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:
Communication by means other
than language.
Paralanguage includes
Facial expressions
Tones of voice
Gestures
Eye contact
Spatial arrangements
Patterns of touch
Expressive movements
Silence
Paralanguage: refers to all nonverbal
communication actions (Kinesics and
Proxemics)
Paralanguage includes
intentional and unintentional
nonverbal messages
Paralanguage may be:

Complementary

Unconscious

Learned
Universals and Cultural
Variations

eyebrow flash, the nose wrinkle

basic emotions:
--happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, anger, and surprise
The functions of nonverbal
communication
To repeat what was said verbally
To complement what was said verbally
To contradict what was said verbally
To substitute for what would be said verbally
To regulate and manage the communication event
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.

Inborn Nonverbal Actions


Smiling

Crying


Universality versus Relativism
Birdwhistell (1970)

Emblems: are gestures understood by participant of a
communicative community to express a specific meaning
Cultural Specific Emblems

Can you guess what the
following gestures from
Japan, France and Iran
mean?
Could reflect social status and
gender: In North America
Dominance versus subordination
---more space---take less space
---stare at others ---less eye contact
--- smile more-- smile less

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
How do we communicate with
those we dont know?
Leonard Zunin (The First Four Minutes, 1972)
Three common behaviours:
Which side of the path look
I acknowledge you look
Lookaway priority
Proxemics

Edward, T Hall in 1963

refers to touch and issues of personal space

Distance Between Faces Tone of Voice Type of Message
very close (3-6 inches) soft whisper top secret or sensual close (8-12
inches) audible whisper very confidential

neutral (20-36 inches) soft voice, low volume personal subject matter

neutral (4.5-5 feet) full voice non-personal information

across the room (8-20 feet) loud voice talking to a group stretching the limit


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


Silence also part of nonverbal
communication
Sends nonverbal clues during communication
Culturally determined

Igbos of Nigeria
Do you think that by studying
nonverbal patterns can help us
identify our own ethnocentric
attitudes?