a DJ instead of a band and she breaks into dance often on her show)*
*David insists that she sits down before he does*
*David then proceeds to play with wooden animal figures on the table in front of them. He tries
to make the elephant's trunk do something, but it won't. Then, Ellen shows him how the ass' tail
flips up by pushing the pack on its back*
Ellen: It goes that way.
David: I just wanted to see them tip.
Ellen: Well, okay, that's how it happens.
David: So how are you?
Ellen: Good! How are you?
David: Very well indeed, thank you.
Ellen: Well, I'm just as thrilled as can be to have you here.
David: Cat's whiskers, is it?
Ellen *looking a little perplexed*: As thrilled as the cat's whiskers...I've never said it before, but
I'll say it.
David *grinning*: I'm sorry, I was just trying to help out.
Ellen: No, it's a good one.
David: It's the only expression I know.
Ellen: Is that really an expression?
David: I use it for everything.
Ellen: Cat's whiskers?
David: Yeah, if I'm depressed... *looking glum and sighing* ... I feel like the cat's whiskers.
Ellen: And can you say it if you're happy, too?
David: Yeah... *brightening up* ...Hey! I feel like the cat's whiskers! *big grin*
*audience laughs and applauds*
David *sensing a lull, perhaps*: So, how's the tour going? *laughing* (pretending to take the
interviewer's role)
Ellen: Yeah, how's the tour going? But no, first I want to talk about you and your beautiful wife,
because now you're in a new campaign for...
*Ellen holds up two black and white photos showing David and Iman modelling clothes. One
photo shows David sitting in a chair leaning on his white Gibson guitar, while Iman is laid back
on a bed*
Ellen: ...I don't want to say the wrong...who are you doing this for?
David: Actually, they started off as passport photos, but I think Tommy Hilfiger liked them so
much that he asked if he could use them.
Ellen: Tommy Hilfiger, that's what I thought.
*crowd applauds*

20
 David: I suspected something when we turned up and there was a hotel room and a bed
involved. I thought, 'This isn't all passport photographs.' *twiddling fingers and grinning*
Ellen *looking at the photos*: That was fun, I bet.
David: Oh yeah, it's always...it's a treat working with the wife.
Ellen: And how long have you and Iman...? Your anniversary is tomorrow?
David: Actually, you know...well, which one? We've got two.
Ellen: Okay, which one do you want to talk about? Tell us all of them.
David: Nope...I'll tell you the second one, it was June 6th and that was in Florence, in Italy. That
was our wedding anniversary, proper. But it was a contractual one while I was living in
Switzerland, so that will be tomorrow. But that was, like, paper...*uncomfortable grimace*...you
know, and no friends.
Ellen: Okay, uh huh.
David: And we had to...we learnt to get friends after that. Then we had a proper wedding.
*grinning*
Ellen *smiling*: Because then you get gifts that way, when you have friends.
David: Yeah, that's it. It was a good idea, yeah.
Ellen: Yeah.
David: Yeah, my mother told me to do that. She said, 'Get friends, get gifts.' *then he said
something inaudible*
Ellen: So tomorrow, will you still celebrate even though it was a paper thing?
David: No. June 6th.
Ellen: You'll wait 'til June.
David: Yeah, yeah. That's the best one. But we've been together now... *sing song voice* ...
fourteen years...14. (repeated because it sounded like he sang 40 at first)
*applause*
Ellen: Wow, that's amazing.
David: Yeah, it's a long time.
Ellen: And you have a little baby together?
David: We do. We have a wonderful child called Alexandria...but actually "Lexie". And she's
just three and eight months.
*imitating a child's voice*
David (as Lexie): Four!
David: No darling, you're three years and eight months.
David (as Lexie): I'm foouurrr!!
David: You're nearly four.
David (as Lexie): Oh. *pouting*
*laughter*
David: Something like that. That was my impersonation.
Ellen: It was good.
David: Shall I do Marcel Marceau?
Ellen: You studied to be a mime, I heard.
David: Yeah, well, I was about 17...
*does a quick mime of being inside a box*
David: ...there you are. That's all you're getting out of me. *wagging a finger*

21
 *Ellen mimes peeking around the corner of a curtain at him*
David: Oh, don't push me. *mimes looking through a porthole*
Ellen *miming the curtain-peeking again*: What?
*Then, Ellen mimes something that looked like she was being lifted up by a noose*
*David mimes a hook pulling him by the neck offstage*
David: Yeah, at around 17, I realized I was a mime trapped in a man's body.
*Ellen laughs, along with the audience*
David: This is really quite embarrassing to talk about, anything to do with mime in America is
embarrassing to talk about, because you get killed by clowns over here, don't you? According to
Bob Goldthwaite. *laughing*
Ellen: No, there are some good mimes. You probably would have been a good mime.
David: It was kinda a revolutionary company that I was with...because they spoke.
*pause followed by laughter from the audience*
Ellen: Well, that's not a mime.
David: That's why they were revolutionary.
*more laughter*
Ellen: Now wait, and also you studied to be a monk?
David: Yeah, I realized one day when I was about 18 that I was a monk in a mime's body.
*a knowing smile passes between David and Ellen as they both break up in laughter*
David: Yes, I kinda...You know, I was young, fancy free, and Tibetan Buddhism appealed to me
at that time. I thought, 'There's salvation.' It didn't really work. Then I went through Nietzsche,
Satanism, Christianity...uh...pottery. And ended up singing. It's been a long road, Ellen.
*audience applauds*
David *laughing*: 'Tell me about the tour!' Actually, let me tell you something about the tour.
We've had some real fantastic satorial moments recently. In fact, over the last couple of days. We
have a rabbit that follows us around on tour. It's a big pink bunny and he...it...it is always at the
front and I thought it was just a real big bunny, you know. I thought: a) it's rock and roll, you
know, it's just a five-foot-three bunny-thing. And then we got the plane out one night, and the
bunny was on the plane! Still in costume! I kid you not!
*laughing, big grin*
*Throughout this story, Ellen has been looking confused but nodding along to humour David.
Then she leans forward and picks up his coffee mug on the table, sniffs it, and then puts it back
down*
Ellen: Listen, I've never met you before, but you're as high as a cat's whiskers right now.
*lots of laughter*
Ellen *patting David on the knee*: I love ya...
*Then Ellen announces everybody in the audience would be getting a copy of David's "Reality"
CD*
*big cheer*
*end of interview*

22
ON SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE AND STRATEGIC COMPETENCE

The following definition of Sociolinguistic Competence and Strategic Competence are provided
on the first few pages of this Manual. They are again provided here so you will see the
connection of these concepts to the idea of Intercultural Competence for better understanding.

