NON-VERBAL IS A PART COMMUNICATION

Najamuddin1

Abstracts

Nonverbal communication express meaning or feeling

without words. Universal emotions, such as happiness, fear, and
sadness, are expressed in a similar nonverbal way throught the
world. There are, however, nonverbal differences across cultures
that may be a source of confusion for foreigners.
Culture does not always determine the messages that our
body movements convey. Contexts, personalities, and relationships
also influence them. Therefore, no two people in any one society
have the same nonverbal behavior. However, like verbal language,
nonverbal communication cannot be completely separated from
culture.2

Keywords: Nonverbal, communication.

1
Dosen tetappada jurusan PBA FITK IAIN Mataram
2
(Levine at.al 1982).
El-Tsaqâfah. Vol. XVI No. 2 Juli – Dosember 2016

A. Introduction
The complex nature of language sometimes makes writing difficult. Words
often become confusing when they have similar forms and sounds. Indeed, an
author may have correct meaning in mind, but an incorrect word choice can alter
the meaning of sentence or even make it totally illogical. That is why a writer must
continually strive for precise expression of language by finding the exact word to
express a specific meaning.
In spoken can often be express in different ways. Expression the certain idea
often become confusing when they have similar forms. Indeed, an author may have
correct meaning in mind, but an incorrect expression choice can alter the meaning of
sentence or even make it totally illogical. That is why a writer must continually strive
for precise expression of language by finding the exact way to express a specific
meaning.
Theoretically which developed by Ferdinand De Saussure, meaning is a
concept which had in linguistic sign. According to Saussure, every linguistics sign
consist of two elements, there (French: signifie, English: signified) and (French:
significant, English: signifier). While significant of signifier) is formed of sound which
has language phonemes. Every linguistic sign consist of sound and meaning. Both of
this element is intra-lingual which usually refer or relate to something reference
which represent extra-lingual.3
Understanding some gestures in certain culture it refres to the context of
environment. It is the socio-culture-environment where learning takes place.
Understanding some gestures in certain culture can include the teachers, the peers,
the classroom, climate, the family support, the social, cultural tradition. Learning
this case it refers to the untextual which a particular meaning can be found.
Learning contexts constrain the ways learners approach learning tasks. A learning
strategy that is valued in one learning context may well be in another context.
Non-verbal communication present t were a language that can be learned, the
implication being that if the meaning of every movement, and gesture were known,
the real feelings and intentions of a person would be understood.
Unfortunately interpreting non-verbal communication is not that simple. As
covered on our Interpersonal Communication page, non-verbal communication is not
a language with a fixed meaning. It is influenced and driven by the context in which
it occurs. This includes both the place and the people concerned, as well as the
culture.For example, a nod of the head between colleagues in a committee meeting
may mean something very different from when the same action is used to
acknowledge someone across a crowded room, and again when two people are having
a social conversation.
Interpersonal communication is further complicated in that it is usually not
possible to interpret a gesture or expression accurately on its own. Non-verbal
communication consists of a complete package of expressions, hand and eye
movements, postures, and gestures which should be interpreted along with speech
(verbal communication).4

B. Focus Interest
According to Halliday, text is a sign representation of a socio-cultural event
embedded in a context of situation. Context of situation is the semio-socio-cultural
environment in which the text unfolds. Text and context are so intimately related
that neither concept can be comprehended in the absence of the other. (Sumber:

3
Harimurti, 1982 dalam https://www.localisation.ie/.../text_context.ppt
4
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/nonverbal-communication.html#ixzz4VRwtAatU,
Sumber: dikutip pada tanggal 10-01-2017.

