Semantic barriers belong to a wide group of communication barriers. They arise because the messages are not uniquely defined for the communicator and recipient. This view prevents understanding the meaning of the message. Semantic barriers are a consequence of the ambiguity of words, concepts, terms. Most often found in situations where participants use slang or jargon.
Communication Obstacles
What complicates the process of communication, and what negatively affects its success, the understanding of the speaker by the interlocutors, is an obstacle in communication. A semantic communicative barrier arises where people do not have the same meaning of information. To eliminate it, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the interlocutor's communication culture.
The semantic barrier does the most harm to people whose success depends on understanding the audience. For example, social workers, psychologists and educators must pay special attention to identifying factors that hinder understanding in order to communicate successfully. Otherwise, they will not be understood, and the target audience will not receive the necessaryknowledge.
For those involved in advertising or sales, the topic of barriers is also important. Their absence allows you to speak the same language with the audience, better understand its needs.
The semantic barrier arises as a feature of the message. Among the reasons for its appearance are incoherence, ambiguity, the existence of various connotations, the use of slang, an unfamiliar language or idioms.
Incoherence
This phenomenon occurs due to the inability of the communicator to correctly operate the language. Already at the stage of preparing a monologue, he loses the meaning of his message. Speech is so poorly formulated that it is difficult or impossible to understand. This type of reason includes the wrong choice of words, inconsistency in sentences, frequent repetitions that overload the message.
Even ideal messages can be difficult for the recipient due to his lack of experience necessary to process a particular message. If the communicator does not take into account the level of his speech culture, the meaning of the message will not reach the listener. The maximum simplification and purification of the text from water (introductory words, meaningless clarifications, etc.) allows you to get rid of incoherence.
Polysemy
Using words with multiple meanings sometimes leads to confusion and misunderstanding of the message. Examples of a semantic barrier due to the inability to determine the meaning without context:
- "You prepared for todayevening?" - The word "evening" can mean both a period of time at the end of the day, and a meeting (dance/literary/party).
- "This is my team" - the word "team" can be understood as an order, a sports group or a group of common interest.
- "Get a plate" - the word "plate" can mean dishes, a musical instrument, and even a flying object.
This also includes cases of lack of a single meaning with respect to abstract concepts. They can be formally defined, but for each person they still carry a different meaning. These are such words as kindness, happiness, justice, democracy, progress.
To eliminate ambiguity, it is enough to use words in the appropriate context for them. The meaning of abstract terms can be discussed with the interlocutor separately.
Slang or foreign language
The use of professional jargon makes it difficult for a non-professional to understand the message, making the speech meaningless. The same is true for slang. A person not belonging to the group to which the slang belongs will not be able to make out the meaning of the message.
The only cure for this semantic barrier cause is vocabulary expansion and audience learning. To successfully interact with listeners, a communicator must be well versed in their vocabulary and select analogies for terms unknown to him.
Connotations and idioms
Connotational barrier occurs when in communicationwords are used that can be interpreted differently depending on the context. In this case, the main problem is the discrepancy between the language means of the communicator and the resources of the recipient. The latter knows perfectly well the general meaning of words, but has no idea in what meaning they are used in a particular situation.
Many groups have their own "value fields". They can include both their own meanings of common words, and some "local" jokes, expressions, turns of speech or quotes.
Cut the meaning to pieces
Tamara Moiseevna Dridze (academician, sociologist) called semantic barriers "the effect of semantic scissors". They make it impossible to isolate the meaning from the message.
Sometimes semantic barriers include the beliefs and desires of interlocutors that distort the meaning of their messages bypassing consciousness. The communicator in this case sends incomplete information passed through the filters of his state, mood and beliefs. The recipient does not perceive the complete message, but only some of its elements.
The semantic barrier of misunderstanding may arise due to misconceptions about the process of communication of its participants and some other errors:
- The message is attributed to peremptory, generality, raising one aspect of the problem to the absolute.
- The interlocutor is denied the opportunity to formulate something new.
- Happeningconfusing facts and inferences, or the inference uses premises that cannot lead to a conclusion.
- Creating false dichotomies.
- Reckless verdict.
The semantic barrier of communication is an obstacle that arises in communication due to problems with the interpretation of the meanings of words and expressions. The reason for its appearance is the use of phrases that have different meanings for interlocutors, or the inability to put a specific thought into words.
Understanding the characteristics of the interlocutor allows you to avoid the appearance of semantic barriers. In order to make the speech as suitable as possible for the listener, it is necessary to use common vocabulary and explain incomprehensible words. In comfortable communication, when the speaker and the listener differ greatly in the amount of knowledge, the former should try to avoid the use of technical terms. If necessary, talk about their meaning.