Sociolinguistic competence is the knowledge of sociocultural rules of use, i.e. knowing how to
use and respond to language appropriately. The appropriateness depends on the setting of the
communication, the topic, and the relationships among the people communicating. Moreover,
being appropriate depends on knowing what the taboos of the other culture are, what politeness
indices are used in each case, what the politically correct term would be for something, how a
specific attitude (authority, friendliness, courtesy, irony etc.) is expressed etc.

Strategic competence is the ability to recognize and repair communication breakdowns before,
during, or after they occur. For instance, the speaker may now know a certain word, thus will
plan to either paraphrase, or ask what the words is in the target language. During the
conversation, background noise or other factors may hinder communication; thus the speaker
must know how to keep the communication channel open. If the communication was
unsuccessful due to external factors (such as interruptions), or due to the message being
misunderstood, the speaker must know how to restore communication. These strategies may be
request for repetition, clarification, slower speech, or the usage of gestures, taking turn in
conversation etc.

INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
Intercultural competence is the ability to interact effectively and appropriately in intercultural
situations. It is supported by specific attitudes and affective features, (inter) cultural knowledge,
skills and reflection.

The following are dimensions of intercultural competence:

1. MINDSET is intercultural awareness and refers to a person’s ability to understand
similarities and differences of others’ cultures. It includes self-awareness and cultural
awareness.
2. HEARTSET is acknowledging, appreciating and accepting the cultural differences
between you and others. The following are components of mindset: self-esteem, self-
monitoring, empathy, open-mindedness, reserved judgement, and social relaxation.
3. SKILLSET refers to intercultural agility. It is an individual’s ability to reach
communication goals while interacting with people from other cultures
Source: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJqBhLgSNQY ).
You may watch the video on intercultural competence if it is available.

The following key ideas taken from the preceding definitions of Sociolinguistic Competence,
Strategic Competence and Intercultural Competence give emphasis on the significance of

23
CONTEXT/CULTURE AND APPROPRIACY in communication. Review them again for better
understanding.
sociocultural rules
appropriateness depends on the setting of the communication, the topic, and the relationships
among the people communicating
being appropriate depends on knowing what the taboos of the other culture
specific attitude
recognize and repair communication breakdowns
factors may hinder communication
speaker must know how to restore communication
ability to interact effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations.
specific attitudes and affective features, (inter) cultural knowledge, skills and reflection.

Furthermore, we might be talking to people with different background and people coming from
different cultures therefore, we must be conscious and sensitive to avoid communication
problems or breakdowns. It is also implied in the concepts of Sociolinguistic Competence and
Strategic Competence that communication is not simply TO SPEAK OR TO EXPRESS
ONESELF, you also have the responsibility to restore communication by applying strategies if
you perceive that there is misunderstanding or there is already communication breakdown.
Hence, the participants in communication must understand that having sociolinguistic and
strategic skills can build better relationship with or among people involved in the process of
communication.

To illustrate further the concepts on Sociolinguistic competence, Strategic competence, and

Intercultural Competence, read the excerpt from “Gestures Around the World” and understand
that communication in other cultures might be different from your own culture. You need to
perform Learning Activity Sheet #7 to show the knowledge that you have gained from the
excerpt.

24
 Gestures Around the World (An Excerpt)

Source: www.youtube.com
Uploaded on February by Vanessa Rogers

Greetings differ depending on cultures. In Mali, West Africa, they kiss each other’s hand. In
Turkey, it’s a way of bargaining, and in America, a firm classic handshake is important. A strong
firm handshake is important in Western Countries and in business situations.

Kissing is another form of greetings in countries in Latin America, the Middle East and
Europe. The common greeting among friends is hugging in America and other English speaking
countries. In Asia, bowing is a form of formal greeting.

The thumbs up in many countries means great or good job. However, in the Middle East, it
is equivalent to the middle finger.

The V-sign has many different meanings. In Asia, they use it when taking pictures. In many
countries, it means peace or victory. However, in UK, it’s an insult.

The horns can mean ‘Rock and Roll’ but in Italy, it is an insult that means your wife is
unfaithful.

The gesture ‘come here’ in Asia, the palm points down while in many English speaking
countries, the palm points up. Go away is the same.

Using one finger to call a woman over in Australia can be a serious insult. The gesture that
means A okay in America means worthless in France and money in Korea and Japan.

Pointing with one finger in many countries is considered rude. In the Philippines, they pint
with their lips. Pointing with the full hand is a good option.

The gesture for ‘yes’ is often thought to be universal. However, in India, they wobble their
head side to side to say yes.

There are also varieties for saying ‘no’. In Greece, they toss their heads up. In Japan, they
wave their hand in front of their nose like the gesture of stinky in America.

In Finland, crossing your arms means arrogance. In America, pushing your nose up shows
that someone’s snobby. Both of these gestures mean naughty in America. In Korea, when
accepting
money, gifts or drinks, always use both hands.

25
ON DISCOURSE COMPETENCE AND EXAMPLES OF DISCOURSE
To understand more fully the term Discourse Competence, let us understand the meaning of
Discourse. Discourse is spoken or written communication between people, especially serious
discussion of a particular subject.

