week 3 web lecture: conduit metaphor

The conduit metaphor has 3 components to it: ideas and meanings are objects, linguistic expressions are containers for meanings, and communication is sending. The conduit metaphor has several negative aspects to it. One problem is this method makes assumptions. It is never good to make assumptions when one does not know what the outcome will be. Conduit metaphor suggests that as long as we use the right words for our ideas than communication is easy. This is not always true because dealing with different cultures or people who speak different languages, we have to change the words we use in order to adapt. If I decide to speak spanish to someone who only speaks spanish I may say the right words but because I am not a fluent spanish speaker the communication process will not be easy. Another example is if two people are arguing. One person may say the right things to get across what he/she means but because the other person has a different opinion about the argument the point may not be accepted by the apposing party.