Week 9:3 Hymes Ethnographic Model

When reviewing Chapter 2 and the different discussion questions that we have had through the semester, I found the Hymes model was not really discussed before and its a good way to describe communication. The visual representation (Figure 2.4 on page 38) of how the Hymes model divides communication into hierarchially arranged contexts is easy to interpret and understand. Plus describing "speaking" by using an acrostic poem, where the first letter of each line forms a word vertically, is a great breakdown of the different components of communication. Dell Hymes developed the Hymes ethnographic model as a field guide to describe communication. With the primary context as the speech acts, the individual and purposeful acts of communication. When observing communication the setting and participants make an impact on the type of communication which takes place. "Although the methods are quite different, each helps to explain a small part of a very complex process" (Trenholm, 40). In the Hymes model there are four contexts: speech community, speech situations, speech events, and speech acts. Which are explained by "speaking": situations, participants, ends, act sequences, keys, instrumentalities, norms and genres (Trenholm, 39). I personally feel this is one of the best models or defining forms of communications in this chapter. It is interesting it was the last one included in Chapter 2, since it is the easiest to understand. This also seemed to be the best choice to include in my blog topics for this weeks discussion.