In linguistics, discourse refers to a unit of language longer than a single sentence. The word
discourse is derived from the Latin prefix dis- meaning "away" and the root word currere
meaning "to run". Discourse, therefore, translates to "run away" and refers to the way that
conversations flow. To study discourse is to analyze the use of spoken or written language in a
social context.

The study of discourse is entirely context-dependent because conversation involves situational

knowledge beyond just the words spoken. Often times, meaning cannot be extrapolated from an
exchange merely from its verbal utterances because there are many semantic factors involved in
authentic communication.

"The study of discourse...can involve matters like context, background information or knowledge
shared between a speaker and hearer," (Bloor and Bloor 2013).

"Discourse can...be used to refer to particular contexts of language use, and in this sense, it
becomes similar to concepts like genre or text type. For example, we can conceptualize political
discourse (the sort of language used in political contexts) or media discourse (language used in
the media).

Few examples of Discourse (text type or genre) that can be relevant to you are provided for
critical reading exercises. These types of texts (written or oral) have different contexts so they
can have different communicative purposes. These are the FAKE NEWS, BLOG, TED TALK
AND REACTION PAPER. Other text types (discourse or genre) will be learned during
MIDTERM and ENDTERM.

COMMUNICATION IN FAKENEWS

One significant change in the landscape of communication is the reality of disinformation

through fake news. The communicative purpose of fake news is to publish false information in
order to destroy a person’s or an organization’s reputation. This may be used for financial or
political gain. The language of fake news is the language of sensationalism, falsity, malicious
deception or dishonesty.

26
 Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) defines fake news as “information deliberately
fabricated and published with the intention to deceive or mislead others into believing falsehoods
or doubting verifiable facts”.
As a student, you should develop critical reading skill to recognize fake news and not
become a victim of false information especially those which are published in social media. The
internet is teeming with fake news. There are more than one hundred (more than 100) fake news
websites in the Philippines. Being a critical reader of fake news is having the initiative to verify
doubtful information by visiting fact checking websites. You should check the credibility of the
publishers because some may have familiar website names but actually these names include
distortion in order to create made-up names. Always go for trusted news source and credible
websites when you search for information.

The example of fake news that follows is about Angel Locsin. Fact checking article produced by
VERA FILES (a fact-checking social media site) is also provided in order to have a sample
analysis of the FB post about Angel Locsin as fake news.

SAMPLE FAKE NEWS

ENLIGHTENED YOUTH FACEBOOK POST

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VERA FILES ARTICLE on the FB Post about Angel Locsin by the Enlightened Youth

A Facebook (FB) page that has a history of red-tagging made baseless claims linking actress
Angel Locsin to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New
People’s Army (NPA).

FB page Enlightened Youth’s unfounded June 28 post claimed two things: that Locsin went to
the Netherlands to “get money” from CPP founder Jose Maria Sison “during the last elections,”
and that she had a sibling who was a CPP-NPA member that died in a clash.

No news reports support either of these claims. A look at social media posts of the actress does
not place her in Europe during the May 2019 polls, and her brother and sister are both alive. The
two are in fact active social media users. Her sister Ella was among Kabataan Partylist’s
nominees for the 2007 elections.

The page also used irrelevant, out of context and photoshopped images to insinuate that the
actress was a rebel sympathizer.

‘Europe’ trip during polls unsupported

The post claimed the actress met with Sison in the European country “with the support of her
uncle and his groups.”

While Enlightened Youth did not mention who her “uncle” was, it uploaded five photos, three of
which show her campaigning during the 2016 elections with former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri
Colmenares.

One image was an October 2015 Rappler photo of the actress accompanying Colmenares in
filing his certificate of candidacy. The other image, uploaded twice, was grabbed from a now-
unavailable tweet by an ABS-CBN News Channel reporter during the same event, a copy of
which can be found on online forum PinoyExchange.

Locsin is actually the aunt of Colmenares, not the other way around.

A look at the actress’ social media accounts showed she went to Belgium in June 2019 for an
ABS-CBN event and Rome the following November, but no online post nor news report placed
her in Europe during the May 2019 senatorial polls.

During the election campaign period, Locsin’s social media posts showed her in Baguio
promoting her drama “The General’s Daughter” in March, while an Instagram post showed her
and her fiance Neil Arce hiking in Bukidnon in April.

Photos stitched together to mislead

Apart from the photos with Colmenares, Enlightened Youth uploaded two images insinuating
Locsin’s “connections” with the Left, showing a photo of her in a mountainous area and another
photo featuring Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago, activist Satur Ocampo and several others,
also in a mountainous area.

The first image was grabbed from Locsin’s June 25 Instagram post showing her doing
preliminary research for her new ABS-CBN show “Iba ‘Yan.”

The photo showing Elago was over two years old, and unrelated to the actress. Its earliest copy
online could be traced to website Arkibong Bayan PH and was taken in April 2018 during a fact-
finding mission organized by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas in Bukidnon.

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However, Enlightened Youth’s version of the photo edited a hammer and sickle, the universal
symbol of communism, onto Elago’s bandana and superimposed a similar bandana to Ocampo’s
head.

Five days after publishing its unfounded post, Enlightened Youth has provided no evidence to
support its claims, despite promising an “update” in the comments section and saying it “was not
its job” to spread rumors.

Enlightened Youth’s unsupported post, which has been shared over 1,300 times, surfaced about
three weeks after Locsin cried foul over Senate President Vicente Sotto III liking a tweet that
said she was “pro-NPA since day 1.”

Enlightened Youth was created on May 18, 2019.

(This fact check was produced by a student from the University of the Philippines Diliman who
is doing his internship with VERA Files.)

(Editor's Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation.

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COMMUNICATION IN BLOGS

Blog is another type of communication that happens in a different context. It is a communication

tool that anybody can use to express anything because the internet allows anybody to freely
create their own content. There are many kinds of blogs because any topic can be the topic of a
blog such as food and cooking, fashion, travel, lifestyle, music, gardening, communication,
education, etc. A blog may appear as a personal diary or it can become a marketing tool of a
company to provide information to their customers or consumers. There are blogs written by
professionals to share their expertise on a particular topic which can become reliable source of
information.

