ABSTRACT
Language, as explored in the preceding chapter, is based not only on what we explicitly verbalize but, even more importantly, on what we express without words. This implicit level of communication is provided by body language which is made up of all those non-verbal signals (mimicry, posture, movements, facial expressions) that are the foundation of kinesics together with the paralinguistic system, characterized by tone, voice frequency and rhythm and, lastly, by silence. Non-verbal communication is also based on proxemics that analyse how space is occupied in terms of greater or lesser physical distance, and the relational boundaries and multiple messages transmitted through physical contact. All these signals assume a relevant affective and cognitive value. We speak with our body, looks, posture, intonation and pauses between words. Things are communicated by nonverbal expressions much more frequently during our early development than in adulthood. Even though body language is a more spontaneous and universal way of communicating, as it is less bound by rules than verbal language, there is no general theory of non-verbal behaviour. In spite of increasing research in this field, we are still a long way from integrating it into a coherent body of knowledge. In sum, there are no grammatical rules we can learn from, but rather, it is a language to be interpreted, and as such, it is subject to ambiguity and can create a lack of understanding on a cultural level.
