TOPIC 2

La comunicacin en clase de lengua extranjera: comunicacin verbal y no verbal.

Estrategias extralingsticas: Reacciones no verbales a mensajes en diferentes
contextos.

1. COMMUNICATION IN A FOREIGN-LANGUAGE CLASS

The curricular area of modern languages for Primary Education

includes these General Objectives:
o
o

The pupil as an active participant in foreign language learning.

Differences between this philosophy and that of the past. This change
has been due to two different factors:
o
o

To use the foreign language orally to communicate with the

teacher and the rest of the classmates.
To understand and use the conventions used by the foreign
language speakers in everyday situations in order to
communicate easier and more fluent.

A change in the teaching conception (communication now plays

a major role in education).
ICTs in education (records, images, radio, television, laboratory,
etc.)

The aspects of language learning:

o

o
o

Formative: Foreign language learning contributes to the

development of the students personality, as they become aware
of the linguistic structure; then, after a short period of thinking
about what they are learning, they generalise about certain
linguistic aspects. As we are talking about the learning of a new
code, the individual begins to contemplate with a different view
the linguistic facts that have been used in an intuitive way in the
modern language. This contrast will enrichen the personal
development of the childs intelligence.
Social: Language learning in general contributes to the social
development of the person, because it helps to develop
socialization skills such as cooperation and participation.
Cultural: It is important to have some knowledge of other
cultures (civilization, habits, institutions, history). The knowledge
of other ways of thinking gives the child a better understanding
of the others.
Practical: The linguistic knowledge acquired by the pupil should
have a practical use. For this purpose we must set objectives
which are easy to achieve and relevant at the same time:
phonology, lexicon, grammar (acquired according to
communicative needs).

2. VERBAL VS. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Introduction: Communication, which is used in everyday life from greeting a
stranger to touching a lover, is an ongoing process of sending and receiving
messages that enables human to share knowledge, ideas, thoughts,
information, feelings, emotions, and attitudes. It requires a medium in which
the communicated information is understood by both sender and receiver.
There are two media, verbal and non-verbal, which are simultaneously used
for communication. To be successful in communication it requires us to be
both competent and experienced, not only in verbal communication but also
in non-verbal one as well, because much of our communication takes place at
the non-verbal level.
It cannot be an exception for foreign language teaching classroom as well
because communication takes place there. Now question may arise what the
non-verbal communication is. Non-verbal communication is usually
understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving
wordless messages. Language is not the only source of communication.
Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch, by body
language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact. Meaning can also
be communicated through object or artifacts (such as clothing, hairstyles or
architecture), symbols, and icons (or graphics).
The use of non-verbal communication in FLT (Foreign Language Teaching) can
be applied not only to students but also to teachers, helping them to better
communicate with students: Throughout a class period encompassing such
varied activities as conversation and choral repetition, language teachers can
use gestures to signal and instigate changes in the class atmosphere and
thus further their instructional goals. Moreover, through nonverbal
communication, they can effect personalization between class members and
thus reduce the inhibitions which normally plague language students. For
teachers who wish to analyse and improve their own use of gesture and
nonverbal communication in the classroom, it is suggested that a videotape
recording of the class provides useful and objective feedback.
3. EXTRALINGUISTIC STRATEGIES:
MESSAGES IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

NON-VERBAL

REACTIONS

TO

From our handshakes to our hairstyles, nonverbal details reveal who we are
and impact how we relate to other people. Scientific research on nonverbal
communication and behaviour began with the 1872 publication of Charles
Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.
Since that time, there has been an abundance of research on the types,
effects, and expressions of unspoken communication and behaviour. 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 behaviours. For example, we might combine a frown with crossed arms and
unblinking eye gaze to indicate disapproval.
1. Facial Expressions
Facial expressions are 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 face is often the first thing we see,
even before we hear what they have to say.
While nonverbal communication and behaviour can vary dramatically
between cultures, the facial expressions for 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. An attorney might glance at his
watch to suggest that the opposing lawyer's argument is tedious or might
even roll his eyes at the testimony offered by a witness in an attempt to
undermine his or her credibility. These nonverbal signals are seen as being so
powerful and influential that some judges even place limits on what type of
nonverbal behaviours 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. A cold tone of voice might suggest that you are actually not
fine, but you don't wish to discuss it. A bright, happy tone of voice will reveal
that you are actually doing quite well. A somber, downcast tone would
indicate that you are the opposite of fine and that perhaps your friend should
inquire further.
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,
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and leg-crossing, especially after the publication of Julius Fast's book Body
Language. While these nonverbal behaviours 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 ofnonverbal 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 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 can also be important nonverbal behaviours.
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 behaviour.
There has been a substantial amount of research on the importance of touch
in
infancy
and early childhood.
Harry
Harlow's classic
monkey
study demonstrated how the deprivation of touch and contact impedes
development. Baby monkeys raised by wire mothers experienced permanent
deficits in behaviour and social interaction. Touch can be used to
communicate affection, familiarity, sympathy, and other emotions.
In her book Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters, author Julia
Wood writes that touch is also often used as a way to communicate both
status and power. Researchers have found that high-status individuals tend to
invade other people's personal space with greater frequency and intensity
than lower-status individuals. Sex differences also play a role in how people
utilize touch to communicate meaning. Women tend to use touch to convey
care, concern, and nurturance. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to use
touch to assert power or control over others.
8. Appearance
Our choice of colour, clothing, hairstyles, and other factors affecting
appearance are also considered a means of nonverbal communication.
Research on colour psychology has demonstrated that different colours can
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evoke different moods. Appearance can also alter physiological reactions,