When you are reading/viewing different types of blogs you can perceive that the communicative
purpose of this type of communication is to inform, educate, share information related to one’s
experience and expertise and to connect to the writer’s intended audience.

This is another challenging kind of text that you encounter when you are in social media. When
someone publishes his personal thoughts, they may not be truths or facts, they are just personal
opinions influenced by the writer’s/speaker’s background, biases, and personal interests. So in
order to benefit from blogs, one must be a critical reader. You should consider the following in
analyzing this kind of communication: THE WRITER, THE TEXT, and THE CONTEXT

If you want to achieve effective communication in creating a blog, you must be equipped with
communicative competence because this type of communication varies from other kinds of texts.
Blogs exhibit different characteristics in terms of communicative purpose, structure, as well as
language choices of the writer.

There are two examples of Blogs that are provided here for Critical Reading Exercise.

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BLOG #1

Spirituality: The Missing Link in Addressing Climate Change (by Kimee Santiago). The author
is a writer of ADSUM, an official publication of the Diocese of Bacolod.

“Talk about the weather,” so goes the age-old advice on how to strike a conversation with
anyone. The weather, as a shared experience, is a topic that alienates nobody – we are all under
the same sky. But these days, talking about the weather is no longer just a polite gesture to break
the ice. It has become a dramatic discourse, a preoccupation on social media, at worst, a source
of worry. With the hot afternoons that seem to invalidate references to the cold December
breeze in our Christmas songs, with darkness setting in too early at 5:30 PM, with super typhoon
Yolanda taking us all by surprise…who wouldn’t?

This talk about the weather takes a more technical, highfaluting nature in the international
community. Many conventions transpire to discuss climate change, the science of it, the policies
needed to curb its effects and protect the most vulnerable countries, and various attempts to
reclaim “climate justice.” These are lofty initiatives that we hope do not get suspended in
rhetoric while another super typhoon starts to brew somewhere. Significantly, too, we hope that
these talks do not only remain scientific. We hope these also acknowledge the role of spirituality
and religion in coming up with solutions.

Inasmuch as climate change is a global crisis, it is more importantly an internal, moral crisis.
Human activity – competition for resources, excessive consumption, complacency, obsession
over convenience – has driven nature nuts and nauseated, if you will. The many disasters the
world has seen in a year seem to echo Leviticus 18:26 – 28:

“And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before
you.”

This is an appropriate time to reflect on who we are, our relationship with the whole of creation
and our God-appointed responsibility to be its stewards — as tenants, not owners:

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
(Genesis 2:15)

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.” (1 Chronicles 29:11)

Pope Benedict XVI also wrote numerous encyclicals and letters on climate change. In his speech
addressing the “Sister Nature” Foundation, a group of environmentalist-devotees of Saint Francis
of Assissi, the Pope Emeritus said:

“Dear friends, while the Church admires the most important scientific research and discoveries,
she has never ceased to remember that in respecting the Creator’s impression on the whole of
creation, we understand better our true and deep human identity. If it is lived well, this respect
can also help young men and women discover their personal talents and approaches and hence
train for a specific profession which they will always seek to carry out with respect for the
environment.”

Scientific rationalism may indeed provide solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change; it
may tell us what needs to be done. But the urgency and motivation to act, to simplify lifestyles,

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and become more concerned rely on a more serious interior overhaul that only God – spirituality,
religion – can inspire.

Let us pray that the next time we talk about the weather, it won’t be nonchalant chatter, or out of
panic and fear, because it shall be out of praise:

“How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your
creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number– living
things both large and small. (Psalm 104:24-25)

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BLOG #2
It Takes a Child (by Hazel Atilano). The author is a professor in the College of Education at
University of St. La Salle.
Miss H·Tuesday, February 27, 2018
“It takes a whole village to raise a child.” So goes a famous, oft-quoted Nigerian proverb. But
here’s a thought…
When this child has grown up to be an adult, what does it take to “raise” the adult to a higher
level of thinking and towards becoming a grown-up, mature individual? I just found the
unexpected answer to this --
It takes a child to raise and educate an adult.
When a child asks his parents why there are too many of them in the family when their house is
too small and they barely have enough food to eat, he is questioning his parents’ common sense.
When a child warms up to his mom after getting spanked for a misdemeanor, he is teaching her
forgiveness and healing.
When a child flushes his dad’s expensive perfume down the john, or dunks his mom’s iPhone
into the aquarium, he’s teaching them unconditional love and selflessness.
When a child is being obstinate and insistent on what he wants, which goes against his parents’
orders, he’s teaching them the art of negotiation and conflict resolution.
When a child asks tough questions, the kind to which adults have no answers, he’s teaching them
intellectual humility.
Indeed, children are the unsung life coaches. Why do we, adults, fail to recognize this reality? I
have a theory: I think that, as we grow to maturity, we lose the child in us. For one, we lose our
innocence. We learn things we were not allowed to know when we were young. Then, we
assume a new identity: “I’m an adult. I’ve grown up. I’ve outgrown my childish ways. I’m not
supposed to behave like a child.” But ---
If “not behaving like a child” means becoming more immature than a child, then I don’t ever
want to be an adult. I think this is the curse of adulthood: we lose the child in us, and, therefore,
we lose the “wise soul” in us.
I specialized in Child Study. I delved into Child Psychology, Developmental Psychology, The
Exceptional Child, etc. My college education prepared me for early childhood education. But I
ended up teaching young adults in the tertiary level and adults in the graduate school level. In
another life, I would be a preschool teacher. I would be an eager learner, being taught by
preschoolers what life is really about and how to truly live it.

