The most interesting concept that I found in the textbook for this week's chapter was, well, since I can't say the whole chapter since because I find nonverbal communication in general to be interesting, was paralanguage. Paralanguage is "the meaning that is perceived along with the words used to deliver in a message. It is 'how' we say something." This interests me because so many things can be taken from how someone says something. You can say "Oh, that's great." but if your tone reflects different, that you know that you don't ACTUALLY mean something is great.
Within the part about Paralanguage I enjoyed the part about accents. Now I don't know about you, but there's nothing sexier than an accent (well, certain accents at least). I could listen to someone with a British accent read the dictionary to me, and I would be entranced just because it sounds different than what I'm normally hearing in my every day life.
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The concept you chose is interesting because verbal communication can be misinterpreted just by nonverbal actions. I like your example of “Oh, that’s great” because people tend to use language with parallel emotions and facial expressions. If a person were to sigh as they say “I’m happy for you,” the expression with the words does not reflect a positive mood. I agree with you in that accents are very pleasing as well as the language itself. I enjoy listening to a dialogue between my Persian coworker and clients when they speak Farsi. The language sounds intense at times and very comical at other times, depending on her facial and body expression. When she laughs as she speaks in Farsi, it illustrates the conversation as pleasant and casual. However, when she looks distant, I can see that the conversation is difficult or uninteresting to her.
ReplyDeleteHi Neesaw, I really enjoyed reading your blog post about paralanguage. I agree with you on the “Oh, that’s great” example. A person might say that, but not really mean it. He/she might say it sarcastically to express how they really feel. I notice I talk to some people who convey different meanings. For example, they might say “I’m happy for you” in a sarcastic tone of voice. I make some mistakes from using paralanguage, and get in trouble for it. When my sister asks me to run some errands and I say “yes” in an unenergetic tone, she scolds me on it. She could tell when I don’t sound too positive from her experience in teaching students.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy hearing people use Southern or British accents. It is really a nice change of pace hearing individuals speak differently. I agree with you that it would be bland hearing everyone using western accents everyday. Someday, I would like to learn how to speak in a southern or British accent.
I first like to say I enjoyed reading you view on the concept Paralanguage. I first like to say I totally understand what you mean on the way we say things can change feelings on how people react to situations. Paralanguage is the meaning that is perceived along with the actual words used to deliver a message (p.116) For example, when around my friends we have terms that we use among the group to let people know when something is good or bad. In this situation, when we hear about a party and we know its going to be good we will tell our friends in the most exciting voices to convince them this is the party they need to go to. However, not just males have ways of convincing their boys with words, even girls have friends that they have ways of convincing them to do something. For example, when a girl wants to convince someone their tone and vocabulary tend to change and they begin to speak in a softer tone. A pleasing voice, for example, will make people more likely to listen to us and a modulated voice is seen as more attractive and as indicating a better education and higher socioeconomic position than is a dynamic voice (Anderson, 1999). Nevertheless, the word itself doesn’t hold all the meaning but on the context of how we use it. The book says “its not what you said that bothered me, but how you said it” (p.116).
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post on the concepts associated with paralanguage. I agree, accents are nice to hear. When I first met my husband, he had moved to the Bay Area from Kentucky and had the southern drawl. It is one of the things that attracted me to him and added to his charm. I like the accent not only because of the tone of the voice, but also because of the speed at which they talk. I feel like we're always in a hurry to get our words out on this side of the country, but Southerners talk more slowly and it feels more polite!
ReplyDeleteHe could have told me something rude in his accent, but I wouldn't really have been as offended as much as I should have been because no matter what he said, it just sounded nice. It's not the way you say something, but it is how you phrase it and people's accents make things sound very sweet.
Nessaw,
ReplyDeleteYour last paragraph of your post was hilarious! I agree with you that accents are sexy – especially ones that you are not used to hearing in your everyday life e.g. British, Scottish, Italian (okay, pretty much all European accents). It’s strange how influential paralanguage is in our everyday dialogue with other people in that our tone and the way we say something carries just as much weight, if not more, on the content of our message. I think that when we are able to control the delivery of our messages in the use of our tone and emphasis on certain words, we can make even the worst news sound better than it really is.