BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES - Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie

style of delivering a message - for example, yelling "Hey stop that!", as
opposed to whispering "Hey stop that". Vocal segregates such as "uh-huh"
notify the speaker that the listener acceptance.
There are some points to be remembered about our para-verbal
communication:
- When we are angry or excited, our speech tends to become
more rapid and higher pitched.
- When we are bored or feeling down, our speech tends to slow
and take on a monotone quality.
- When we are feeling defensive, our speech is often abrupt.
Vocal characterizers (laugh, cry, yell, moan, whine, belch, yawn) -
send different messages in different cultures (Japan — giggling indicates
embarrassment; India – belch indicates satisfaction).
Vocal qualifiers (volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, and tone) are
associated with cultural distinctions. Loudness, for example, indicates:
- Strength and sincerity in Arab culture;
- Confidence and authority to the Germans;
- Impoliteness to the Thais;
- Loss of control to the Japanese;
- Aggressiveness in North America
Gender based as well: women tend to speak higher and more softly
than men.
Vocal segregates (un-huh, shh, uh, oooo, ooh, mmmh, humm, eh,
mah, lah) - indicate formality, acceptance, assent, uncertainty.
Vocal rate deals with the speed at which people talk, another
factor that offers various interpretations.
In the Americas as well as in Arabic countries the pauses between
words are usually not too long, while in India and Japan pauses can give a
contradictory sense to the spoken words. Enduring silence is perceived as
comfortable in India and Japan, while in Europe and North America it may
cause insecurity and embarrassment. Scandinavians, by the standards of
other Western cultures, are more tolerant of silent breaks during
conversations.
5.4. Body Language
Body language is a form of non-verbal communication which
consist in sending and interpreting of non verbal signals almost entirely
subconscious. Body language consists of body posture, gestures, facial
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