COMMUNICATION in TED TALK

One of the oral texts that emerges in the internet which can be a good source of ideas is the
TEDTALK. This kind of oral text belongs to a particular discourse community; hence, we can
benefit much from this kind of communication if we study the way the speakers produce this
kind of text. It is through analyzing an example of TedTalk that we can also become competent
in delivering a Talk.
1. A TED talk is a video created from a presentation at the main TED (technology,
entertainment, design) conference or one of its many satellite events around the world.
2. TED talks are limited to a maximum of length of 18 minutes but may be on any topic.
Here’s the TEDx website’s explanation of selection criteria: “TED looks for engaging,
charismatic speakers whose talks expose new ideas that are supported by concrete
evidence and are relevant to a broad, international audience.” (Posted by Margaret Rouse,
in https://whatistechtarget.com/definition/TED-talk)
3. According to Chris Anderson (from TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public
Speaking), the owner and global curator of TED, every TED talk starts with an idea:
“You have something meaning to say, and your goal is to re-create your core idea inside
your audience’s minds.” Anderson calls this idea “the gift in every great talk.” Your idea
may:

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4. In the online article of Barry “How To Deliver A TED Talk”, June 5, 2013
(https://www.buildingwhatmatters.com/2013/06/05/ted-talk/#.XP3RI4gzbIU), he implies
that Tedtalks follow an organization structures.
HOW TO OPEN YOUR TALK
The first ten or twenty seconds of your speech will determine the engagement of the audience.
Donovan suggest his three best options for opening your speech:
Tell a personal story
Make a shocking statement
Ask a powerful question
HOW TO BUILD YOUR SPEECH BODY AND TRANSISTIONS
Donovan suggest using one of the three frameworks to build the body of your speech. No one is
better than the others but using one of them is critical.
Situation-complication-resolution
Chronological narrative
Idea-concepts descriptions

HOW TO CONCLUDE YOUR TALK

Simply your closing should be to reinforce the benefit to your audience. Remember when we
talked about the “why” of your talk? Your closing should be a clear and powerful description of
your why and some type of call to action. “The consequences of failure are …”,” by doing this,
you will …” and so on.

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The video transcript that follows is an example of Tedtalk for communication analysis.
Accomplish Learning Task Sheet #10 to develop your knowledge and skill in giving an effective
talk.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT of the TedTalk of Gordon Brown with the title “Wiring a Web for
Global Good”
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7rrJAC84FA&t=293s
You may watch the video if it is available.

1. Can I say how delighted I am to be away from the calm of Westminster and Whitehall?

(Laughter) This is Kim, a nine-year-old Vietnam girl, her back ruined by napalm, and she
awakened the conscience of the nation of America to begin to end the Vietnam War. This
is Birhan, who was the Ethiopian girl who launched Live Aid in the 1980s, 15 minutes
away from death when she was rescued, and that picture of her being rescued is one that
went round the world. This is Tiananmen Square. A man before a tank became a picture
that became a symbol for the whole world of resistance. This next is the Sudanese girl, a
few moments from death, a vulture hovering in the background, a picture that went round
the world and shocked people into action on poverty. This is Neda, the Iranian girl who
was shot while at a demonstration with her father in Iran only a few weeks ago, and she is
now the focus, rightly so, of the YouTube generation.

2. And what do all these pictures and events have in common? What they have in common
is what we see unlocks what we cannot see. What we see unlocks the invisible ties and
bonds of sympathy that bring us together to become a human community. What these
pictures demonstrate is that we do feel the pain of others, however distantly. What I think
these pictures demonstrate is that we do believe in something bigger than ourselves. What
these pictures demonstrate is that there is a moral sense across all religions, across all
faiths, across all continents -- a moral sense that not only do we share the pain of others,
and believe in something bigger than ourselves but we have a duty to act when we see
things that are wrong that need righted, see injuries that need to be corrected, see
problems that need to be rectified.

3. There is a story about Olof Palme, the Swedish Prime Minister, going to see Ronald
Reagan in America in the 1980s. Before he arrived Ronald Reagan said -- and he was the
Swedish Social Democratic Prime Minister -- "Isn’t this man a communist?" The reply
was, "No, Mr President, he’s an anti-communist." And Ronald Reagan said, "I don’t care
what kind of communist he is!" (Laughter) Ronald Reagan asked Olof Palme, the Social
Democratic Prime Minister of Sweden, "Well, what do you believe in? Do you want to
abolish the rich?" He said, "No, I want to abolish the poor." Our responsibility is to let
everyone have the chance to realize their potential to the full.

4. I believe there is a moral sense and a global ethic that commands attention from people of
every religion and every faith, and people of no faith. But I think what's new is that we
now have the capacity to communicate instantaneously across frontiers right across the
world. We now have the capacity to find common ground with people who we will never
meet, but who we will meet through the Internet and through all the modern means of
communication; that we now have the capacity to organize and take collective action
together to deal with the problem or an injustice that we want to deal with; and I believe
that this makes this a unique age in human history, and it is the start of what I would call
the creation of a truly global society.

5. Go back 200 years when the slave trade was under pressure from William Wilberforce
and all the protesters. They protested across Britain. They won public opinion over a long
period of time. But it took 24 years for the campaign to be successful. What could they

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have done with the pictures that they could have shown if they were able to use the
modern means of communication to win people’s hearts and minds?

6. Or if you take Eglantyne Jebb, the woman who created Save the Children 90 years ago.
She was so appalled by what was happening in Austria as a result of the First World War
and what was happening to children who were part of the defeated families of Austria,
that in Britain she wanted to take action, but she had to go house to house, leaflet to
leaflet, to get people to attend a rally in the Royal Albert Hall that eventually gave birth
to Save the Children, an international organization that is now fully recognized as one of
the great institutions in our land and in the world. But what more could she have done if
she’d had the modern means of communications available to her to create a sense that the
injustice that people saw had to be acted upon immediately?

