Task 2. In the following situations communication is unsuccessful. Applying the psychological model analyze the reasons.

1. Two friends are talking to each other in a bar. But they can hardly hear each other because the music is very loud and there are lots of other people talking and shouting.

2. A passer-by has been approached by a stranger in the street. The stranger addresses the passer-by in English as he is a foreigner. He needs to find the way to his hotel but, unfortunately, he gets no reply.

3. A qualified architect from India came to Britain. He found it very difficult to understand the British mind: sometimes travelling to the office by train he started a conversation with some people and he was even given their telephone numbers. But when he rang and heard the surprised “Who?” he felt embarrassed and hung up.

 

Task 3. Provide at least one rule to improve communication in the situations given above.

Task 4. Working in pairs, analyze the moves of the communicative partners from the pragmatic point of view. Then compare your results with the group-mates’.

“I need to talk to you.”

“I don’t mind. What’s the matter?”

He looked up at me. “I can’t go through with it,” he said abruptly.

“What?”

“I can’t go through with it,” he said again, a touch of desperation in his voice. “I can’t, Isobel. I need some time. I want to postpone it.”

“The wedding?” I stared at him. “You want to postpone the wedding?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“You are joking,” I croaked finally.

“I’m not joking, Isobel.” His look was anguished. “I need more time.”

Task 5. Analyze your class interaction from the point of view of the context and the elements of communication developed by Dell Hymes.

Unit 3

Decoding Messages: Perception, Information Processing and Listening