CALL A Dictionary of Communication and Media Studies

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A Dictionary of Communication and Media Studies CALL was crude but effective, containing all the essentials - a source of light with a reflector behind it and a lens in front, a painted glass slide and a screen. Kircher's astonished audi- ence spoke of black magic. Undaunted, the inventor published a description of his find- ings. The projection of moving pictures was first demonstrated by Baron Von Uchatius (1811-81) in 1853. He used a rotating glass slide, a rotating shutter and a fixed lens. An improved version contained a rotating light source, fixed slides and a series of slightly inclined lenses whose optical axes met on the centre of the screen. See CINEMATOGRAPHY, ORIGINS. Project Mercury See SATELLITE TRANSMISSION. Project work In Case Studies and Projects in Communication (UK: Methuen, 1982), Neil McKeown writes of project work that it 'allows you much more freedom than you normally have in the real world, or on traditional aca- demic courses. You can work on your own, or chose to work with student colleagues who share your interests.' Projects offer opportuni- ties for wide and varied research, not only in libraries but in the community, and the fruits of that work can take the form of films, slide- tape shows, RADIO programmes, VIDEO and exhibitions as well as written reports. McKeown tells his A-Level readers that proj- ect work 'is going to involve your development as a "social being" more than most traditional types of classroom learning'. You go out and meet people; sometimes you share their work- ing lives; you have to persuade strangers that your requests for information and help are deserving of the time and effort they may give you. You will need a constant flow of FEED- BACK in the preparatory process, and courage to go on when lines of enquiry vanish into cul- de-sacs. The Project in the AEB A-Level in Communication Studies is submitted in the sec- ond year of the course and counts for 30% of the overall final mark. See Chapter 5 in McKeown. Prolefeed The rubbishy entertainment and spurious news piped to the proletariat by the Party in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Propaganda Usually deliberate manipulation ""trym«a«fiOT SYMBOLS (words^ gestures", images, flags, monuments, music, etc.) _of jjther people'si thoughts, behaviour, attitudes and beliefs. The word originates with the Roman Catholic Congregation for the Pro- pagation of the Faith, a committee of cardi- nals in charge of missionary activities of the church since 1622. See ADVERTISING; BRAIN- WASHING; EFFECTS OF THE MASS MEDIA; LOBBY- ING; RHETORIC. Prosodic signals Timing, pitch and stress of utterances to convey MEANING. PR: Public relations \ 5 Protest song Popular vehicle of dissent with a long tradition. In the 20th c. the term has been widely used to describe the songs prominent in the US and Western European radical move- ments of the 1960s and early 1970s. These movements were concerned with three main issues: Civil Rights for Negroes in the US, an end to US and Western European involvement in the Vietnam war and an extension of demo- cratic rights generally. There was also at this time a revival of Folk music and with it the revival of many traditional protest songs. JAZZ, particularly the 'Blues' tradition, likewise con- tains many songs which express the US negroes' protest at their oppression in US soci- ety. See POP MUSIC. Proxemics The study of the way people approach others or keep their distance from others; the analysis of what we do with space as a dimension of non-verbal communication (See COMMUNICATION, NON-VERBAL). There appear to be definite features that mark the distance people observe between each other in com- munication situations. Within three feet is inti- mate; up to about eight feet is personal; over that distance is semi-public or social. The prox- imity between communicators differs, obvi- ously, according to the nature of the MESSAGE and varies between cultures, classes and nations. The personal but not intimate distance of Arabs, for example, can.be as little as 18 inches - intimidating for an English listener. Middle-CLASS distances tend, it has been found, to be slightly greater than those maintained between working-class communicators. Pro- xemics extends to the way we allocate space to those extensions of ourselves - rooms, houses, towns, cities - and the manner in which we occupy those extensions. See DEFENSIBLE SPACE; PARA-PROXEMICS. * E.T. Hall, The Hidden Dimension: Man's Use of Space in Public and Private (UK: Bodley Head, 1966). PR: Public relations In Advertising as Communication (UK: Methuen, 1982), Gillian Dyer cites the aim ofcPR as being 'to promote positive and favourable images of people or firms in public life, without actually appearing to do so'. Most companies have PR departments dedicated to creating and sustaining a good image with the general public. PR has also grown big in the service of politicians and political parties. As Dyer says, 'The "publicity boys" rehearse politicians before they go in front of the camera . . . they stage-manage walkabouts . . . kissing babies, all for the benefit of the mass media. Politicans and cam- paigns are marketed like soap.' In winning the 1979 and 1983 general elections in the UK, Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party owed not a little to the PR work of Saatchi & Saatchi. Even the Labour Party in 1983 used an

Transcript of CALL A Dictionary of Communication and Media Studies

A Dictionary ofCommunication andMedia Studies

CALL

was crude but effective, containing all theessentials - a source of light with a reflectorbehind it and a lens in front, a painted glassslide and a screen. Kircher's astonished audi-ence spoke of black magic. Undaunted, theinventor published a description of his find-ings. The projection of moving pictures wasfirst demonstrated by Baron Von Uchatius(1811-81) in 1853. He used a rotating glassslide, a rotating shutter and a fixed lens. Animproved version contained a rotating lightsource, fixed slides and a series of slightlyinclined lenses whose optical axes met on thecentre of the screen. See CINEMATOGRAPHY,ORIGINS.

