Verbal and nonverbal

communication pattern across

culture

Lecture 4
MPU2243/COMM 3101D
Intercultural Communication
• Intercultural communication means
interaction between people who speak
different languages – which involves verbal
and non verbal
Verbal Communication

• Verbal means ‘consist of words’ – called as

‘verbal codes’
• Verbal code is a set of rules about the use of
words in the creating of messages - Spoken
or written
• Verbal codes include both oral (spoken)
language and non-oral (written) language
• Another critical ingredient of verbal codes
is the system of rules that governs the
composition and ordering the symbols
• Everyone has to learn the rules of a
language – how to spell, use correct
grammar, and makes appropriate
vocabulary choice – to gain enough mastery
of the language for telling jokes, to poke
funs, and to be sarcastic
• The variation in rules for ordering and using
symbols produce the different language
people use
Rules systems in verbal code

• Phonology: The basic sound units of a

language are called phonemes - sound
Example: (k), (t)or (a). Example: Dog / Dot
• Morphology: Phonemes combine to form
morpheme, which are the smallest units of
meaning in a language
• Example: In Chinese, ‘ma’ can have four
different meanings – mother, toad, horse or
scold - depending on the tone
• Semantics: the study of the meaning of words is called
semantic – by word or symbol
• Example: Boot refers to
The storage place in a car
– US-English-speaking person
would call it trunk
Syntactic:The relationship of words to one another. The
order of the words helps establishing the meaning of the
utterance
• Example: The book is on the desk by the door
• Pragmatics: the effect of language on
human perception and behaviors - how
language is actually used – involves context
• Example: when you are eating meal with a
group of people and somebody says, “Is
there any salt?” You know that you should
give the person salt shaker rather than
answering “Yes”
Verbal code and intercultural competence

• Nowadays – learning second or third language

is very important
• Many English speakers have a false sense of
security because English is studied and spoken
by many people around the world - wrongly
used and applied
• Even if two people from different culture
are using the verbal code system of one of
the interactants, significant influences on
their communication arise from their initial
language
• It is important to improve competence in
adjusting to different verbal codes when
communicating interculturally - to
understand language need to study culture
• Intercultural competence requires
knowledge, motivation and actions that
recognize the critical role of verbal codes in
human communication
Non-Verbal Communication

• Nonverbal communication is a multichannel

process that is usually performed
spontaneously
• It typically involves a subtle set of
nonlinguistic behaviors that are often
enacted subconsciously
• Nonverbal behaviors can become part of
communication process when:
• Someone intentionally tries to convey a
message
• Someone attributes meaning to the
nonverbal behavior of another whether or
not the person intended to communicate a
particular meaning.
Characteristics of Nonverbal codes

• Nonverbal communication messages

function as a ‘silent language’
• Impart their meaning in subtle and covert
ways
• Example: Raising one’s hand to wave
goodbye
• There is no dictionary or formal set of rules
to provide a systematic list of the meanings
of a culture’s nonverbal code systems
 Relationship of nonverbal to verbal
communication:
• Nonverbal message can be used to accent,
complement, contradict, regulate or
substitute for the verbal message
• Nonverbal messages are often used to
accent the verbal message by emphasizing a
particular world or phrase
• Example: The sentence ‘He did it’ - ‘He did
it’ -‘He did it’- ‘He did it’
• Nonverbal message that function to clarify,
elaborate, explain, reinforce and repeat –
(complement)
• Example: Many U.S. Americans shake their
heads up and down while saying yes
• Nonverbal messages can also be
contradicted to verbal message – they could
occur purposefully
• Example: When you say ‘I am not upset”
while your facial expression and tone of
voice indicate just opposite
• Nonverbal message helps to maintain back-
to-forth sequencing of conversations, they
function to regulate the interaction
• Example: Speakers use nonverbal means to
convey that they want the other person to talk
or that they do not wish to be interrupted
• Nonverbal messages that are used in place of
the verbal ones function as a substitute for
the verbal channel
• Example: Head nods, hand gestures, facial
displays, body movement, etc
End of Slides