Paralinguistic means of communication in psychology: examples and types

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The interaction of people in society occurs through speech, but full-fledged communication is impossible without the participation of a non-verbal (paralinguistic) communication system. The same set of words has a different meaning depending on the manner of voicing, emotional coloring. Communication associated with paralinguistic means of communication, in some cases, can even successfully replace the verbal system. Examples are widely known in the communication of representatives of different cultures who do not have a common language, but are able to understand each other. On the basis of non-verbal communication systems, the adaptation of people with speech apparatus disorders to life in society is built.

Types of paralinguistic means of nonverbal communication

First, let's define the phenomenon under consideration. The paralinguistic system of non-verbal means of communication is a set of means,accompanying verbal interaction and complementing the semantic content of words.

Types of non-verbal means of communication (according to the nature of manifestation):

• phonation - sound features (loudness, tempo, intonation, etc.);
• kinetic - movements accompanying speech (facial expressions, gestures);
• graphic - features of the graphic expression of speech (handwriting).

A group of extralinguistic means of communication is distinguished separately, which are atypical features of speech. These include sighs, pauses, coughing, laughter, etc.

Classification of paralinguistic means by belonging to communities (individuals) distinguishes the following types:

• universal for all speakers;
• characterizing a separate ethnocultural group;
• demonstrating the personal and psychological characteristics of a person.

Paralinguistic and extralinguistic means of communication are systems of signals accompanying the voice. Features of speech not only characterize a particular message, but also form the image of the speaker, giving signals about his emotional state, personality traits, self-confidence, socio-cultural characteristics, etc.

Some elements of non-verbal communication are controlled by the speaker, such as the volume and speed of speech, diction. Other elements are difficult to keep under control, such signals include sigh, cough, laughter, groan, cry, etc. These systems are assistants in buildingfull-fledged communication, fill phrases with personal meaning and emotions. Filling words with emotions is of the greatest value in interaction, finds the same emotional response from the surrounding audience. Due to incomplete control, signs of non-verbal communication can give out those qualities of a person that he would prefer to hide.

Voice volume

Expressive speech is dynamic in volume and places emphasis on meaningful words. Changing the volume level within acceptable limits for communication is considered the most effective construction of the presentation, holding the attention and interest of the interlocutor. A loud voice has a motivating power and inclines the listener to action. At the same time, raising the volume above an acceptable level is seen as a violation of personal space and an attempt at coercion. A quiet voice characterizes restraint, which, depending on the context, indicates uncertainty or calmness of the speaker. The latter is observed in a situation where quiet speech contrasts with the increased volume of the speech of the interlocutors.

Tempo of speech

The pace of speech characterizes the personal qualities of a person, his temperament. A slow pace of speech sets you up for calmness, solidity of the conversation, while a fast pace gives dynamics, energy, characterizes the speaker as purposeful, confident in himself and in what he is talking about.

The pace of speech changes depending on the emotional state of a person: sadness slows down the usual pace, joy and fear increase it. In addition, excitement, general well-being,mood affect him, correcting it in one direction or another, thereby allowing the interlocutor to read these signals for maximum understanding of the meaning of the message.

Rhythm

Inconsistent speech is perceived by the interlocutor as an indicator of excitement, tension, insecure possession of the topic of discussion, a desire to hide important points in the conversation. The confused narration, interrupted by pauses and coughing, creates a negative impression of the speaker's qualifications. Deep knowledge of the subject of communication and self-confidence are characterized by an even rhythm of speech, creating a harmonious picture of presentation.

Voice pitch

Gender and age characteristics and physical characteristics of a person determine the pitch of the voice. For example, a typical female voice always differs from a male one, and a child’s voice always differs from an adult’s. The emotional coloring of the message makes adjustments to the pitch of the voice, lowering it in case of fear, depression. Emotions of anger and joy, on the contrary, make the voice more sonorous.

Extralinguistic means

Pauses place accents in communication, are used before important words as an opportunity to focus, attract or switch attention. Laughter creates a positive atmosphere, relieves stress and anxiety. Coughs, sighs characterize the speaker's attitude to the message, his state during the conversation.

Intonation as a paralinguistic means of communication

Intonation performs the following functions in communication:

• Addition of information (expresses the attitude of the speaker to the content of the message). Example: the replica "sun" with an intonation of joy or sadness will accurately show the speaker's attitude to sunny weather.
• Replacing part of the message (intonation pause replaces part of the verbal means in the context of the conversation). Example: the phrase “I called him, and he …” is self-explanatory that the communication did not take place.
• Strengthening the meaning of individual words. Example: the phrase "she is beautiful-and-and-wai" shows the unprecedented beauty described.

Intonation is always combined with other paralinguistic means of communication, which forms a holistic image of the speaker, his personal qualities, emotional state and attitude to the subject of communication.

Corrective action

Paralinguistic means of non-verbal communication add brightness to communication, fill communication with emotions, which create a full-fledged interaction of people and give the joy of communication. For special groups of the population, gestures and facial expressions have become the only way to interact with society. Paralinguistic means of non-verbal communication become a real salvation for people with speech disorders, and specialized assistance is largely based on the development of the ability to read and demonstrate an informational message and emotions without words.

Communication is the main process of socialization, through which the child learns the rules and ways of life in society. For people with severe speech impairments, the process of communication is limited and the only means are non-verbal. For example,the use of paralinguistic means of communication with alalia helps to integrate into society, using facial expressions, gestures, pantomime in the absence of the possibility of verbal contact. Corrective work with patients with this diagnosis is based on the development of non-verbal means, training, if possible, the rhythm of the voice and sound combinations, which in itself already has a stimulating effect on the corresponding parts of the brain.

"Party effect" and unique speech

The amazing ability of voice perception is called the "party effect". Its peculiarity is that a person with a lot of sounding voices not only hears and recognizes the right one, but tunes in precisely to it, suppressing other noises and voices.

Each person has a unique set of voice properties, manner of speaking, timbre, phonetic features of pronunciation. The conversation of a well-known person instantly attracts attention even in the absence of the speaker in the listener's field of vision, even additional confirmation of the identity is not required, with good audibility, recognition is one hundred percent. The uniqueness of the phonetic characteristics of human speech is widely used as an identification of a person and is the subject of many experiments.

According to the results of experiments, the determination of biophysical characteristics by speech is in the range of 80-100%, socio-psychological indicators are not read so successfully, but the features of emotional behavior, the level of sociability and the situational mood of the speaker are high. DataThe results once again confirm the importance of paralinguistic means of interaction, which transmit much more information about the speaker in the process of communication than is contained in the voiced message.