by flirting. In such a situation there is a lack of mutual understanding, as the sign isn’t
channel and the code. Together with the sender and the receiver they make up the six
interpreted as intended. There can be several reasons why person A and person B don’t
points of Jakobson’s model, which is pictured below.87
share the same set of codes. There is no fixed convention, as the two people will have brought with them different experiences, habits and other possible marks of social and cultural influence. Convention, or the lack thereof when examining these encounters of social interaction, is a key factor in creating the diversity in the roles of such interaction and communication. What may be considered an act of elegance for the reader, may just be intended as an average act of casualness for the sender of the sign, leading to communication being misinterpreted.
7.2
Alternative Models of Communication
Another very influential study of communication is that of Roman Jakobson and his
Taking into account which use the model will be applied for, the sender and receiver can
model of communication, better known simply as the Jakobson model. Roman Jakobson
also be named the addresser and the addressee or the writer and the reader.
was a Russian linguist, who made use of semiotics and the studies by Peirce in order to
Notwithstanding, when concentrating on body language, sender and receiver are
develop his own model. Though his model of communication mainly has been used to
effectively sufficient terms. While the sender, the message and the receiver, are similar
contribute to studies of verbal and written communication, we have deemed it
to the terms used by Peirce, we must grasp the remaining points of Jakobson’s model.
sufficiently relevant to represent the case of body language and social interaction.
The context could be a situation, or a place, while the contact reflects the way in which the message is conveyed, be it through a written document, a speech or a gesture.
Jakobson’s model, emphasizes the importance of various codes and social contexts,
Furthermore, Jakobson stated that 'the efficiency of a speech event demands the use of a
upon which an act of communication or interaction may be influenced. Not purely a
common code by its participants'88 declaring a similar view on a set of common codes,
basic sender-receiver model, Jakobson’s model also presents four additional points of 87
focus, in order to further define the process and the purpose of a conversation, or other sorts of social interaction. These four additional points are the context, the message, the
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Roma_jakobson_theory.png 88
Roman Jakobson & Morris Halle (1956): Fundamentals of Language. The Hague: Mouton p.72 in the document by Daniel
Page 57 of 103
Page 58 of 103