There are two types of signals: graded & combinative.

• There are two types of signals: graded and combinative.

• Graded signals are energy patterns that change along some continuum, for example from soft to loud. If you change the degree of the stimulus, you change the message.

• Imagine speaking at the top of your voice versus a whisper. People would react differently to each instance.

• Pitch, tension, and color are other examples of signals that can vary from more to less on a graded continuum.

• Combinative signals are energy patterns that occur in sequence. If you change the order of the sequence, you change the meaning of the message. Certainly, speech is a prime example of a combinative signal.

There are three types of messages: Nominal, Expressive and Predicative.

• There are three types of messages: Nominal, Expressive (sometimes called Emotional) and Predicative, (sometimes called Propositional).