Speech, Language, and Communication; WNYC

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This record is featured in “Exploring Public Media in the Peabody Awards Collection.” This record is featured in “Peabody Awards Collection.”
Series
Speech, Language, and Communication
Title
WNYC
Producing Organization
WNYC (Radio station : New York, N.Y.)
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
WNYC (New York, New York)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-80-58bg7vjq
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Description
Episode Description
This is an episode of the radio course "Speech, Language, and Communication," taught by Dr. John B. Newman of the School of General Studies of Queens College, Flushing, N.Y. Professor Newman begins with an excerpt from the C.S. Lewis book Studies in Words, in which Lewis discusses the proper way to obtain a true pronunciation from an individual to study the way that they speak. Newman continues to discuss this in the context of the true meaning of a word as well. He discusses the difference in asking someone "what do you mean'", when the listener knows the meaning of the word, just not the meaning in this context. People are likely to struggle when giving specific meanings of words, or as Newman submits as an example, explaining what a spiral staircase is. The focus must be on the way the speaker uses the language rather than the meaning of the language that the speaker uses. Sometimes the form of a statement is in conflict with the meaning, like with a dangling participle. Following is a discussion of "spoonerisms," along with an anecdotal story, and then a "Goldwynism," from Samuel Goldwyn (with a story as well). Both the stories support that harshly analyzing the meaning of the language that someone uses can contradict the person's original intent. This is important, as the author mentions, in situations like international meetings. He states that the series has been on the air for the past twelve weeks, discussing the following topics: the activity of speech, the phenomenon of language, the process of communication, and the interrelations that can exist among them. When the counterintuitive usages become institutionalized, Newman suggests it is removing us from reality. He then tells another anecdotal story about a man and woman who have differing interpretations of what "sun" means in the context of sun spots interfering with television broadcasts, which was rendering their TV useless. Newman follows this story with a personal experience of different interpretations of dark glasses being worn outside. Finally, his last example is a cartoon from The New Yorker, which he briefly describes. He later tells another story about the gap between usage and meaning involving a fellow faculty member (specifically, a visiting professor) at Queens College, and says that he doesn't wish to use the professor's name, but if he did, everyone would recognize it. The story described involves a gap between the usage and meaning of the professor's name. He concludes with a concise explanation of the linguistic gaps between usage and meaning and the effects of those uses by individuals, ending with a quote from Ludwig Wittgenstein on the subject.
Broadcast Date
1961-10
Created Date
1961
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Event Coverage
Rights
Acquisition Source: Peabody Archives
Media type
Sound
Duration
00:28:13.152
Embed Code
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Credits
Producer: Crawford, Robert P.
Producing Organization: WNYC (Radio station : New York, N.Y.)
Speaker: Newman, John B.
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: cpb-aacip-fadbb625f88 (Filename)
Format: U-matic
Generation: Original
Duration: 00:18:00
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia
Identifier: cpb-aacip-f5afea86e7d (Filename)
Format: 1/4 inch audio tape
WNYC-FM
Identifier: cpb-aacip-8d2a23770e4 (Filename)
Format: 1/4 inch audio tape
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:57:22
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Citations
Chicago: “Speech, Language, and Communication; WNYC,” 1961-10, WGBH, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, WNYC, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed June 1, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-80-58bg7vjq.
MLA: “Speech, Language, and Communication; WNYC.” 1961-10. WGBH, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, WNYC, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. June 1, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-80-58bg7vjq>.
APA: Speech, Language, and Communication; WNYC. Boston, MA: WGBH, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, WNYC, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-80-58bg7vjq