7. Now look at what’s happened in the last 10 years. In Philippines in 2001, President
Estrada -- a million people texted each other about the corruption of that regime,
eventually brought it down and it was, of course, called the "coup de text." (Laughter)
Then you have in Zimbabwe the first election under Robert Mugabe a year ago. Because
people were able to take mobile phone photographs of what was happening at the polling
stations, it was impossible for that Premier to fix that election in the way that he wanted
to do. Or take Burma and the monks that were blogging out, a country that nobody knew
anything about that was happening, until these blogs told the world that there was a
repression, meaning that lives were being lost and people were being persecuted and
Aung San Suu Kyi, who is one of the great prisoners of conscience of the world, had to
be listened to. Then take Iran itself, and what people are doing today: following what
happened to Neda, people who are preventing the security services of Iran finding those
people who are blogging out of Iran, any by everybody who is blogging, changing their
address to Tehran, Iran, and making it difficult for the security services.

8. Take, therefore, what modern technology is capable of: the power of our moral sense
allied to the power of communications and our ability to organize internationally.
That, in my view, gives us the first opportunity as a community to fundamentally change
the world. Foreign policy can never be the same again. It cannot be run by elites; it’s got
to be run by listening to the public opinions of peoples who are blogging, who are
communicating with each other around the world. 200 years ago the problem we had to
solve was slavery. 150 years ago I suppose the main problem in a country like ours was
how young people, children, had the right to education. 100 years ago in most countries
in Europe, the pressure was for the right to vote. 50 years ago the pressure was for the
right to social security and welfare. In the last 50-60 years we have seen fascism, anti-
Semitism, racism, apartheid, discrimination on the basis of sex and gender and sexuality;
all these have come under pressure because of the campaigns that have been run by
people to change the world.

9. I was with Nelson Mandela a year ago, when he was in London. I was at a concert that he
was attending to mark his birthday and for the creation of new resources for his
foundation. I was sitting next to Nelson Mandela -- I was very privileged to do so -- when
Amy Winehouse came onto the stage. (Laughter) And Nelson Mandela was quite
surprised at the appearance of the singer and I was explaining to him at the time who she
was. Amy Winehouse said, "Nelson Mandela and I have a lot in common. My husband
too has spent a long time in prison." (Laughter) Nelson Mandela then went down to the
stage and he summarized the challenge for us all. He said in his lifetime he had climbed a
great mountain, the mountain of challenging and then defeating racial oppression and
defeating apartheid. He said that there was a greater challenge ahead, the challenge of

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poverty, of climate change -- global challenges that needed global solutions and needed
the creation of a truly global society.

We are the first generation which is in a position to do this. Combine the power of a
global ethic with the power of our ability to communicate and organize globally, with the
challenges that we now face, most of which are global in their nature. Climate change
cannot be solved in one country, but has got to be solved by the world working together.
A financial crisis, just as we have seen, could not be solved by America alone or Europe
alone; it needed the world to work together. Take the problems of security and terrorism
and, equally, the problem of human rights and development: they cannot be solved by
Africa alone; they cannot be solved by America or Europe alone. We cannot solve these
problems unless we work together.

10. So the great project of our generation, it seems to me, is to build for the first time, out of
a global ethic and our global ability to communicate and organize together, a truly global
society, built on that ethic but with institutions that can serve that global society and
make for a different future. We have now, and are the first generation with, the power to
do this. Take climate change. Is it not absolutely scandalous that we have a situation
where we know that there is a climate change problem, where we know also that that will
mean we have to give more resources to the poorest countries to deal with that, when we
want to create a global carbon market, but there is no global institution that people have
been able to agree upon to deal with this problem? One of the things that has got to come
out of Copenhagen in the next few months is an agreement that there will be a global
environmental institution that is able to deal with the problems of persuading the whole
of the world to move along a climate-change agenda.

11. One of the reasons why an institution is not in itself enough is that we have got to
persuade people around the world to change their behavior as well, so you need that
global ethic of fairness and responsibility across the generations. Take the financial crisis.
If people in poorer countries can be hit by a crisis that starts in New York or starts in the
sub-prime market of the United States of America. If people can find that that sub-prime
product has been transferred across nations many, many times until it ends up in banks in
Iceland or the rest in Britain, and people's ordinary savings are affected by it, then you
cannot rely on a system of national supervision. You need in the long run for stability, for
economic growth, for jobs, as well as for financial stability, global economic institutions
that make sure that growth to be sustained has to be shared, and are built on the principle
that the prosperity of this world is indivisible.

12. So another challenge for our generation is to create global institutions that reflect our
ideas of fairness and responsibility, not the ideas that were the basis of the last stage of
financial development over these recent years. Then take development and take the
partnership we need between our countries and the rest of the world, the poorest part of
the world. We do not have the basis of a proper partnership for the future, and yet, out of
people’s desire for a global ethic and a global society that can be done.

I have just been talking to the President of Sierra Leone. This is a country of six and a
half million people, but it has only 80 doctors; it has 200 nurses; it has 120 midwives.
You cannot begin to build a healthcare system for six million people with such limited
resources.

Or take the girl I met when I was in Tanzania, a girl called Miriam. She was 11 years old;
her parents had both died from AIDS, her mother and then her father. She was an AIDS
orphan being handed across different extended families to be cared for. She herself was
suffering from HIV; she was suffering from tuberculosis. I met her in a field, she was

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ragged, she had no shoes. When you looked in her eyes, any girl at the age of eleven is
looking forward to the future, but there was an unreachable sadness in that girl’s eyes and
if I could have translated that to the rest of the world for that moment, I believe that all
the work that it had done for the global HIV/AIDS fund would be rewarded by people
being prepared to make donations.

13. We must then build a proper relationship between the richest and the poorest countries
based on our desire that they are able to fend for themselves with the investment that is
necessary in their agriculture, so that Africa is not a net importer of food, but an exporter
of food.

