The two articles discuss nonverbal communication through paralanguage and silence. Both explain that tone of voice, emphasis of words, and other vocal qualities can change the meaning of what is said. DeVito provides more depth on how paralanguage allows people to make judgments about personality and status. Price uses an example from Aladdin to show how the same words with different emphases convey different messages. While the articles agree on the importance of paralanguage, DeVito also discusses cultural differences in perceptions of silence and Price focuses more on an overview of paralanguage qualities.

1. Nonverbal Communication:
Paralanguage and Silence
Paige Carroll

2. Nonverbal
Communication
o Nonverbal communication can be expressed in
a few different ways
o Some types are more obvious than others
o Body language
o Facial expressions
o Gestures
o Other types of nonverbal communication
include tone of voice, accents, vocal
characterizers
o These are considered nonverbal since the
person is not verbally voicing their opinions,
feelings, or ideas but they are providing
evidence of them through these
o Silence and proximity are other, less obvious
types of nonverbal communication
o Most types of nonverbal communication have
different meanings to different cultures
o For example, some cultures may view proximity
as a positive thing, and some may find it
uncomfortable and invading of their personal
space

3. HESITATION SOUNDS
(UM, HM, UH)
PITCH, INTENSITY (VOLUME),
SPEED OF SPEAKING
FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
VOCAL CHARACTERIZERS
(LAUGHTER, SOBBING,
YELLING)
BODY LANGUAGE/GESTURES
Paralanguage

4. Paralanguage
Nonverbal Communication 4
o Paralanguage is an important part of communicating
o Emotions and opinions may not be plainly expressed
by saying things like “I don’t like that” or “I am angry”
but they can be inferred through paralanguage
o Different cultures perceive paralanguage in different ways
o Europeans and Asians speak at a lower volume than
Americans
o Louder volume may be perceived as rude by
some cultures
o Japanese women adopt a much higher pitched voice
than Japanese men, whereas American men and
women’s voices can be similar in pitch
o Americans smile more than many other cultures
o Facial expressions can be viewed in many ways
across different cultures
o Some cultures hide their emotions better than
others

5. 20XX presentation title 5
Silence
o Silence can communicate a lot more than one may think
o Approval
o Disapproval
o Respect
o Anger
o Embarrassment
o Contemplation
o And many more feelings
o Silence can accompany other types of nonverbal communication, like
proximity, facial expressions, and gestures
o Silence may be brief or lengthy
o Can allow another person to join the conversation or add a thought or
opinion

6. 20XX presentation title 6
Silence in Culture
o Silence can be perceived in different ways
o Can be awkward
o Can be a sign of respect
o Can be used to emphasize a final point
o Different cultures view silence in a variety of ways
o In western culture, it is common to believe that
silence conveys a lack of engagement or
disagreement
o Many Americans are uncomfortable or
embarrassed by prolonged silence
o Nordic countries have a listening culture
o Silence displays contemplation
o Asian cultures often take a minute or two of
silence before answering a question
o These varying meanings of silence may cause conflicts
between people of different cultures

7. Silence and Paralanguage as Communication
By Joseph A. DeVito
20XX presentation title 7
o In this article, Joseph A. DeVito describes paralanguage and silence in detail and the different ways that they may be perceived in certain
situations
o He starts off by discussing silence and provides descriptions and examples of the uses of silence
o Allows speakers time to contemplate
o Allows for previous points or messages to register
o Ponder future sentences or ideas
o DeVito explains that people often use silence to prepare themselves for further in-depth conversations
o Can be used as a weapon
o He uses the example of the silent treatment in situations of conflict, anger, anxiety, and sadness to prove a point
o “It is a refusal to recognize the person as a person, a refusal to treat the person any differently than one would treat an
inanimate object (pg. 154)”
o This description specifies how hurtful this use of silence can be
o He also talks about the refusal to respect or accept someone’s authority with the silent treatment
o Cool off method
o DeVito writes about how silence can be used to regain composure before letting out words that may be regretted or
embarrassing
o He mentions that perspectives of silence are not always the same and uses the example of the Apache
o Talk very little when courting, the use of silence is explicitly taught to women and a woman speaking a lot can be taken as
suggestive, may be around strangers for a long time before speaking to each other while they watch to “determine if the other
person is all right (pg. 155)”

8. 20XX presentation title 8
Silence and Paralanguage as Communication
By Joseph A. DeVito
o DeVito goes on to define paralanguage as “the vocal (but nonverbal) dimension of speech (pg. 156)” and spell out the aspects of it
o He lists rate of speech, volume rhythm, resonance, as well as laughing, yelling, moaning, whining, and “uh-huh” and “shh”
o We make judgments based off the ways the people say things and what they do when they speak
o People who speak softly may have a problem with confidence or a feeling of inferiority
o People who speak at a loud volume may have an inflated ego and think that everyone wants to hear what they have to say
o People who speak in a monotone may be uninterested and distracted or boring
o He explains that the judgments we make may be correct or incorrect but there has been a lot of research directed towards these
assumptions that show high accuracy
o In addition to making a presumption from physical appearances, initial personality impressions, and evaluative impressions…
o He writes “One of the most interesting findings on voice and personal characteristics is that listeners can accurately
judge the status (high, middle, or low) of speakers after hearing a 60-second voice sample (pg. 157)”
o He also explains how you can take one sentence and stress a different word in the sentence every time you say it and it can have
completely different meanings
o “Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?”

