Message Analysis Isham Summary

Message Analysis: An Applied Understanding

In his article ______ , Isham argues that “[a] particular utterance […] in any given time and place conveys many different things simultaneously.” (1986, p. 112) In order to fully understand these various aspects and the speaker, one must break down any given utterance, and examine it piece by piece. For a successful message analysis, Isham suggests dividing a message into six comprehensive categories: content, function, register, affect, metanotative qualities, and contextual force. (1986, p. 112) Dissecting a message allows the audience to not only interpret the speaker’s message, but also get a glimpse of who the speaker is, his or her background, and the ultimate meaning of
Isham argues that when we deliver a message, “we intend to accomplish something,” (Isham, 1986, p. 115) and in order to truly understand Teresa’s story on a deeper level than strictly content, we must decipher what the ultimate goal is behind her choice of anecdote. It is clear that her goal is to entertain the audience with a lighthearted story, where, in the end, both she and her husband (who is ultimately the butt of the joke) are both amused at the turn of events. Teresa’s goal then is to also leave the audience feeling amused with what she has shared. Isham argues that “the function of a message greatly influences how something is expressed,” (1986, p. 115) which is evident through Teresa’s facial expressions, body language, vocabulary, and intonation, which will be discussed in greater detail in Isham’s other categories of message analysis. A secondary goal of Teresa’s story is to sell herself as a young, vibrant woman who does not take life too seriously. While the function or “desired result,” (1986, p. 115) of Teresa’s story and the subsequent meaning with which the audience leaves are two different aspects of her message, Teresa is quite successful at not only providing the audience with a comical story, but she also sells herself as a charming speaker, a youthful woman, and someone who is able to take a joke. The overall mood of Teresa’s video is playful, casual, welcoming, and amusing; consequently, her
By choosing a particular style of language, he or she can establish either “social distance or proximity,” (Isham, 1986, p. 116) and choose to either perpetuate or terminate these social groupings. When analyzing a message, the speaker’s register tells us to whom Teresa is speaking. In her video, Teresa uses a degree of familiarity and closeness with the audience. She lets us into her life, and gives us details about her marital status, stepchildren, schooling, and her involvement in the community (as a volunteer). By choosing a story to entertain her audience, Teresa also proves her ability to find humour in a potentially awkward situation. She starts her video with a casual “hi,” (Sanges, 2015, 00:00:01), which shows that Teresa both acknowledges the audience. She then mixes formal and informal registers, by combining her minimal use of contractions, e.g “that I do not look my age,” (2015, 00:00:06), with her occassional use of slang, e.g. “sorta,” (2015, 00:01:45) which gives the feeling that Teresa’s targeted register is informal; however she does consider whoever will be watching the video to be her equal. Teresa does not refrain from everyday language; however, she does not compromise her own intelligence by “dumbing down” her own vocabulary. This appropriate mix of both formal and casual registers, along with the intimacy