judgments, and interpretations. Just think of all the subtle judgements 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.
Researchers have found that appearance can play a role in how people are
perceived and even how much they earn. One 1996 study found that
attorneys who were rated as more attractive than their peers earned nearly
15 percent more than those ranked as less attractive. Culture can have an
important influence in 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 will don fatigues, a 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.
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
behaviours 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.
4. VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN FL CLASSROOM
In FL class, communication must be considered as a unit that consists of two
indivisible levels: the verbal and the non-verbal perspectives, which cannot
be treated separately. The non-verbal perspective develops directly with the
verbal one; that is why the communicative function of verbal language
cannot be understood without integrating non-verbal factors.
Effective teaching needs effective non-verbal communication. If we are
talking about the relationship between teachers and students, non-verbal
communication plays a vital role as well as the oral counterparts. How the
students understand the body language of the teachers determines the effect
of the discourse between them, so it also determines the quality of the
teaching procedure.
The use of non-verbal communication can not only attract the students'
attention, but also deepen their impression and imagination. Non-verbal
5

communications can help the teacher control the whole class. The body
language of a teacher is the most important thing in the class - it is the way
you use your eyes, the distance you stand from the students, the way you
touch or refrain from touching them all of these unnoticeable things in the
class carry important signals which create a profound effect on your students
feelings of welcome and comfort with you.
An aspect of non-verbal communication that is associated with teaching is the
study of space in the classroom. It has been shown that the distribution of the
space in the classroom can have a negative or positive effect on the learner
and influence his reactions. Some of the factors that may cause this influence
are the state of the classroom (the colour or its decoration).
Different cultures can have different non-verbal codes:

We are now going to talk about how to develop activities based on non-verbal
code:
1) IDENTIFICATION GAMES
a. Hidden objects. A series of small objects are put on the teacher desk
and are covered by a newspaper or a clog. The pupils must go to the
table, touch them and answer to the question What is it? The first
to answer scores a point for the team.
b. Drawings. The teacher draws some objects on the blackboard, then
he asks each of the pupils the question: Whats this?, the correct
answers score points.
c. Is it? The teacher thinks of objects and persons that everyone in
the class knows, and the children ask: Is it a green book?, Is it
Marys desk?, etc. The first to answer takes the teachers place and
says out the object or person he or she has thought of.
d. Where? At the beginning of the lesson in order to see if everyone is
in the classroom.
e. Listen and do. Someone gives a command or a series of commands
and someone obeys.
2) DRAMA:
a. The teacher represents an action and asks the class what hes doing.
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b. Hidden actions: Continuous actions can be represented behind a

screen, and each child must try to guess what the person behind the
screen is doing.
3) REPRESENTATION OF CHARACTERS:
A very useful activity would be to take our children to a play interpreted by
real actors and actresses so that they can see how feelings are expressed.
They would then try to repeat it when doing this sort of activities.

SOURCES
http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/a/nonverbaltypes.h
tm 13/2/2015
http://faculty.virginia.edu/marva/Research
%20Interests/nonverbal_communication.htm 13/2/2015
https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCIQFj
AA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anpcdefp.ro%2FEST%2Fproduct_show.php
%3Fid_project%3D2009-1-ES1-COM06-10639-3%26id_product
%3D4&ei=SvPdVKv-B4mAU7-PhIAI&usg=AFQjCNGLRy-IrYpBK_oHdF5rmosXlxONw&sig2=WIVh_WuCHi-eB9Zi_h9iug&bvm=bv.85970519,d.d24
13/2/2015
Temario facilitado por ENGADE