ABSTRACT
In the foregoing chapters, we have studied the formation of the vowels and consonants that make up the substance of words and sentences, and gone on to study the rhythmical and intonational devices which are used to convey the force of those words and sentences to the addressee. Our study of phonetics has in this way been tied to language. If we observe closely a group of people engaged in conversation, it is clear that much more is going on than purely ‘linguistic’ communication. For instance a nod or a wink, a sigh, a pause or a diplomatic cough may be used to reinforce, modify or even to replace what is said in language. The term PARALANGUAGE is used to refer collectively to communicative activities in conversation which accompany language but which are not themselves part of language.