Take the problems of human rights and the problems of security in so many countries
around the world. Burma is in chains, Zimbabwe is a human tragedy, in Sudan thousands
of people have died unnecessarily for wars that we could prevent. In the Rwanda
Children's Museum, there is a photograph of a 10-year-old boy and the Children's
Museum is commemorating the lives that were lost in the Rwandan genocide where a
million people died.
There is a photograph of a boy called David. Beside that photograph there is the
information about his life. It said "David, age 10." David: ambition to be a doctor.
Favorite sport: football. What did he enjoy most? Making people laugh. How did he die?
Tortured to death. Last words said to his mother who was also tortured to death: "Don't
worry. The United Nations are coming." And we never did.

And that young boy believed our promises that we would help people in difficulty in
Rwanda, and we never did.

14. So we have got to create in this world also institutions for peacekeeping and humanitarian
aid, but also for reconstruction and security for some of the conflict-ridden states of the
world. So my argument today is basically this. We have the means by which we could
create a truly global society. The institutions of this global society can be created by our
endeavors. That global ethic can infuse the fairness and responsibility that is necessary
for these institutions to work, but we should not lose the chance in this generation, in this
decade in particular, with President Obama in America, with other people working with
us around the world, to create global institutions for the environment, and for finance,
and for security and for development, that make sense of our responsibility to other
peoples, our desire to bind the world together, and our need to tackle problems that
everybody knows exist.

15. It is said that in Ancient Rome that when Cicero spoke to his audiences, people used to
turn to each other and say about Cicero, "Great speech." But it is said that in Ancient
Greece when Demosthenes spoke to his audiences, people turned to each other and didn’t
say "Great speech." They said, "Let's march." We should be marching towards a global
society. Thank you.
(Applause) end of transcript

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COMMUNICATION IN REACTION PAPER

A reaction or response paper requires the writer to analyze a text, then develop commentary
related to it. It is a popular academic assignment because it requires thoughtful reading, research,
and writing. (Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Reaction-Paper and Rachel Scoggins,
PhD)
Writing a reaction paper is a task that requires a student to analyze information and give
comments on a certain text or media. A reaction paper is different from a review in that it is
composed in the first person and assumes subjective point of view. Working on this type of task,
you are welcome to use such phrases as “I believe” or “I think” and even present your thoughts
in an emotional manner (https://ozzz.org.)
The essay found on the next page is a reaction paper to the talk, “Wiring a web for Global
Good”. After understanding the content of the text, you will evaluate the following components
of the text: INTRODUCTION, BODY, CONCLUSION, LANGUAGE AND
REFERENCES.

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The Making of a Global Society through Communication Technology

A Reaction Paper on Gordon Brown’s Talk Wiring a Web for a Global Good

By Randdie P. Cuelo, LPT, EdD

1. Gordon Brown’s talk generally tackles about how the world has become a global
society with the aids of technology in communication. Along with it is his idea
that humanity has the capability to free itself from the blindness of seeing the
truth, that is, the truth of solidarity and sympathy that are naturally endowed to the
human species. Moreover, he talks about the reality that people across the globe
can now communicate and connect with each other, share common goals; patch
up differences for one purpose and conviction, making the world a lot smaller. As
a consequence of freedom from social indifference, Brown reminds that a man’s
duty to act accordingly to what is right, good and moral not just for him, but more
for others.

2. In close listening, the topic is not just being discussed for social information, but
also for a lot of expectation for attention and action from the immediate listeners,
and from those who play influential roles in the society. The topic is as important
as Brown himself who has the power to change the social landscape, culture and
society he is leading. He is a prime minister, after all.

3. There are a few points from Minister Brown I am expressing my thoughts on.First
his idea on a foreign policy as may be free from traditional ways of its setting up,
and that may be drawn and founded on a single actor, may be a bit of a naïve
notion. I thought foreign policies are grounded on several factors, not just on
public opinions. For example, “US foreign policies identified a variety of actors
who appear to influence them, including experts and epistemic communities,
organized interests (especially business and labor), and ordinary citizens or public
opinion” ( Jacob & Page, 2005). However, I agree that blogging as a new form of
communication “must be embraced by contemporary leaders as they seek to speak
truth to power” (Cole, 2011).

4. My idea of foreign policies was that they are conceived out of the cerebral
engagements of lawmakers in the lower and upper houses of a democratic state
like the US and the Philippines. After hearing Brown, it thrills me to realize that
public opinion presses on a significant compelling force in shaping the political
and economic landscapes of our society. On the same not, I just used to think that
blogging is a mere social networking hobby by a lot of tech-savvy egos. Now, I
am almost convinced to improve my craft in writing so I, too, can make a little
contributions in shaping people’s opinions about critical issues troubling our
country today. At least I get to have a little know-how on ICT, so that possibly
gives me a chance to be a blogger- or shall I say, a functional communicator.

5. Secondly, Brown talks about the value of change of behavior and the espousal of
the global ethic of fairness and responsibility. This I utterly express my
consonance. True, to change the world for the better, we have to persuade people
around the world and across generations to change their behaviors. Social
researchers even say that to make a better world and to develop our own potential

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to the fullest, self-awareness, perceptions, choices and actions should be regarded

as fundamental building blocks of our capacities to be effective agents of change
(Seashore, Charles , Nash, Thompson, Morrison, Jung & Rogers, 2004). To be an
effective leader and a champion of change, there is a need for mastery of the art of
being human, a servant to society and the fostering of the new global ethic within
one’s sphere of influence (Howard, 2010).

6. Long before hearing Brown, it has always been a universal truth (I know) that in
order to effect positive “change in the world, we have to start it within ourselves”-
Mahatma Gandhi. However, the global ethic of fairness and responsibility came
in as a something novel, at least in the context of what he (Brown) is trying to
advocate. He is just right to emphasize fairness and responsibility as values that
are “ever ancient, ever new” (St. Augustine). Experts contend that these core
values seem to remain to be unreal, considering them as “among the most
recalcitrant philosophical problems that we have, and are connected to a range of
important issues (O’Niell, 2009). Now, nothing really changes on how I view
fairness and responsibility as a global ethics. From then till now, they remain
treasures to be sought through a pricey quest, and Brown was just right to enjoin
us to his quest for a world founded on virtues and principles.

