BBI 3213 SPEECH COMMUNICATION

BBI 3213
SPEECH COMMUNICATION

“For speech communication to be effective in a multicultural context, it must be free.” Discuss this statement with reference to specific macro/micro contexts of spoken language use in the community and taking into account speech needs in English on the national and/or international scene. Write a library research paper that answers the above question. Give suitable examples where appropriate.

CONTENT PAGES
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Brief background statements about speech in the community 02
1.2 Issue/ problem / questions 05
1.3 Purpose and scope of paper 05
1.4 Definition of key terms 06

2.0 Brief review of related topics
2.1 The contexts of human communication 08
2.2 Macro context of spoken language use in the community 11
2.3 Micro context of spoken language use in the community 12

3.0 Discussion related to the problem / questions
3.1 Why speech community is needed? 13
3.2 Problems related in speech community 14
3.3 Ways of improving in speech community 15

4.0 Conclusion
4.1 Summary and conclusions 16
4.2 Implications, suggestions and resolutions 17

References / Bibliographies 18

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Brief background statements about speech in the community
“For speech communication to be effective in a multicultural context, it must be free.” Personally, I agreed with this statement where it shows a deeply meaning to the sentences. Indeed, it is true for us to have this community in our own country. At the same time, context is related to discourse because the environment of interaction change and it depends to the situation of the event.
Based on the statement, multicultural is relating to a social or educational theory that encourages interest in many cultures within a society rather than in only a mainstream culture. It is a culture that involves a lot of races and it involves with communication. It is also participating in the cultures of different countries, ethnic groups or religions. On the other hand, context in linguistics involves communication. It has two different ways which is verbal context and social context in human communication. Verbal context is a matter where refers to surrounding talk which is spoken, written and paralanguage such as gestures and facial expression. These three verbal actions give a significant of context in communication. As for social context, it is a social variable such as class, gender or race.
Multicultural context and speech community are inter-related to one another. To have a good multicultural context, the community needs to be free in the speech communication and willing to receive others cultures at a time. This community needs to adapt themselves in the change for good purposes and a successful communication. For example, we are living in Malaysia. We are proud to be Malaysians as it is multi-ethnic country. In our lovely country, we live with a lot of races such as Malays, Chinese, Indians and Bumiputeras. But the best thing about it is, we live as one. As for the communication purposes, we use our main language which is Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) or English Language. These languages are compulsory know by Malaysians. It is a must for us to communicate this language in order to convey messages meaningfully. We live in various kinds of races but we still can communicate well with one another. Speech community plays an important role of mighty and strong unity country.
Malaysians usually respect others. We live in a peaceful country and respect others’ cultures. For example, during the celebration of Hari Raya Puasa, a Muslim most important celebration, while they are having their open house, most of the guests who are coming are normally Muslims and non Muslims. You can see the Chinese, Indians and others races are coming to visit their friends during Hari Raya Puasa. It is usual as Malaysian. A good example is the “Rumah Terbuka Sambutan Hari Raya” in the state level. We can see a lot of races coming to join this celebration. There are Muslim and non Muslims all over the track. This celebration occurs in the stadium that can invite a lot of Malaysians to come. Everyone can try the chicken curry, rendang, kuruma daging and most of the Muslims’ delicious dishes. The ministers will come and join this open house of the state level.
Another good example is during the celebration of Chinese New Year, I usually invite my Muslim friends as I work as a teacher in SK Agama (MIS) Miri. Most of my colleagues are Muslims. Every year, I invite them to come to my house. Indeed, I should know and respect them. I will normally ask my Muslim neighbours to cook food and dishes like chicken curry, mix vegetables, kuruma daging and fried rice. They can eat and feel easy to come. They know that every year I will do that. They are happy to have an understanding colleague like me. My mother will normally give their children red pockets. They learn our cultures too as they will ask a lot of interesting question regarding the celebration of the Chinese New Year such as why Chinese needs red colour in this celebration, what is the reason to play firecrackers and fireworks, why they are lion dances during the celebration and why they are reunion dinner during the eve of the celebration. I am glad to share with them.
In all of these celebration stated, speech communication plays an important roles in the multicultural context and it must be free to accept others. Even though we are free to do so, we need to remind ourselves to have this integrity and showing a deeply understanding and respect to others and their cultures. We are willing to learn and getting along with others’ cultures. In this statement, Malaysia is one of the best examples for other countries. We live with kinds of races and yet the main language that we usually use are Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) and English Language.
As Malaysian, we should be grateful to accept kinds of races in our country and understand one another. We should be grateful to have education that teaches us to speak in Malay Language and English Language as the main language of the country. At the same time, pupils that learning this new subject “Pendidikan Sivik dan Kewarganegaraan” and Moral Education in the school are good purpose to unite the people of Malaysia. We learn to know others’ cultures. At the same time, we learn to be free to have an effective speech communication in the multicultural context.
To have an effective communication in the speech community, one should respect and willing to change at a time to show an understanding way of expressing love and peaceful country. I would like to say that the speech community exist everyday in our lives as long as we are communicating in a group with same or different races at the same time using one specific language. It happens everywhere and anytime in our daily lives and activities such in the market, in the office, at home and in a community.

