To what extent do linguistic rules affect your understanding of and relationships with others? Answer this question by following these steps:

Recall a time when you encountered someone whose speech violated the syntactic rules that you are used to.  What was your impression of the person?  To what degree was this impression influenced by his or her failure to follow familiar linguistic rules?  Consider whether this impression was or was not valid.

Recall at least one misunderstanding that arose when you and another person followed different semantic rules.  Use hindsight to consider whether this misunderstanding (and others like it) could have been avoided.  If semantic misunderstandings can be minimized, explain what approaches might be useful.

Identify at least two pragmatic rules that govern the use of language in one of your relationships.  Share these rules with other students.  Do they use language in the same way as you and your relational partner?