Language as a Means of Communication
Language is a system of traditional spoken, written, or standard representations by which humans communicate themselves as members of a social community and participants in its society. Importantly, it plays an important role in human interactions through communication, creative speech, emotional release, identity expression, and play.
Modes of Communication
There are primarily two standard modes of communication: writing or communicating by the sender and hearing or listening by the recipient of the transmitted letter. Some types, on the other hand, incorporate expressions, movements, and other body image elements of facial expression. This method involves the use of gestures, facial expressions, actions, and maintenance of space between the communicators. Mostly, it is combined with the spoken method during communication. Nevertheless, there are those who purely rely on this mode in all their expressions like the dump. In such cases, the facial expression of the conversationalists conveys a lot of information about the emotions of the same. Notably, this method of expression also vary between cultures, but there is a similarity of the expressions for sadness, anger, happiness, and fear throughout all cultures.
Nonverbal Communication
Gestures are signals and movements that are also important in the nonverbal communication method. The primary ones include pointing, waving, and the indication of numerical amounts by the use of fingers. Posture and body language also contribute in the nonverbal communication method. Markedly, they can indicate both attitude and feelings and research shows that they are less definitive and more subtle than previously believed. Another feature that similarly plays a significant role in this mode of communication is the eye gaze. Pointedly, it sends different kinds of messages depending on how it is used. Its role includes staring, looking and also blinking. For example, when a person meets the people they like or encounter their favorite things, their rate of blinking increases in the demonstration of their joy. Also, a gaze may indicate a range of emotions that include attraction, hostility, and interest. Applicable, eye gaze is also utilized in determining if one is honest. It is believed that an honest and trustworthy person demonstrates steady eye contact otherwise, the person is considered a liar.
Haptic Communication
Haptic is a nonverbal communication that involves touch. Mostly, it helps the blind in in their reading. However, it is also used by all the other communicators in social interaction to express affection, sympathy, familiarity, and other emotions. Besides, touch is used as a way of communicating both power and status of a person; for instance, high-status individuals tend are fond of invading other people's personal space as opposed to the lower status people. An individual's sex also dictates the person's use of touch. Women tend to use the same in the conveyance of concern, care, and nurturance. On the flip side, men use touch to assert their control or power over the others.
Appearance as Nonverbal Communication
The appearance that involves the choice of color, hairstyles, clothes, and other factors affecting appearance can also be considered as a means of nonverbal communication. In the choice of color; for example, different choices evoke different moods like one often chooses to put on black when headed to a funeral or when in agony to express bereavement and sorrow. On the other hand, white colors show peace, happiness and evoke good moods. Besides, appearance can alter judgments, physiological reactions, and interpretations. It is judged differently regarding different cultural influences. For example in the Western culture, being thin is valued converse to some African cultures which tend to relate thinness with poverty, poor health, and low social status.
Significance and Challenges in Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication plays a significant role in the way information and meaning are conveyed to others and how the actions of those in social interaction are interpreted. Unfortunately, those who are only capable of using this method sometimes think differently as less privileged compared to those who can express themselves through speech. In most cases, they have low self-esteem due to the view of inferiority complex that they hold in their thinking. This method also affects the ability to communicate in several ways due to the difference in the meaning of some actions in different cultures as has been discussed previously.
Automatically, the lone users of this method in all their communications are most of the time perceived differently by the recipients of the message, especially if the latter can speak. In some cultures, they are deemed to be unlucky and fewer people interact with them. In this method of communication, it is easy to tell about the origin of the communicator. Based on how the person communicates, there is an explicit notification of their original culture due to the difference in how some gestures and facial expressions are used in different cultures. The status of the communicator can also be known by their breaking or keeping to the rule of space during the conversation. Finally, for the successful transmission of information by using this method of communication, one has to know the meaning of the gestures, signs, and facial expressions in the culture the person is involved.
Bibliography
King, K. Spreading the Word: Language and Dialect in America. London: Applied Linguistics, 2001.
Patrick, R. b. D. Heritage Languages in America: Preserving a National Resource. London: Applied Linguistics, 2004.