1.2 Issues / problems / questions
In this research paper, I will discuss about:
a) Why speech community is needed in multicultural context?
b) The problems related in speech community
c) Ways of improving the speech community in multicultural context

1.3 Purpose and scope of paper
In this research paper, the purpose and scope are:
a) We will know and have a deeply understanding what and how speech community is important in the multicultural context
b) We will know the problems stated in the speech community
c) We will know the ways of improving the speech community in multicultural context in order to have a peaceful and unity country like Malaysia
d) We will know about the contexts of human communication
e) We will know the macro and micro context of spoken language use in the community

1.4 Definition of key terms
Communication is a process where individual convey the messages or views by speaking to the listener. It is an act of passing the news, information, view and opinion to others. It is a process and product activity which leads to the goals of communication.
Everyone belongs to a speech community. It is a group of people who speak the same and different language. We usually speak more that one language in our own country where as in our own town or in our own working place. It depends to the situation of the speech occurs in our daily lives. We give speech every day. It is compulsory for us to speak whether we are alone or so-called intrapersonal where we think alone in order to get a message. Besides, we speak with others too or so-called interpersonal. Men have to communicate among each other to get and understand the messages receive as well as replying or giving feedback.
What is speech community? If we refer to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (sixth edition), speech / spi:tʃ / means a formal talk that a person gives to an audience / the language used when speaking while community / kəmju:nəti / means all the people who lived in a particular area or group when talked about as a group. Here, it tells us that speech community involves between a speaker and the audience. In order to have a good conversation, speech community takes part to success the conversation. It plays an important role of being successful in this speech communication which happens every day in our daily activities. In a nutshell, we speak in the community of area or group.
Lyons (1970) defines a speech community as comprising of all the people who use a given language and dialect. It conceives of people who speak the same language or dialects, such as English as representing one speech community. As for Gumperz (1971), he introduced the term linguistic community as a social group which may be either monolingual or multilingual, held together by frequency of social interaction patterns and set off from the surrounding areas by weaknesses in the lines of communication. Now, speech community can be converse in the same groups, ethnics, races, dialects and people around us which converse with us. We cannot hide from speech community. It can be intrapersonal or interpersonal. We can even use our mind to think. It is a manner of conversation in our lives in order to have a good feedback.
For what we know when the word speech combines with the word community, it gives us a different meaning. According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia in the Internet, speech community defines a concept of sociolinguistics that describes a discrete group of people who use the language in a unique accepted way among themselves. These members are specialized in jargon, distinct social groups like school students and their hip hop fans or even in families and friends. In addition they develop the slang to serve the group’s special purposes and priorities.
Suzzanne Romaine (1994) in her book Language in society: An introduction to sociolinguistics defines speech community as a group of people who do not share the same language. They share a set of norms and rules for the use of language. It is not necessarily to cover a large area with a language community. Alessandro Duranti (1997) in his book Linguistics anthropology defines speech community as the product of the communicative activities engaged in by a given group of people.
Speech community is like speech communication. The difference is just the community and communication involves. But when we think it over again, speech communication is the one who play an important role in the speech community. A good example, during the celebration of Hari Raya Puasa, the friends from other races will speak in Bahasa Melayu automatically in their group of speech community. Here, it shows a high respect to other cultures. By the above statements that are stated, speech community is a group of people sharing characteristics patterns of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. In addition, it is a group of people speaking a particular language or dialect. It is the same group that often speaks in the same way. They may use the same code and share the same norms and values. They may be said to belong to the same speech community. Where there are two or three people in the community, it shows the people of practising the conversation.
Speech community occurs everywhere in the daily communication. It gives a good practice to respect and learn others’ culture at the time. Speech community is a group of people who share the same dialect or language. It can be change once in a while due to the situation of the context in communication.

