Why Does Word Choice Make A Difference?

Audry Adwiana Putri – 1801441890

1. Why does word choice make a difference?

During the process of communication, humans will use words to create meanings and they will then share it to the receiver. Hence, it is indeed crucial for humans to selectively pick the right word, in the right context, as word choice does make a difference in the decoding process. First of all, the presence of word barrier should alert us to meticulously pick the right words during communication. Word barrier exists if the words we choose cannot be understood by the receiver. This is because the meaning that we are trying to share fails to be decoded. Second, we assign different meanings to different words; hence word choice does make a difference because words contain a denotative and connotative meaning. By definition, denotative meaning refers to an objective, dictionary meaning. Whereas connotative meaning is more subjective as human will add up their personal meaning to the word. Denotative meaning applies to every word that is spoken through our mouth. However, once we incorporate a personal meaning to a certain word, that word will

By general definition, rules refer to a set of procedures, whereas arbitrary refers to a personal choice. When the question is read in a glimpse, we must have think that the word ‘rules’ and ‘arbitrary’ instantly contradicts one another. However, the word ‘arbitrary’ in the question illustrates a different meaning than its general definition. Arbitrary, under the context of language, simply means that word does not create meaning and there is no direct relationship between a word and an object. In addition, when the question states that language has rules, it refers to the semantic, syntax, and pragmatics rules that exist in language. Hence, to answer the question above, yes, it is a contradiction in terms; however, it is not a contradiction in