Anyone assaying this topic should really pick up Michael Reddy's Conduit
Metaphor: A Case of Frame Conflict in our Language about Language, found
here, it appears:

http://www.colorado.edu/ling/courses/LAM5430/5430e_reserves/Conduit_Metaphor.pdf

It is the sine qua non of -- well, a lot of good stuff, actually.


On Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 9:12 PM, Ralph DeCarli <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> On Tue, 9 Aug 2011 11:50:13 -0400
> Virginia Keys <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> After some consideration I'd classify communication problems as
> falling into the general categories of 'Motive', 'Method' and
> 'Opportunity' (like any other crime).
>
> Motive covers the information that you wish to transfer. All of the
> problems of the sender's conceptual clarity would fall here.
>
> Method covers the actual language used and the abilities of both the
> sender and the receiver to translate between their ideas and that
> language.
>
> Opportunity covers things like noise, time, space and social
> constraints that prevent messages from being passed clearly from the
> sender to the receiver.
>
> This seems too simple, but I can't think of any specific cases that
> violate these categories. I don't have anything that addresses the
> receivers state of mind (angry, catatonic, etc.), but I think I can
> finagle those into Method and Opportunity if I try hard enough.
>
> Also, this only covers the transmission of a single message. Once
> the receiver has processed the information, the roles would be
> reversed and all of the problems would be re-applied in the opposite
> direction. Sometime I'm surprised that we can communicate at all.
>
> > Since some conlangs specifically aim at ease of communication,
> > what things and situations make communication awkward or
> > difficult? I've written down a few, but would be interested in
> > hearing if anyone else thinks of more.
> >
> > Assumptions:
> > A question or statement assumes X, but truth is Y, not X.
> > Speaker assumes X, but addressed assumes Y.
> > Question requests X, but X is significantly more complex or vague
> > than is assumed by the asker.
> >
> > Time constraints:
> > There is a need or desire to give instructions and/or their
> > reasons faster than the language allows.
> >
> > Change of mind/realization mid-utterance:
> > Start to say X, but change mind and switch to Y before done.
> > Start to ask X, but realize answer before question is complete.
> >
> > --Virginia Keys
>
> Ralph
> --
> Eloquence is to intelligence
> as elegance is to elephants.
>



-- 
Second Person, a chapbook of poetry by Patrick Dunn, is now available for
pre-order from Finishing Line
Press<http://www.finishinglinepress.com/NewReleasesandForthcomingTitles.htm>.