As a student studying English Language, you'll know a lot of different things about language! You will have heard the word "language" used in many contexts and relating to numerous linguistic topics.
But have you heard of paralanguage?
Fear not if you haven't heard the term before or only have a limited understanding of it; that's what we're here to explore. In this article, we'll be looking at the importance of paralanguage in communication, the types and features of paralanguage, and some paralanguage examples. We'll finish by extending our learning a bit further – looking at some use of paralanguage in different cultures.
Are you ready?
Paralanguage Definition
Let's begin our exploration into paralanguage by looking at a paralanguage definition. This will set you up for the rest of the article:
Paralanguage refers to any feature of verbal language that does not involve words. Paralanguage adds emphasis or meaning to utterances. Body language can also be considered a subset of paralanguage.
Some examples of paralanguage features include intonation, tempo, volume, pitch, and non-fluency features (such as filler words and sounds, false starts, and hesitation). Body language, such as facial expressions and gestures, also falls under the paralanguage definition.
Fig 1. A smile is an example of body language that adds meaning to communication.
Paralanguage is also sometimes referred to as paralinguistics.
Importance of Paralanguage in Communication
You now know what paralanguage is. But what is the importance of paralanguage in communication? There are many reasons why paralanguage supports effective communication, and there are certain situations where it might even be necessary rather than simply helpful.
Paralanguage can emphasize or add meaning to the words that someone speaks:
By raising the volume of your voice, you can give a sense of urgency to a sentence that it may be lacking without the volume increase.
"We need to get out of here." doesn't sound that urgent, but if you shout it, "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" it becomes apparent that there is an element of emergency.
Alternatively, paralanguage can change the meaning of an utterance entirely:
Sarcasm relies largely on paralanguage to convey meaning. If you simply said, "I think it's great that you've eaten all my lunch.", the listener might take your words at face value and believe them.
However, if you were to alter the intonation of your voice and the stress you place on words, "I think it's GREAT that you've eaten all my lunch, " it becomes clearer that you are being sarcastic.
Sometimes our words don't paint the full picture of what we want our listeners to know, and paralanguage can step in to support our expression.
Paralanguage can also help us to convey emotions such as trepidation (anxiety or dread about something that may happen), confidence, happiness, excitement, confusion, and uncertainty, among many others.
Paralangauge and Pragmatics
Although paralanguage features such as intonation, volume, and stress don't necessarily convey explicit meaning, they do hold pragmatic power and help us to decipher conversational implicature (the implied meaning). For instance, a person can speak loudly for many reasons (e.g., being angry, really happy, or excited); however, when coupled with their words, this increase in volume helps us to understand what the intended meaning of their utterance is.
Fig 2. Paralanguage can be used to help us express our emotions.
Types of Paralanguage
There are two key sub-categories under the paralanguage umbrella. These types of paralanguage include voice qualities and body language.
Voice Qualities
When we talk about the voice in the context of paralanguage, we're referring to the qualities of the voice that can change the meaning of the words we say. These qualities are called prosodic features.
Some examples of these prosodic features include:
Tone (the use of pitch and inflection to convey meaning)
Stress (emphasis applied to certain words)
Tempo (the speed of speech)
Pitch (how high or low your voice is/ the frequency of the sound)
Volume (how loud or quiet speech is)
Intonation (the patterns of pitch change)
Aside from prosodic features like the ones listed above, the verbal components of paralanguage also include non-fluency features, as mentioned briefly earlier in this article, and non-linguistic sounds.
Non-fluency features include:
- Hesitation/pauses
- False starts (when you begin speaking but then stop for some reason)
- Filler words and sounds (e.g., "umm," "well," "hmm," "err," etc.)
- Interruptions or conversational overlaps (e.g., when people talk over one another)
Non-linguistic sounds include:
- Sighs
- Coughs/ clearing the throat
- Whistles
- Groans
- Any other sound we can make with our voices that add to our expression
Body Language
Although body language might not be directly considered paralanguage, it is very closely related and does work alongside paralanguage to aid effective communication.