2.0 Brief review of related topics
2.1 The Contexts of Human Communication
Human communication occurs every day in our daily lives. It is interpersonal communication where individual convey messages, views, opinions and information to others. Without a good and proper communication, both speakers and listeners are impossible getting good messages from one another. Before a communication is started, individual needs to plan wisely what to talk about. Individual needs to think critically about an effective conversation with others and avoid conflict through communication. By this proper human communication, we can apply effective speech in the community without any conflict. There are many ways in the contexts of human communication in speech community.
Firstly, interpersonal relationships can maximize pleasures and minimize pain like misunderstanding. Both speakers and listeners need to build a good relationship while communication. They can learn about others’ cultures and enhance self-esteem in the communication. Relationships of all kinds and in all their aspects are heavily influenced by culture. For example, a relationship of family members, parents usually speaks formally in the office. While at home, they have to change their ways of conversation to speak like parents who care their family with their little children. Communication is change depending to the situation in the conversation. Other example like a boyfriend is talking to his girlfriend. He will speak in beautiful phrases to show admiration and love to his girlfriend. He might use phrase like, “You are the apple of my eyes...” or “I love you till the end of my life...”
Secondly, small group in the speech community such as meeting in the office, study group, group discussion like sharing and chitchatting or prayer group, this community is also one of the contexts of human communication. A small group that consist approximately 5 to 12 people and it is relative ease for both senders and receivers to share a common purpose and follow similar organizing rules. To have effective group, members must share a common purpose and similarity in their reasons for interacting. For example, an organization is having a meeting in the office that consist 11 people which are the Chief Executive Officer with his 10 branch managers. This speech community is using the official and formally where of conversation that leads to goals for what they meet. Another example is a small study group in the colleges or universities. Students convey about their studies on speech communication and share their communication with one another in the discussion.
Moreover, the public speaking is also one of the ways of human communication. Public speaking is a form of communication in which a speaker speaks a relatively large audience with relatively continuous discourse in real face to face situation. To have a good and effective public speaking, individual needs to select a topic and analyze the audience. He also needs to construct a good introduction, content and conclusion that is well prepared in the delivering the speech which leads to a better understanding to the listeners. He also needs to know the audience’s culture and ways of interaction. This is also a speech community. For example, a public speaking given by a speaker to the listeners entitled, “How to overcome stress in our workplace?” And yet, the listeners of course are those who work in the office or workplace that occur stress are the one who really listen to the speaker. The speaker needs to convey the listeners. He needs to attract the listeners and getting them along happily to listen his public presentation in order to have the group of speech community.
A part from that, interviewing is a way of human communication. Interviewing is a form of interpersonal communication in which two people interact most often face-to-face, largely through a question-and-answer format to achieve specific goals. It usually involves two people and sometimes more. At job fairs, interviewers may talk with several persons at once if there are a lot of applicants. Although interviewing is usually occurs face-to-face, it also happens in via computer which is through the e-mail, IRC Chatting Centre or Internet Relay Chat groups too. Interviewing is usually proceeds through questions and answers. It formally done and it is one kind of speech community. The interviewers of three will interview and examine the applicant. They need to apply the changes formally in the interview in order to have an effective interview the applicant.
The next way of human communication is informative speech. Informative speech is a conversation where speaker will tell the listener something that they didn’t know before. The listeners can gain new knowledge easily, avoid information overload and recognize cultural variations. It can be done to both parties and in groups. It is also like persuasive speech where speaker’s speech is to strengthen or change the attitudes or beliefs of the listeners. This speech community can persuade the listeners’ changes of point of views. A good situation is during the marketing presentation. For example, the salesman of Cosway Corporation Berhad is giving his presentation to the listeners, the customers as a community who usually attend and curiosity to know new products. The salesman shares the knowledge and experience to them. He will deliver his presentation about the benefits of getting these newly product. He can even adapt and attract the customers. Marketing is one of the ways of human communication in speech community. Another example is in the situation of the village. An Iban graduate man who works in the town is going back to the village. He usually speaks English Language in the office but while in the village, he needs to change and adapt his culture to speak Iban Language with his elders, parents, relatives and friends.
No doubt, communication in the speech community is a package of signals that involves content and relationship dimensions. It is also known as a transactional process. It is inevitable, irreversible and unrepeatable. It is also a context of culture where occurs the incidence of intercultural contact. For example, two different races with different cultures like the late Pope John Paul was meeting with our previous Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in the year 2002 in the Vatican, Rome. Both from different religious and yet, they respect one another throughout the meeting.
To conclude, speech community happens and still depending to any related situation. It might change at a time and speaker needs to adapt at once to have a good communication with the listeners. By this, they may avoid misunderstanding and achieve effectively the conservation. Giving feedback and respect others at the time is the best way of communication. Speech community is a nature of language. We need to accept and appreciate this human communication. It is a communication of multicultural context and a process of conveying messages with others.


