A Vaughan’s Vocabulary thank you to Kala LeGrand, Terry Likes and Amy Fountain for their MSU Bulldog hospitality toward me as I prepare to teach Introduction to Communication for the Department of Communication.
At the time of writing, I am studying a chapter from the course textbook “Communication Matters” by Kory Floyd for the second week of class. Floyd points out that culture is a powerful influence on communication behavior, affecting not only how we express but also how we interpret and react. Floyd gives twin teachable terms: culture and societies, the former defined as “the totality of learned, shared symbols, language, values, and norms that distinguish one group of people from another.” Societies are “groups … who share the same culture.” The concept of a culture’s “shared symbols” intrigues me. The chapter has helped me recall shared symbols of Portugal, where my wife and I went with a group of MSU students last year. I identify four in the following quiz.
1. Fado
A. card games
B. poetry in the sun
C. a music genre
D. distinctive handshake and eye movement
Iberica Languages website says that Fado is one of the most important hallmarks of Portuguese national identity. In Lisbon, Fado is always performed by a soloist; in Coimbra, groups of male university students perform. No. 1 is C.
2. What do you think “a tuna” is in Portuguese culture?
A. first time love
B. love for fellow man
C. university students who perform by singing and playing
D. a midnight meal
A tuna keeps alive the tradition of university students serenading and playing instruments. Iberica Languages says that students don’t belong to a tuna to get paid, but to meet people at other universities. No. 2 is C.
3. This shared symbol is for honesty, integrity, honor and good luck.
A. a nightingale on a pomegranate tree
B. a rooster
C. a Bible
D. a scythe
The Galo de Barcelos is ubiquitous throughout Portugal. Space does not permit me to include the intriguing legend of why the rooster is such a vibrant shared symbol in that wonderful culture of Portugal. B.
4. Bacalhau is one of Portugal’s most famous foods. It is
A. God’s bread.
B. cod.
C. eggplant.
D. a pastry originating in Sintra.
E. caviar.
What catfish means to Mississippians, bacalhau means to the Portuguese, salted dried cod.
Editor’s Note: Don Rodney Vaughan, Ph.D., teaches journalism, interpersonal communication and public speaking at East Mississippi Community College and is the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Webster County. Contact him at dvaughan@eastms.edu.
