> states the use of language creates the social world around it. In all, CMM heavily relies on three basic processes: coherence, coordination, and mystery. Separate and sometimes in combination, these processes help to clarify and explain how social realities are created through conversation. People co-construct their own social realities and are simultaneously shaped by the worlds they create.
> language creates the social environment we participate
> coordinate the meaning of one language to understand each other (e.i. gay lingo)
> 3 processes : COHERENCE, COORDINATION, AND MYSTERY
> for instance, in one culture (like group of friends) there is a high-context words that only the member can understand.. like the word "OKAY". When someone says OKAY, the members understand that you mean STOP
> 2 kinds of rule in coordinating meaning: constitutive and regulative (formal and informal)
Informal - Theorists discuss two types of rules: constitutive and regulative. Constitutive rules refer to how behavior should be interpreted within a given context. Employing the meaning hierarchy described earlier in the chapter, we know that constitutive rules tell us how meanings at one level are interpreted on other meaning levels. In this case, we are able to understand another person’s intention because of the constitutive rules in place. For example, saying “I love you” has different implications when you speak to a roommate, a lover, a family member, or even a co-worker. In each of these relationships, we adopt a rule that suggests that the relationship type (contract) and the episode will determine how the statement should be received. Clearly, constitutive rules help individuals assign meaning.
Formal - A second type of rule is the regulative rule. Whereas constitutive rules assist people in their interpretation of meaning, they do not provide people with guidelines