7. Lastly, the global ethic that Brown submits is capable of forming institutions for
the global society he is suggesting. For these institutions to work, that global
ethics can infuse fairness and responsibility that is needed. Indeed, human
dynamics and institutional change have become increasingly intertwined
(Martens, Drecher, & Gaston, 2010). While Brown expresses a strong faith on the
capacity of the present generation to recreate the global society he dreams of, his
allusion to US President Barack Obama as a significant figure who can
materialize the dream, is rather seemingly expressive of reliance to a State that
may not be popular among developing countries. The youth alone has the capacity
to lead social change, with proper guidance and genuine empowerment, youth-led
social change is possibility. Recent groups of research that
evaluated youth-led social change disclosed that youth efforts have impelling
impact, hence, providing implications for youth leaders and those advocate for,
work, with, support, and educate them, and for those interested in evaluating
social change efforts ( Ho, Clarke, & Dougherty, 2015).

8. The power of the youth has never been underestimated since then. What the
society failed to provide was empowerment that would have redirected the energy
of this potential force of our society. Say for example, if there had been stronger
regulations on the selling of cigarettes, alcohols, and access to social media, our
young people could have readdressed their idle moments on things that are highly
essential such as learning how to play musical instruments, do physical exercises
or craft their aesthetics skills in arts and humanities. In schools for example,
service learning has been an instrument to promote gains on the students’ self-
concept, social engagement and emotional and cognitive development (Cuelo,
Manatad, & Torress, 2012). Aside from this, ‘we’ have been too busy to accrue
power, wealth and influence that we forgot to invest quintessential times for our
future – our youth. So, when Brown turns to Obama and regards the man as an
exclusive actor for social change because he is president of one great country, he
implicitly challenges his own faith for present generation.

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9. Hearing Brown’s talk on Wiring a Web for a Global Good brings in to me

convictions and insights. I have come to believe that foreign policies are
established on several factors, not just on public opinions. Public opinions,
however, that are proliferated by modern- day communications technology are
compelling actors that shape society. Moreover, a global society that is propelled
by technological advancements is possible and is bound for greatness if the global
ethic of fairness and responsibility among people are in place, and his global
ethics forms social institutions with the nudging of youth-led social change, and
not by the efforts and influence of individual influential personalities.

10. The topic functions not just as a piece of information but it challenges us to be
attentive and active in responding to the various issues of the society. Now that
we have the power of information and communication technology, it is expected
that societal problems can be rectified in a much more expedient manner.

11. “Let’s march!” Brown said this to advance his advocacy on global society. I say,
“Let’s march!” to advance society not just for a few, but for all!

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REFERENCES

Cole, J. (2011). Blogging Current Affairs History. Journal of Contemporary History, 46(3), 650-
670. Http://doi.org/10.1177/0022009411403341

Cuelo, R. P., Manatad, H. C. P., & Torres, D. E. (2012). Serving to Learn, Learning to serve:
Experiences of Services-Learning to Higher Education. LCCB Development
Education Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 1(2),1-1.

Ho, E., Clarke, A., & Dougherty, I. (2015). Youth-led social change: Topics, engagement types,
Organizational types, strategies, and impacts. Futures, 67, 52-62.
http://doi,org/10.1016/j.futures.2015.01.006

Howard, A. (2010). A new global ethic. Journal of Management Development, 29(5), 506-517
http://doi.org/10.1108/026521711011039259

Jacobs, L. R., & Page, B.I. (2005). Who Influences U.S. Foreign Policy? American Political
Science Review, 991(1). http://doi.org/10.1017/S000305540505152X

Martens, P., Dreher, A., & Gaston, N. (2010). Globalisation, the global village and the civil
society. Futures, 42(6), 574-582. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures. 2010.01.008

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 Flexible Learning A.Y. 2020-2021
DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSE GUIDE USING OBTL DESIGN v1

SUMMARY OF MODULE 1

To be competent in communication, language ability (grammar and

pronunciation) is not the only competence that you should develop. There are three
more important skills that need to be enhanced. These are the sociolinguistic
competence, strategic competence, and discourse competence.

The use of formal or informal language is prevalent in different kinds of

texts or situations. Hence, we need to observe when and where to use them.
Knowing how to appropriately use these kinds of language also reflects your
Language Competence.

Communication across cultures requires respect of each other’s differences.

It takes openness, acceptance and understanding of varied cultural orientations
especially on language, customs, practices, beliefs, etc. Having this skill and
attitude reflects the level of your Sociolinguistic and Strategic competence as
well as your Intercultural Competence.

The different texts (discourse) that you have read and analyzed in Prelim
introduce you to the different contexts in communication. They are forms of
communication for various purposes. Knowing the different characteristics (both
content and organization) of the texts means developing your Discourse
Competence which is defined as the knowledge of how to produce and
comprehend oral or written texts in the modes of speaking/writing and
listening/reading respectively. It’s knowing how to combine language structures
into a cohesive and coherent oral written text of different types. Thus, discourse
competence deals with organizing words, phrases and sentences in order to create
conversations, speeches, poetry, email messages, newspaper articles etc.
As a speaker or writer, there are different modes that you can employ in
communicating your ideas effectively: written, oral and the multi-modal (the use of
technology). As a critical reader, listener or viewer of text/discourse, you should
understand that there are various aspects that should be taken into consideration
when you read, listen, or view a text: THE WRITER or SPEAKER, THE TEXT,
and THE CONTEXT.

Indeed, to become competent in communication for various purposes, we

need to be trained in reading, listening, viewing and evaluating authentic real-life
communication situations and various text types which you have experienced when
you accomplished the different learning tasks in Module 1.

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Unauthorized copying and / or editing is prohibited.