2.2 Macro context of spoken language use in the community
Every communication needs a good speaker to convey messages to the listener meaningfully. It is like a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs or behaviour. It is also a product where information communicated as a verbal or written message. Without a perfect communication, we will get a misunderstanding with one another. Communication leads us towards solidarity in the speech community.
Macro context is a speech functions which is general or overall to the community goals. According to Mohd Faiz Abdullah in the module of BBI3213 Speech Communication, he stated that there are two reasons why macro context is needed in the spoken language which use in the community. Firstly, it is to build community where individuals creates and replaces the sense of community. It is a must for us to communicate with one another. Secondly, to create a communication in the community, we need to promote and maintain cultural diversity. We as humans have our rights to hear and speak to respect others’ rights and views of minorities.
Macro context can help us to have a good communication with others especially in negotiating well in the communication. Macro context can build a good relationship between individual, groups, races as well as learning others’ cultures. Without macro context, a communication will be a failure and not successfully. At the same time, it leads and promotes to emerge the ethnic-minority groups too. We can learn a lot of others’ cultures in the group. For example, in the fish market in Sarawak, a Chinese customer usually buys fish from the fishmonger, a Malay every morning. She uses to go to the same fishmonger because he gives a good prices and discounts to her. Both of them are difference races but they speak in Sarawak Language. Sarawak Language is a bit like Malay Language. They use this language because it is easy for them to communicate well. The Chinese customer can speak other language and accept others’ culture too. This enhances a good communication in the speech community. Culture affects us to think and to talk wisely in communication. By this context, it gives a good opening, feed forward, business, feedback and closing to one another.

2.3 Micro context of spoken language use in the community
In contrast, micro context consists on the socio-physiological aspect of groups within the community. According to Van Lier, he stated that micro context describes the views as involving the interactive context.
The following are the functions of micro context of spoken language use in the community. As we all know that micro functions of speech are details or specific individual goals to the communication in speech community. Firstly, micro context leads us to express ourselves in the communication. Here it means that we need to be a member of the community so achieve our goals of communication. For example, having as participant in the special days of occasion involving own community like a prayer service in the mosque. Individual needs to be more open to receive others which in the same groups. Another example is in the situation of a political meeting. As a member of Barisan Nasional, individual attend an annual general meeting where all are from the same members to choose new committee at the same time discussing the same issue in the meeting.
The second micro context is to spread information within and without the community. Here, communication provides information for a successful process in the conversation. It can be from the same or different groups in a communication. For example, a research presentations of a lecturer to the teachers about “Students’ abilities in Literature” A lecturer has a highly education background in literature why teachers from many schools which is general background as long as they are English teachers, they come to attend the presentations and listen attentively about the lecturer’s sharing of knowledge and experience. Indeed, teachers have different demands and needs. As long as they can come together in the presentations, communication is achieving successfully.
The next micro context function is to change individual that gives effect to them in the intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, institutional, mass and intercultural communication. Indeed, communication can change us immediately. A good example, mass communication leads to buy new Proton Exora rather than buying a Proton Persona as the first choice. As long as the changes benefit us, communication leads us to achievement and goals.

