Language is the most significant system people use to communicate with others. In life, communication serves a wide range of necessity. Every word is a powerful tool; it creates reality. When a person uses concrete words, he refers to a person or object that can be touched, seen, or experienced with his physical senses. In addition, in life, language serves many functions. For example, as a child, he first learned the language of its instrumental function to express his wants, needs, and desires. However, a child learned the language with a regulatory function. As a person became older, he began to master his native language, his words began to assist him form and maintain good and lasting relationship.
Every relationship has its personal traits. After a social interaction started, these verbal and non – verbal behaviors are coordinated.
In social contexts, every individual tends to create words that match the structure of sentences grammatically as heard or read recently. A conversation between two individuals is like a dance. One of them introduces a topic and the other individual will respond to it. Many studies show that people in communications have a tendency to mirror each other in their nonverbal behaviors, words they utilize, and autonomic nervous system activity. People changed their speaking style or technique sequentially to synchronize with and accommodate different conversant, adapting their language style or technique in order to generate a positive image in the minds of other people. Generally, communication experts agreed that the moment two individuals are totally engaged in a face – to – face conversation, there is a small part of the total message they shared is contained in the words they utilized. There is a large part of the message is contained in the vocal elements like the voice tone, speed, accent, inflection, and its volume .
My opinion whether the results provided by the Language Style Matching (LSM) are accurate, all I can say is that, it cannot be applied for all instances. For example, talking to someone about something and the person just need to ask one more question then the LSM result is 0.18. However, if the person in from another country and every word has to be typed and the conversation has to go back and forth, the LSM result is much higher, 0.56 and the result is still below the average. As an opinion, the LSM cannot be utilized for every conversation logically. Concerning to LSM’s comprehensive way to predict the quality of interpersonal relationships; an interpersonal relationship is based on a certain decision whether a person email or chat someone. It is more appropriate to feel, read, or rate someone personally rather than utilizing a computer – generated device. If indeed words really reflect one’s attitude, it is more realistic to tell what kind of attitude a person possessed as compared to a written conversation.
Accordingly, if a friend works in an office building while the other works in a rock quarry, if both used different nouns and verbs to talk concerning their work days, however, similar function words are uttered if they both like and understand each other clearly. Personally, I totally agreed with this statement; a friend of mine working at a radio station and me working on my current job. However, we both have completely different jobs, lives, we both intend to understand each other, and we are close as friends. Using the LSM, the result of our text messages conversation is 0.95 and the average score of 0.84; it shows that the result is above average. As stated that the higher the LSM score is, the higher chance the couple will last. Truly agreeable based on my experienced, the better a person can communicate and understand a friend, and the better relationship for both individuals.
Finally, to use words, always bear in mind that those words have various intentions and interpretations. Not every word means anything; meaning is in people. A meaning is always personal and the result of many factors that includes personality, experiences, and the contexts the communication has it all. In addition, words contained meanings that are apart from or even beyond the actual words expressed.
Reference
Bower, B. (2010, November 22). Shared Talking Styles Herald New and Lasting Romance In
dating game, conversationally aligned players often pair up. U. S. News and World Report: Science News , p. 1.
L., G. (2010, October 5). Language style matching:The language of happiness. The Economist .
Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2010/10/language_style_matching
Pope, T. P. (2011, October 27). Can Romance Be Reduced to Pronouns? The New Yprk Times ,
p. 1. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/small-talk/