Explain any four ‘Semantic barriers’ to effective communication.

Or

What are semantic barriers of communication?

(i) Badly Expressed Message: Because of the obscurity of language there is always a possibility of wrong interpretation of the messages. This barrier is created because of the wrong choice of words, incivil words, the wrong sequence of sentences and frequent repetitions.

(ii) Symbols or Words with Different Meanings: A symbol or a word can have different meanings. If the receiver misunderstands the communication, it becomes meaningless. For example, the word ‘value’ can have the following meanings:

(a) What is the value of computer education these days?

(b) What is the value of this mobile set?

(c) I value our friendship.

(iii) Faulty Translation: A manager receives much information from his superiors and subordinates and he translates it for all the employees according to their level of understanding. Hence, the information has to be moulded according to the understanding or environment of the receiver. If there is a little carelessness in this process, the faulty translation can be a barrier in the communication.

(iv) Unclarified Assumptions: It has been observed that sometimes a sender takes it for granted that the receiver knows some basic things and, therefore, it is enough to tell him about the major subject matter. This point of view of the sender is correct to some extent with reference to the daily communication, but it is absolutely wrong in case of some special message.