3.0 Discussion related to the problems / questions
3.1 Why speech community is needed?
Every communication needs speech community in order to have a good conversation. To be effective in the multicultural context, it must be free. Speech community is needed in order for speaker and listener to understand and both get involves in the communication. If there is a good speech community, the process of communication is achieved. It helps the communication goes smoothly and well.
Indeed, speech community is needed as it is a part of art and culture. We learn others’ art and culture in communication. For example, a Malay friend who is able to speak in Mandarin Language is communicating Mandarin Language with his Chinese friends. It is an ease for him to do so. At the same time, he learns his friends’ culture at the time for example eating noodles with chopsticks. It is interesting to know others and the more we learn, the more knowledge we gain. If we learn extra language, it is easily for us to look for job that needs extra language. Thus, many employers are searching for employees that able to speak several languages like Malay Language, English Language, Mandarin Language and some small dialects too.
Apart from that, we will not left behind if we know to change and adapt ourselves in groups of communication. It is a symbol of identity and integrating in the community. For example, individual can listen to other like Iban Language (a Sarawak race) even though she is a Chinese. Her friend who speaks Iban Language is announcing the offer to apply the studies in the universities to her friends in a group. The Chinese girl can listen and understand Iban Language and so it benefits her and she will not left behind regarding to the application of universities studies. We can get more knowledge and getting more information easily.
Speech community leads an effectively social interaction rule of communication. Moreover, we can respect others and accept speech community in the group. It is not fixed and social norms may be found between old and new norms. We can gain more experience and more moral values. We can be friendlier to others and by this, effectively communication leads to the achievement of the conversation. We can build a good community and promote and maintain cultural diversity. We can also spread information and receive feedback from others easily.

3.2 Problems related in speech community
Sometimes, speech community has problems in the communication too. Individual might face difficulties in understanding the groups or community language that they use. The language variation that they use is not suitable with the community language. Individual may left behind and may get the wrong information if he does not understand the conversation. For example, a teacher is asking the students in the primary school level to complete the writing exercises. He asks the students to write about life in the community service with the helpless children. I would like to say students face understanding and get difficulties to complete this task. They may not know how to start to write a good essay with the written topic as they never face that situation and the environment before.
Some other problems occur in the speech community such as the differences of both speakers and listeners on their age and group. Sometimes, both communicators with differences age and group may find difficulties to communicate well. For example, is it possible for a young adult to talk to an old lady with the age of eighty? Is it possible for European that does not have any Penan Language background to speak with the Penan (a small minority Sarawak race)? The European will find difficulties to speak with the Penan community in the villages while having their volunteering work as the Trekforce members. They really need to prepare themselves by attending short courses or doing some practices and research on the language so that they can communicate and understand what the Penan villagers want to communicate with them.
Besides, problems like differences in the gender and class affect the communication. It is difficult for a ‘low-class’ people to speak with the king. They have the gap of communicate with one another. Differences in the gender play the roles of communication. For example in the group discussion of the 8 ladies, a man found himself difficult to take part in the group discussion.
Moreover, problem like questioning and changing the topic in the conversation might stop and failure a good communication. Sometimes, we find difficult to answer one question if we are not so clear. We might even change the topic on the conversation. In the nutshell, problems in speech community occur daily in our lives.

