Classroom+Notes



**Language, Culture and Life **

**Communication and Representation ** **Language Functions ** - REPRESENTATIVE/SYMBOLIC: it helps us to build symbols and images in our mind. These images are building through the experience.
 * Observe the world and life explain it with word
 * Respond
 * Think negotiate and share
 * Act and value, assume new challenges

- INFORMATIVE: it allows us to share information.

- REGULAORY: it allows language to regulate behaviors.

- COMUNICATIVE: it helps us to participate in a common task.

**Non Verbal Language ** There are many codes to get communication. One of the most used, after the oral communication, are the gestures, body language, very common and necessary in infant [|education]. When we use oral communication, we not only use words, but we use other elements not linguistic which are as important as these to get the full sense to the communication.

There are many Sciences that study the meaning of those movements:


 * Proxemics **

People often refer to their need for "personal space," which is also an important type of nonverbal communication. The amount of distance we need and the amount of space we perceive as belonging to us is influenced by a number of factors including social norms, situational factors, personality characteristics and level of familiarity. For example, the amount of personal space needed when having a casual conversation with another person usually varies between 18 inches to four feet. On the other hand, the personal distance needed when speaking to a crowd of people is around 10 to 12 feet.


 * Kinetics **

Study the nonverbal coding systems of body activity as related to human communication.


 * Semiotics **

- Signs: gestures, movements, face expressions…

- Cue: its intention is to cause an action, event, behaviour or experience. Cues are intentional and deliberated. For example, when someone point the door to close it, avoid the eye contact when something is bored and not interesting or shake the hands to speak louder.

- Signal: is possible that it happens, it has informative function.

All cues and signal are signs, but not all sings are signals and cues.

The most common nonverbal signs are:

- Emblems: Deliberate movements and signals are an important way to communicate meaning without words. Common gestures include waving, pointing, and using fingers to indicate numeric amounts. Other gestures are arbitrary and related to culture.

- Illustrators: gestures that enhance verbal messages. It is usually redundant.

- Adaptors: help people to organize, release tension, control nervous. Hands and arms are used very often.

- Regulators: signs that help to regulate a conversation.

- Affect displayers: Facial expressions showing emotions. While nonverbal communication and behaviour can vary dramatically between cultures, the facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger and fear are similar throughout the world.

**Paralanguage ** Paralanguage refers to vocal communication that is separate from actual language. This includes factors such as tone of voice, loudness, inflection and pitch. Consider the powerful effect that tone of voice can have on the meaning of a sentence. When said in a strong tone of voice, listeners might interpret approval and enthusiasm. The same words said in a hesitant tone of voice might convey disapproval and a lack of interest.

The most common ones are:

- Qualifiers: volume, inflection, pitch, pacing, tone, melodiousness, intonation.

- Characterizers: sounds, sights, mumbling, groans, whines, yawing, laughing, crying.

- Segregates: fillers in speech, pauses, silence or sounds: Oh!, Ah-ah!,like-a, shh, Uhuh!...