The importance of nonverbal communication is clear when you realize that some 90 percent of the total impact of a message can come from the nonverbal elements of that message. (Author)

Discusses the components of paralanguage, that is, kinesics, proxemics, and paraverbal features. Argues that paralanguage plays a crucial role in human interaction and is highly culture-specific. Discusses its implications with respect to second language learning and ways in which it can be included in the second-language classroom. (SED)

Discusses the role of non-verbal communication in learning a foreign language and culture. Discusses and gives examples of cultural specificity in interpretations of various forms of non-verbal behavior and its implications for language study. Makes specific suggestions of how to teach non-verbal communication to students of English as a second…

Participant observation and author introspection were used to collect data in this study of nonverbal communication among Italian Americans in three large American cities. Discussion is given to kinesics (gestures and signs), haptics (touch), proxemics (interiors of homes, exteriors of homes, and spatial arrangements at a wedding dinner), and…

Because proficiency in nonverbal communication is as important in international business communication as it is in one's own culture, temporary residents need to learn how to improve communication. This paper explores several ways business communication specialists can help improve sojourners' nonverbal fluency for specific cultures. Temporary…

This annotated bibliography focuses on the sex differences and similarities in two proxemic variables, physical distance and orientation of the body. The majority of the more than 90 titles, dating from 1965 to the present, are selected from the following sources: dissertation abstracts, social-psychology journals, communication journals, and…

The effects of social density on the behaviors and perceptions of five-year-old children in four- and eight-person groups were investigated. Differential effects of density for sex and for preferred personal space were examined. Five factors emerged and were examined: Activity-Aggression-Anger, Positive Interactions, Distress-and-Nonplay, Feeling…

College students seated outdoors and alone on a university campus were approached by a same-sexed "invader" who sat nine inches or 18 inches away. The "invader" asked permission before sitting down or said nothing. Findings agree with equilibrium theory. Presented as the 1976 conference of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C.…

Groups of subjects were placed in a room in which their personal space was violated or not violated. Some subjects were told that subliminal noise would be played into the room and that noise would either arouse or relax them. (Actually there was no noise.) Other subjects were told nothing about subliminal noise. The subjects worked on a number of…

Maintaining that the nonverbal elements of communication are ultimately more significant than the verbal elements in determining the eventual success or failure of the journalistic interview, this paper attempts to assist journalists in understanding the complex and subtle nonverbal characteristics of the interview environment. Based on the…

The effects of induced status differences on (1) seating position and (2) interpersonal distance from a confederate of a given status level were investigated. Using behavioral measures, induced status differences were found to influence both the amount of interpersonal distance and the quality of space. The results suggest simulation techniques…

Examines distance, axis, and tactility patterns of people engaged in dyadic communication in Germany, Italy, and the United States and concludes that contrary to Edward Hall's position, the cultures studied are too behaviorally diverse to be classified as strictly contact or noncontact cultures. (MH)

Examines basic kinesic principles, based on research, which can help participants in interpreters theatre communicate attitudes and emotions underlying a spoken text. (MH)

This paper investigates the effect of personal body buffer zones on compositional arrangements staged by novice directors. Relationships between directors' concepts of personal space and their projection of its dimensions into staging are studied through the use of a variety of proximity measures--distance, area angles of approach, and physical…