3.3 Ways of improving in speech community
In order to have a good speech in the community or in a group, one must respect one another especially their arts, cultures and races. We must have the limit while in a communication with other groups of people. For example during a festival of Hari Raya Aidilfitri visiting, a non-Muslim can talk about food with their Muslim friend who invites him. This non-Muslim individual must know the limit while talking about food. He must not talk about the pork dishes as it is wrong to do so. We must respect others’ races and their culture as well. We should not talk nonsense to those who are not from the same races or groups as well as the same too. Communication has the limit to do so.
While communicate with others, we must be social in the interaction. We should be friendlier and impart moral values during communication. In other words, communicate with a better tone and impart moral values are the best policies of communication. Respecting and politeness need to play a part in the communication. For example while conversation in a group discussion; students need to share their opinions and views about a topic given. They must remember that they should not be too rude or rough while communication. If a statement is not clear in the discussion, one must help to give clear clarification so that everyone will not misunderstanding to the topic discuss. Helping others in the communication can improve a speech community.
In a communication, we have the free will to speak as long as it is not offence or hurting others in a conversation. We can speak out our views, opinions and information in the community but always remember that they will be a limitation and respect to others. Thus, this communication gives us a good purpose where by getting the feedback, we can learn new experience and knowledge from others as long as willing to accept others’ views and opinions that they shared. Sometimes, it is true that learning and getting information from others can experience success and we are more educated to know more. We need to be self-esteem and freely to accept new information. Besides, we can learn our mistakes during the communication. For example in a group of a speech community during in a situation in the office, colleagues share ideas in the best way of marketing. As a positive individual, we should listen and adapt their information that can improve us in our work. No doubt, it seems like taking others’ ideas but it helps if we adapt and add some new ideas to improve ourselves.

4.0 Conclusion
4.1 Summary and conclusions
Speech community is a group of speakers who are either in the same races or groups; or others, who recognize the same language or dialect as a standard in the communication. Speech community is rather interpersonal and willingly to accept others easily in the communication. It can be differences of races, people or groups as long as they can cope up with the standard language; speech community exists at the spot.
Speech community gives good purposes to the understanding of the communication with one and another. At the same time, it contains the contexts of human communication such as interpersonal relationship with family and friends, group discussion, public speaking or presentation, interviewing, informative speech and formal or informal conversation with others. It is a transactional process of communication where the information that we receive through feedback enhance us to the achievement of our goals in the communication.
Speech community has the macro and micro contexts of spoken language use in the communication. It is depending to the situation of changes at a time and both speaker and listener need to adapt themselves quickly of the changes. Speech community can build a good relationship in the community. It also can maintain and promote the cultural diversity of the community. Speech community can lead us to spread information within and without the community. Besides, we can be more aware and imparts moral values in the communication.
Speech community plays an important role in every communication. It produces a good relationship between the speaker and listener. To have a good conversation in the community, one must learn to respect others’ cultures and accept others’ views and opinions. We must be more social in the interaction so that we can feel more freely to speak. Feedback in a communication can be taken as new challenges in our daily activities. We can be more self-esteem, more motivate and spiritual community. Being honest and observe cultural norms and values of others help us to have a good relationship with one another. We can discover in the interpersonal communication. To have a good and effective communication in the multicultural context, we must be free and willing to accept and share in the conversation.

4.2 Implications, suggestions and resolutions
4.2.1 Implications of the speech community assignment
In this paper, we are able to see the implication where speech community is the best communication where we can learn to communicate and share information with others in a group with a standard language to speak. We can be more community minded and imparts moral values in every communication in order to respect others especially in the sense of cultures and races. We can practice the context of human communication in the speech community properly to use the ways shared in the assignment and see the impact we receive. By the implication here, we can improve and learn new knowledge and experience in the communication with community spirit.

4.2.2 Suggestions to improve the speech community assignment
Here are some suggestions to improve this assignment. Firstly, I should do more reading to get more information from references books and Internet in order to produce a good and quality writing. Moreover, reading more references can generate my ideas to write a clear research paper in the topic of the assignment given. Secondly, I should ask and seek help from the lecturer and tutor to get clear explanation in this assignment so that I can write properly based on the questions given. I have to actively participate to do this from the beginning to the end of the assignment. Writing a good research paper needs a lot of drafts and practices in order to have a quality assignment.

4.2.3 The resolutions in the speech community assignment
The resolution in this assignment is firstly, I can try some ways of human communication context and practice it in the real situation of speech community to see what I can get. For example in the situation of the group discussion or interpersonal relationship, I can realize and know how it goes whether it is macro or micro contexts of spoken language use in the community. Secondly, I need to work hard and smart to complete a good and successful research paper in the assignment. More hard work and effort need to put on in this challenging speech community assignment.