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Halliday MAK and R Hasan. (1985) Language, Context, and Text: Aspects of Language
in a Social-Semiotic Perspective. Geelong: Deakin University).
Language studies traditionally have emphasized verbal and written language,
but recently have begun to consider communication that takes palace without
words. In some types communication people express more nonverbally. If you ask an
obviously depressed probably won’t believe him. When an angry person says, “Lets
forget this subject, I don’t want to talk about it any more!” you know that he hasn’t
stopped communicating. His silence and withdraw continue to convey emotional
meaning.
Nonverbal communication express meaning or feeling without words.
Universal emotions, such as happiness, fear, and sadness, are expressed in a similar
nonverbal way throught the world. There are, however, nonverbal differences across
cultures that may be a source of confusion for foreigners. For example, feelings of
friendship exist everywhere but their expression varies. It may be acceptable in some
countries for men to embrace each other for women to hold hands, in other countries
these displays of affection may be shocking.(1982:44. Deena R. Levine and Mara B
Adelman, 1982. Beyond The Language: Intercultural Communication For English as
a Second Language. American Language Institute. Prentice Hall Regents, Englewood
Cliffs, NJ 07632)
Culture does not always determine the messages that our body movements
convey. Contexts, personalities, and relationships also influence them. Therefore, no
two people in any one society have the same nonverbal behavior. However, like
verbal language, nonverbal communication cannot be completely separated from
culture. (Deena R. Levine and Mara B Adelman,1982:47).
In discussion on culture, according Deena R. Levine and Mara B
Adelman(1982:xv) thatculture, unlike language, doesn’t always contain set rules and
patterns. Two students from one country may disagree about what in done in their
culture. In addition, some students may want to discuss “rights” and “wrongs” about
paricular culture. It is some be considered right in one culture may be considered
wrong in another. Also, there may be a tendency to assign culture as an explanation
for everything. The students may have to be reminded that an individual’s
personality can have greater influence than an individual’s perceptions and behavior.
Finally, some students may tend to emphasize intercultural similarities while others
may want to stress differences. It is our hope that students will conclude that
universal human characteristics can contribute to successful communications
between any two people. Let we comprehence the situation nonvebal “Eye Contact
and Handshaking in Introduction”.
Direct eye contact and handshakes during introduction are customary in
certain country. In introductions as well as in general conversations, speakers
maintain frequent eye contact. Most people become nervous if frequent eye contact
turn into staring. When shakinghands, people shakes firmly and briefly. The
expression, “ He shakes hands like a dead fish” refers to a limp handshakes, a sign
in certain culture of a weak character. Prolonged handshaking is not usual.
Problems can arisewhen these costoms are unfamiliar to foreign visitors. One
foreign students remarked, “I’m beginning to think that there’s something wrong
with me. I have impression that people don’t like me. When I shake hands with
them, they always pull their hands away quickly. “Is his impression correct or is he
misinterpreting a cultural ritual? certain visitors sometimes pull their hands away
too quickly in countries where prolonged handshaking is common.

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C. Types of Nonverbal Communication

According the articles “Non Verbal Communication” written by Kendra Cherry
(Sumber dikutip tanggal 12-01-2017: https://www.verywell.com/types-of-nonverbal-
communication-2795397)
While these signals are often so subtle that we are not consciously aware of them,
research has identified several different types of nonverbal communication.
In many cases, we communicate information in nonverbal ways using groups of
behaviors. For example, we might combine a frown with crossed arms and
unblinking eye gaze to indicate disapproval.

1. Facial Expressions
Facial expressionsare responsible for a huge proportion of nonverbal
communication. Consider how much information can be conveyed with a smile
or a frown. The look on a person's face is often the first thing we see, even before
we hear what they have to say.
While nonverbal communication and behavior can vary dramatically between
cultures, the facial expressionsfor happiness, sadness, anger, and fear are
similar throughout the world.
2. Gestures
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.
In courtroom settings, lawyers have been known to utilize different nonverbal
signals to attempt to sway juror opinions.These nonverbal signals are seen as
being so powerful and influential that some judges even place limits on what
type of nonverbal behaviors are allowed in the courtroom.
3. Paralinguistics
Paralinguistics 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.
Consider all the different ways simply changing your tone of voice might change
the meaning of a sentence. A friend might ask you how you are doing, and you
might respond with the standard "I'm fine," but how you actually say those
words might reveal a tremendous amount of how you are really feeling.
4. Body Language and Posture
Posture and movement can also convey a great deal on information. Research on
body language has grown significantly since the 1970's, but popular media have
focused on the over-interpretation of defensive postures, arm-crossing, and leg-
crossing, especially after publishing Julius Fast's book Body Language. While
these nonverbal behaviors can indicate feelings and attitudes, research suggests
that body language is far more subtle and less definitive that previously believed.
5. 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, cultural expectations, situational factors,
personality characteristics, and level of familiarity. For example, the amount of
personal space needed when having a casual conversation with another person

