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Paralanguage: Nonverbal Communication

Paralanguage: Nonverbal Communication. “People are more frightened of being lonely than of being hungry, or being deprived of sleep, or of having their sexual needs unfulfilled” (Frieda Fromm Reichmenn). Paralanguage: Nonverbal Communication. Communication by means other than language .

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Paralanguage: Nonverbal Communication

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  1. Paralanguage: Nonverbal Communication “People are more frightened of being lonely than of being hungry, or being deprived of sleep, or of having their sexual needs unfulfilled” (Frieda Fromm Reichmenn).

  2. Paralanguage: Nonverbal Communication Communication by means other than language.

  3. Paralanguage includes • Facial expressions • Tones of voice • Gestures • Eye contact • Spatial arrangements • Patterns of touch • Expressive movements • Silence

  4. Paralanguage includes intentional and unintentional nonverbal messages

  5. Paralanguage may be: • Complementary • Unconscious • Learned

  6. Universals and Cultural Variations • eyebrow flash, the nose wrinkle • basic emotions: --happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, anger, and surprise

  7. The functions of nonverbal communication • To repeat what was said verbally • To complement what was said verbally • To contradict to what was said verbally • To substitute for what would be said verbally • To regulate and manage the communication event

  8. Nonverbal communication divided into • Kinesic and Proxemic acts • Kinesics: The study of nonverbal gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and body posture • Proxemics: The study of the use of space, touch, and distance as features of nonverbal communication.

  9. Inborn Nonverbal Actions • Smiling • Crying

  10. Universality versus Relativism • Birdwhistell (1970) • Emblems:are gestures understood by participant of a communicative community to express a specific meaning

  11. Cultural Specific Emblems Can you guess what the following gestures from Japan, France and Iran mean?

  12. Could reflect social status and gender • Dominance versus subordination In North America ---more space---take less space ---stare at others ---less eye contact --- smile more-- smile less

  13. Dangers of overgeneralizations • Cannot assume everybody in a culture behaves the same way • Infrequent actions should not be used to characterize a culture • We should not ignore that nonverbal behaviors are part of complex communication processes

  14. How do we communicate with those we don’t know? • Leonard Zunin (The First Four Minutes, 1972) • Three common behaviours: • which side of the path” look • I acknowledge you” look • Look—away priority”

  15. Proxemics • Edward, T Hall in 1963 • refers to touch and issues of personal space

  16. Distance Between Faces Tone of Voice Type of Message very close (3-6") soft whisper top secret or sensualclose (8-12") audible whisper very confidential neutral (20-36") soft voice, low volume personal subject matter neutral (4.5-5') full voice non-personal information across the room (8-20') loud voice talking to a group stretching the limit

  17. All nonverbal communication is best understood within cultural context • Body movements • Eye contact • Facial expressions • Touch

  18. Silence also part of nonverbal communication • Sends nonverbal clues during communication • Culturally determined • Igbos of Nigeria

  19. Do you think that understanding nonverbal patterns can help us identify our own ethnocentric attitudes?

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