9. 20XX presentation title 9
Nonverbal: Paralanguage – Twelve Lessons from
Disney
By Megan Price
o Megan Price focuses on paralanguage in her article and goes on to provide an example of it in the Disney movie, Aladdin
o She references the phrase “it’s not what you say, but how you say it” to help better understand the idea of paralanguage
o Paralanguage help you determine what messages really mean
o Price describes the qualities of paralanguage as regulators and explained that they regulate the nature of a conversation
o She references the fact that when someone tells a story their sentences slowly build up to the next sentence until the end of
the story
o Once the tone of their story slows down and starts coming to an end, the paralanguage signals the other person to
begin a thought
o Mentions that regulators can also be used as body language
o Nodding your head, eye contact, fidgeting, stiffness, etc.
o Sometimes a person talks to us and we don’t want to be in that conversation but we can’t really get out of it “due to what is
considered social norms”
o However, we provide signals by doing things like looking around the room or checking our phones or just saying “uh-
huh”
o An interesting point that she made is that “we often respond best to what communication is deemed to be similar to our own”

10. Nonverbal: Paralanguage – Twelve Lessons from
Disney
By Megan Price
o She goes on to provide a scene from Aladdin as an example of the changing meanings of similar
sentences
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0SO5ACenQM
o Aladdin changes his tone and which word he emphasizes from when he says “Yeah, right” sarcastically
to the genie and when he says “You’re right” sincerely to Jasmine
o These changes provide different underlying messages to Aladdin’s words
o Goes along with the fact that is isn’t what he said it is how he said it

11. Comparing
Articles
o Obviously, both articles that I included and
discussed in this presentation discuss nonverbal
communication and paralanguage
o They both explain that there are different ways
that paralanguage in speaking can be recognized
o Provide examples of signals that can be given
with paralanguage
o Assumptions and judgements can be made
from the paralanguage that people use
o Both of these articles discuss the importance of
which words are stressed in sentences
o DeVito used the sentence “Is this the face
that launched a thousand ships?”
o Price uses an example from Aladdin
o Paralanguage is open to interpretation and can be
easy or difficult to decipher
o Both articles discuss the different aspects and
qualities of paralanguage
o Tone, rhythm, pitch, regulators

12. Contrasting Articles
20XX presentation title 12
o Joseph A. DeVito’s article goes a lot more in depth since it is longer, and he discusses silence in addition to
paralanguage
o He talks more about judgements from paralanguage and how often these assumptions are correct
o Discusses research on this
o Mentions more about physical and personal impressions than simply the tone of voice
o Body language
o Points out differences in the way silence as a form of nonverbal communication is perceived to another
culture to recognize that there are varying perspectives
o Megan Price’s article focuses on paralanguage and gives more of an overview since it is shorter
o Concentrates on what she determines to be regulators in order to give a background and further explanation
on paralanguage
o Mostly discusses the way a person speaks as opposed to also going deeper into body language and
gestures
o Briefly discusses social cues and social norms which are an important part of paralanguage
o She gave an example of paralanguage from a Disney movie to provide an aid to understanding what is being
discussed

13. Final Thoughts
o Paralanguage and silence are extremely
useful indicators for messages, thoughts
and ideas that people may be trying to
convey through their speech.
o There are cultural differences in how
these signals are understood or
perceived because there are varying
norms across cultures.
o There is more to a speech or a
conversation than one may think, our
bodies and the way we speak are always
throwing out signals and we
subconsciously interpret the signals that
others send us.
20XX presentation title 13

14. Sources
DeVito, J. A. (1989). SILENCE AND PARALANGUAGE AS COMMUNICATION. ETC: A Review of General Semantics,
46(2), 153–157. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42579525
Price, A. M. (2013, March 27). Nonverbal: Paralanguage. Twelve Lessons from Disney.
https://twelvedisneylessons.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/nonverbal-paralanguage/
YouTube. (2007, July 18). Go jump off a balcony. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0SO5ACenQM
Pictures:
Google. (n.d.). Google search.
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS974US974&q=silence%2Bnonverbal%2Bcommunication&tbm=isch&sa=X&v
ed=2ahUKEwi96b2 Q8dX_AhVEkWoFHTClALIQ0pQJegQICxAB&biw=1235&bih=884&dpr=2#imgrc=VlnSa5_tguSYOM
What is paralanguage? and how can you use it to give better presentations?. Visme Blog. (2017, July 17).
https://visme.co/blog/what-is-paralanguage/