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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.
6. Eye Gaze
The eyes play an important role in nonverbal communication and such things as
looking, staring and blinking are important nonverbal behaviors. When people
encounter people or things that they like, the rate of blinking increases and
pupils dilate. Looking at another person can indicate a range of emotions
including hostility, interest, and attraction.
People also utilize eye gaze a means to determine if someone is being honest.
Normal, steady eye contact is often taken as a sign that a person is telling the
truth and is trustworthy. Shifty eyes and an inability to maintain eye contact, on
the other hand, is frequently seen as an indicator that someone is lying or being
deceptive.
7. Haptics
Communicating through touch is another important nonverbal behavior. There
has been a substantial amount of research on the importance of touch in infancy
and early childhood. Touch can be used to communicate affection, familiarity,
sympathy, and other emotions.
8. Appearance
Our choice of color, clothing, hairstyles, and other factors affecting appearance
are also considered a means of nonverbal communication. Research on color
psychology has demonstrated that different colors can evoke different moods.
Appearance can also alter physiological reactions, judgments, and
interpretations. Just think of all the subtle judgments you quickly make about
someone based on his or her appearance. These first impressions are important,
which is why experts suggest that job seekers dress appropriately for interviews
with potential employers.
Culture is an important influence on how appearances are judged. While
thinness tends to be valued in Western cultures, some African cultures relate
full-figured bodies to better health, wealth, and social status.
9. Artifacts
Objects and images are also tools that can be used to communicate nonverbally.
On an online forum, for example, you might select an avatar to represent your
identity online and to communicate information about who you are and the
things you like. People often spend a great deal of time developing a particular
image and surrounding themselves with objects designed to convey information
about the things that are important to them. Uniforms, for example, can be used
to transmit a tremendous amount of information about a person. A soldier and
police offers will wear a uniform, and a doctor will wear a white lab coat. At a
mere glance, these outfits tell people what a person does for a living.
10. Final Thoughts
Nonverbal communication plays an important role in how we convey meaning
and information to others, as well as how we interpret the actions of those
around us. The important thing to remember when looking at such nonverbal
behaviors is to consider the actions in groups. What a person actually says along
with his or her expressions, appearance, and tone of voice might tell you a great
deal about what that person is really trying to say.

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Setting the Stage for Effective Nonverbal Communication.5

Nonverbal communication is a rapidly flowing back-and-forth process
requiring your full concentration and attention. If you are planning what you’re going
to say next, daydreaming, or thinking about something else, you are almost certain
to miss nonverbal cues and other subtleties in the conversation. You need to stay
focused on the moment-to-moment experience in order to fully understand what’s
going on.
To improve nonverbal communication, learn to manage stress
Learning how to manage stress in the heat of the moment is one of the most
important things you can do to improve your nonverbal communication. Stress
compromises your ability to communicate. When you’re stressed out, you’re more
likely to misread other people, send confusing or off-putting nonverbal signals.
Furthermore, emotions are contagious. You being upset is very likely to trigger
others to be upset, making a bad situation worse.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress, it’s best to take a time out. Take a moment to
calm down before you jump back into the conversation. Once you’ve regained your
emotional equilibrium, you’ll be better equipped to deal with the situation in a
positive way.
How emotional awareness strengthens nonverbal communication
In order to send accurate nonverbal cues, you need to be aware of your
emotions and how they influence you. You also need to be able to recognize the
emotions of others and the true feelings behind the cues they are sending. This is
where emotional awareness comes in.
Emotional awareness enables you to:
 Accurately read other people, including the emotions they’re feeling and the
unspoken messages they’re sending.
 Create trust in relationships by sending nonverbal signals that match up with
your words.
 Respond in ways that show others that you understand, notice, and care.
Tips for reading body language and nonverbal communication
Once you’ve developed your abilities to manage stress and recognize emotions,
you’ll naturally become better at reading the nonverbal signals sent by others.
Pay attention to inconsistencies.
Nonverbal communication should reinforce what is being said. Is the person is
saying one thing, and their body language something else? For example, are they
telling you “yes” while shaking their head no?
Look at nonverbal communication signals as a group.
Don’t read too much into a single gesture or nonverbal cue. Consider all of the
nonverbal signals you are receiving, from eye contact to tone of voice and body
language. Taken together, are their nonverbal cues consistent—or inconsistent—with
what their words are saying?