Project Mercury See SATELLITE TRANSMISSION.Project work In Case Studies and Projects in

Communication (UK: Methuen, 1982), NeilMcKeown writes of project work that it 'allowsyou much more freedom than you normallyhave in the real world, or on traditional aca-demic courses. You can work on your own, orchose to work with student colleagues whoshare your interests.' Projects offer opportuni-ties for wide and varied research, not only inlibraries but in the community, and the fruitsof that work can take the form of films, slide-tape shows, RADIO programmes, VIDEO andexhibitions as well as written reports.

McKeown tells his A-Level readers that proj-ect work 'is going to involve your developmentas a "social being" more than most traditionaltypes of classroom learning'. You go out andmeet people; sometimes you share their work-ing lives; you have to persuade strangers thatyour requests for information and help aredeserving of the time and effort they may giveyou. You will need a constant flow of FEED-BACK in the preparatory process, and courageto go on when lines of enquiry vanish into cul-de-sacs. The Project in the AEB A-Level inCommunication Studies is submitted in the sec-ond year of the course and counts for 30% ofthe overall final mark. See Chapter 5 inMcKeown.

Prolefeed The rubbishy entertainment andspurious news piped to the proletariat by theParty in George Orwell's novel Nineteen

Propaganda Usually deliberate manipulation"" — try — m«a«fi — OT SYMBOLS (words^ gestures",

images, flags, monuments, music, etc.) _ofjjther people's i thoughts, behaviour, attitudesand beliefs. The word originates with theRoman Catholic Congregation for the Pro-pagation of the Faith, a committee of cardi-nals in charge of missionary activities of thechurch since 1622. See ADVERTISING; BRAIN-WASHING; EFFECTS OF THE MASS MEDIA; LOBBY-ING; RHETORIC.

Prosodic signals Timing, pitch and stress ofutterances to convey MEANING.

PR: Public relations \ 5

Protest song Popular vehicle of dissent with along tradition. In the 20th c. the term has beenwidely used to describe the songs prominent inthe US and Western European radical move-ments of the 1960s and early 1970s. Thesemovements were concerned with three mainissues: Civil Rights for Negroes in the US, anend to US and Western European involvementin the Vietnam war and an extension of demo-cratic rights generally. There was also at thistime a revival of Folk music and with it therevival of many traditional protest songs. JAZZ,particularly the 'Blues' tradition, likewise con-tains many songs which express the USnegroes' protest at their oppression in US soci-ety. See POP MUSIC.

Proxemics The study of the way peopleapproach others or keep their distance fromothers; the analysis of what we do with space asa dimension of non-verbal communication (SeeCOMMUNICATION, NON-VERBAL). There appearto be definite features that mark the distancepeople observe between each other in com-munication situations. Within three feet is inti-mate; up to about eight feet is personal; overthat distance is semi-public or social. The prox-imity between communicators differs, obvi-ously, according to the nature of the MESSAGEand varies between cultures, classes andnations. The personal but not intimate distanceof Arabs, for example, can.be as little as 18inches - intimidating for an English listener.Middle-CLASS distances tend, it has been found,to be slightly greater than those maintainedbetween working-class communicators. Pro-xemics extends to the way we allocate space tothose extensions of ourselves - rooms, houses,towns, cities - and the manner in which weoccupy those extensions. See DEFENSIBLE SPACE;PARA-PROXEMICS.* E.T. Hall, The Hidden Dimension: Man'sUse of Space in Public and Private (UK: BodleyHead, 1966).

PR: Public relations In Advertising asCommunication (UK: Methuen, 1982), GillianDyer cites the aim ofcPR as being 'to promotepositive and favourable images of people orfirms in public life, without actually appearingto do so'. Most companies have PR departmentsdedicated to creating and sustaining agood image with the general public. PR hasalso grown big in the service of politicians andpolitical parties. As Dyer says, 'The "publicityboys" rehearse politicians before they go infront of the camera . . . they stage-managewalkabouts . . . kissing babies, all for thebenefit of the mass media. Politicans and cam-paigns are marketed like soap.' In winning the1979 and 1983 general elections in the UK,Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Partyowed not a little to the PR work of Saatchi &Saatchi. Even the Labour Party in 1983 used an