PARA LANGUAGE
Paralanguage is like a language where no words are spoken or sung – it is the sound that accompanies the words. It is a part of the non-verbal communication as, without the accompanying sound, words do not convey their intended meanings. Human voice is described as the organ of the soul and since it supports 38 % of the oral communication, it means that „how to say‟ is more important than „what to say‟.
Human beings may have baby voice, pleasing voice, firm voice or unattractive voice such as harsh, shrill and nasal voices. Quality of voice can be determined by its tone, pitch and texture. Tone of a voice can have profound impact on listeners – army commanders‟ tone can catapult soldiers to immediate action and mothers‟ tone can soothe the babies. Pitch is the manner of throwing or hurling forward ones‟ voice and impacts on the speed of delivery.
Texture is the composition and structure of the speech and speakers / writers must weave their offerings like artists that show their class.
Communicators must become familiar with the phonetics (study of sounds, their combination and reproduction), process and physiology of speech. Speech mechanism of human beings consists of three parts – energizers, vibrators and resonators. Speech entails use of organs of respiratory, phonatory and articulatory systems and the process of articulation involves the palate, tongue and lips. Individuals can enhance their voice power by learning and practicing pronunciation, enunciation, speed of delivery, pitch of voice and use of pauses.
Voice is not only the index of mind but also the index of ones‟ character. Experienced telephone operators have well modulated voice. Individuals can improve their voice quality by exercising the throat muscles, improving breathing while talking and practicing deep breathing regularly. Ability to use paralanguage effectively reflects persons‟ status, educational background, national / regional roots and clues about their state of mind. Some times, paralanguage can also misguide.
No comments:
Post a Comment