There are separate schools of thought when it comes to body language and its relationship to paralanguage. Some people see body language as a sub-category of paralanguage as it helps us to convey meaning and adds emphasis and context to our words. Others believe it is a parallel concept. The latter argument states that while body language does help us to improve our communicative expression, paralanguage is centered around the non-lexical components of verbal communication (i.e., prosodic features, non-linguistic sounds, and non-fluency features).
We use body language whenever we communicate with others, whether we're aware of it or not. Some examples of body language include:
- Facial expressions (e.g., frown, smile, raised eyebrows, etc.)
- Pointing and other land gestures
- Changing posture (e.g., Straightening your back during a conversation or leaning towards the speaker to signal interest.)
- Crossing arms
Where body language is concerned, our bodies can sometimes betray us. For example, if we don't want someone to know how we are feeling, we might be able to hold back our emotions in our voices; however, our body language might make our emotions clear.
Sally is upset with Steve for not defrosting the pastry she wanted to use for baking. When he asks her if she is angry with him, she cheerily says, "No, not at all!" but as she says this, her head cocks to one side, and her eyes narrow slightly. These changes in her body language might suggest to Steve that Sally is, in fact, upset.
Paralanguage Examples
To cement your new paralanguage knowledge, let's look at some examples. We've already seen a few brief examples of what different kinds of paralanguage are, so we'll now explore some more in context:
Example 1: Voice Qualities
Maria has just told her best friend, Chanelle, that she is going to have a baby and is very excited about it. Chanelle responds with the words, "Oh my goodness, I'm so happy for you."
Using paralanguage alongside these words, Chanelle can show her happiness for her friend. She can utilize volume, tempo, intonation, and pitch to emphasize her emotions:
"Oh. My. Goodness! (with rising intonation on "goodness" and increased volume) I'm so happy for you! (with increased tempo and higher pitch)"
Without this use of paralanguage, Chanelle's words would fall flat, and she might end up sounding bored and insincere.
Example 2: Non-Linguistic Sounds
Toni has had a difficult day at work and is very tired when she gets home. She steps through her door, hangs up her coat, and flops down onto the sofa with a long sigh. Her partner Jamie asks if she is alright.
Toni responds with a groan and says, "Yes, I'm just tired."
The sigh as she flops onto the sofa expresses a sense of relief at being able to relax after a long day at work, and the groan emphasizes her sense of exhaustion.
Example 3: Body Language
Caden and Maverick meet for a coffee on the weekend. Caden furrows his brow and makes direct eye contact with Maverick.
He then says, "I've got some news about that promotion." He doesn't move or blink as Maverick responds with, "Oh no, just tell me."
Caden's eyes widen, and he smiles widely, lifting his eyebrows. "You got it!" he says to Maverick, lifting his hand for a high-five.
Using different body language, Caden is able to create a sense of dread as if he is going to tell Maverick bad news before changing this body language to express a positive outcome. Body language can be used to create surprises.
Fig 3. High-fives and fist-bumps are examples of paralanguage as they add to our verbal communication.
Paralanguage in Different Cultures
It's important to understand that not all languages and cultures will rely on or use paralanguage in the same ways as English. Paralanguage in different cultures has different functions and meanings.
For example, in many English-speaking, Western societies such as the UK and USA, making direct eye contact with someone while speaking can be seen as an indicator of sincerity or honesty. However, in other countries and cultures, it might be considered rude to make direct eye contact with people during conversation.
It is worth noting here that across all countries and cultures, regardless of how paralanguage is used and perceived, there will be people who find making eye contact with others to be difficult. Neurodivergent people or people with anxiety might struggle with this, for example.
Pointing is another example of paralanguage commonly used in many situations in Western cultures but may be seen as rude and inappropriate in other parts of the world.
Paralanguage - Key takeaways
- Paralanguage refers to any verbal communication that does not involve words or any method we can use to convey meaning aside from speaking.
- Paralanguage can be broken down into prosodic features, non-fluency features, and non-linguistic sounds. Body language works alongside paralanguage.
- Paralanguage is important as it can be used to add meaning or emphasis to the words we say or to change the meaning of what we say.
- Examples of voice qualities include: tempo, volume, pitch, intonation, and stress. Examples of non-linguistic sounds include sighs, groans, whistles, and coughs.
- Examples of body language include: facial expressions, hand gestures, and posture.
- Paralanguage is used differently across different cultures.
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