5
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ relationships/nonverbal-communication.htm, Sumber
dikutip tanggal 12-10-2017

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Trust your instincts.

Don’t dismiss your gut feelings. If you get the sense that someone isn’t being
honest or that something, you may be picking up on a mismatch between verbal and
nonverbal cues.

The 5 Functions of Non-Verbal Communication

According Daniel Oneil and Adam Earnhardt "The Modern Communicator".
inn . There are five functions of non-verbal communication: reinforcement,
6

contradiction, substitution, accentuation, and regulation. All of these functions help

the person sending a message and the person receiving the message my making the
substance of the communication more understandable.
1. Reinforcement
“The amount of redundancy nonverbal communication adds to the verbal
message” for example if you say “Hi” or “Bye” you will probably wave your hand
also, and if you say you’re hungry you might rub your stomach. If something
tastes bad you would express your dislike accompanied with a disgusted look on
your face.
2. Substitution
“Using a nonverbal action or cue instead of speaking” for example instead
of actually saying “hi” or “bye” you might just wave a hand at someone. When we
are not able to speak to a person we use a nonverbal cue.
3. Contradiction
“The use of a nonverbal message to negate the verbal message” for example
if you ask how someone is and they say “good” but they roll their eyes or look
down at the floor and shrug their shoulders, you know they are actually not good
and they have just negated the verbal message they were sending.
4. Accentuation
“The use of nonverbal cues to intensify the verbal message” for example if
you speak louder and quickly you are adding intensity to the verbal message. We
can tell when a person is excited because they usually speak loud and their eyes
widen, making the message more clear.
5. Regulation
“The turn taking cues of conversational order” for example we use hand
signals to indicate that we are done talking and it is someone else’s turn to talk.
We also use nonverbal signals like looking at the other person as if to say “what
do you think about that” without actually speaking the words.

D. Conclussion
This articlces intents to describe the meaning of gestures in cultural
context, especially for students in language learning and generally for language
user which have different of cultural background and to encourage an
appreciation of cultural diversity and the process of intercultural communication.
Students and people still find difficulties to learn, to understand the
gestures and leaves them confused about what the meaning of gestures apply in
context of situation and culture. This confusion is due to countless rules
governing proper of gestures.
Gestures serve different purposes in language. Function gestures make
symbol of language has meaningful. Content of gestures are the symbols that
communicate meaning in contexts. Clearly, people must know kinds of gestures to
understand what they act.

6
http://functionsofnonverbal-communication.blogspot.co.id/2009/04/5-functions-of-non-
verbalcommunication.html), Sumber dikutip tanggal 10-01-2017

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References

Deena R. Levine and Mara B Adelman, 1982. Beyond The Language: Intercultural
Communication For English as a Second Language. American Language
Institute. Prentice Hall Regents, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632

Daniel Oneil and Adam Earnhardt "The Modern Communicator"(Sumber dikutip

tanggal 10-01-2017: http://functionsofnonverbalcommunication.
blogspot.co.id/2009/04/5-functions-of-non-verbal-communication.html)

Harimurti, 1982 dalam https://www.localisation.ie/.../text_context.ppt

Halliday MAK and R Hasan. (1985) Language, Context, and Text: Aspects of
Language in a Social-Semiotic Perspective. Geelong: Deakin University

Kendra Cherry(Sumber dikutip tanggal 12-01-2017:

https://www.verywell.com/types-of-nonverbal-communication-2795397)

Sumber: dikutip pada tanggal 10-01-2017, http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/

nonverbal-communication.html#ixzz4VRwtAatU

Sumber dikutip tanggal 12-10-2017: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/

relationships/nonverbal-communication.htm

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