CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study

Communication is one of important things in human life. Littlejohn and Foss

(2010) defined communication as one of those everyday activities intertwined
with all of human life so completely that we sometimes overlook its
pervasiveness, importance, and complexity. While Lustig and Koester (1996) see
the communication as a symbolic process in which people create shared
meanings. From those two definitions of communication, we can see how urgent
the communication is in human interaction.
Communication is also an important aspect in teaching and learning process.
Within the teaching profession, communication skills are applied in the teachers
classroom management, pedagogy, and interaction with the class (Saunders and
Mills, 1999). Through communication, the message, in this case the lesson
conveyed by the teacher can be received and understood by the students.
Miller (1998) stated that teachers should be aware of nonverbal
communication for two basic reasons: (1) to become better receiver of student
messages and (2) to gain the ability to send student positive signals that reinforce
learning, and at the same time become more adept at avoiding negative signals
that stifle learning.

Communication sometimes defined simply as speech or sound uttered by the

speaker, but in fact, communication is the combination between verbal and nonverbal aspect. Moreover, Mehrabian concluded in his study in 1967 that nonverbal
aspect of communication is the most important. He stated that the total meaning of
the message is 7% verbal, 38% vocal and 55% nonverbal (cited in Nowlan, 2012).
Based on Mehrabians finding, we can conclude that nonverbal communication
plays the most important role in communication.
Nonverbal communication is actually hard to define because of its complex
and multidimensional features and we sometimes do it unconsciously. Nonverbal
communication is more than just gesture or body language as most people know.
Knapp and Hall (1997) defined nonverbal communication as communication
affected by means other than words, assuming words are the verbal element. Butt
(2011) also defined nonverbal communication as a literal sense to those actions,
objects, and contexts that either communicate directly or facilitate communication
without using words. The deeper definition stated by Kroehnert (2006) that
nonverbal communication is anything that can alter or reinforce the message in
any form of communication. By those definitions, we can conclude that
nonverbal communication is the aspect of communication beyond the word which
has a power to stimulate the meaning behind the speakers mind.
Negi (2009) stated that by function of nonverbal communication what is
meant is the message that the NVC cues convey. Nonverbal behaviors occur
simultaneously with the verbal message and the substitute, complement, regulate

and contradict the verbal message. It shows how nonverbal gives strong effects
and meaning to the verbal communication.
In education, nonverbal communication also plays an important role. Kellogg
and Lawson (1993) found that 82% of communication technique used by teachers
in the classroom is nonverbal. Galloway (1966) also concluded in his research that
the meaning inherent in nonverbal expressions are used by the students to check
on the fidelity of communicative act and by interpreting and inferring from
nonverbal expression, student may attempt to obtain the full import of the a
teachers perceptions and motivations. Okon also (2011) took a study to examine
the issue of nonverbal communication in the context of mitigating and managing
conflict between students and teachers. He found that by understanding these
nonverbal cues, teacher can solve the problem better when conflict arises with a
student in the classroom.
In language teaching, nonverbal education also has a big contribution. Negi
(2009) found that teachers nonverbal behaviors play a highly important and
essential role on learners motivation in language classroom. It is also in line with
the result of Krugers research (2009) that there is a positive relationship between
the use of gestures in EFL class and students listening comprehension. In 2012,
Karimi et al also found that nonverbal communication has a big impact on Iranian
young EFL learners attitude and understanding of lexical items. Oladipupo
(2014) suggested on his research that nonverbal communication will improve the
academic achievements of language learners as well as making the task of
impacting knowledge an easy one for the teacher also. It is supported by

Pennycook (1985) that the balance combination between verbal and nonverbal
communication must be considered to make students easier to understand
language acquisition.
There are various kinds of nonverbal communication. Some scholars also
have different versions in dividing it. Negi (2009) stated that Various forms of
NVC that are used in language classroom include: kinesics, facial expressions,
oculecies, haptics, proxemics, paralanguage, chronemics, physical appearance,
olfactics, environmental factors, and so on. While Malandro et al in Hong-li
(2011) divided nonverbal communication into: (1) body types, shapes and size, (2)
clothing personal artifacts, (3) body movements and gestures, (4) facial expression
and eye behavior, (5) environment, (6) personal space, territory, and crowding, (7)
voice characteristics and qualities, (8) taste and smell, and (9) culture and time.
The previous study related to nonverbal in education mainly focused on the
kinesic aspect and the general term of nonverbal itself which is sometimes limited
on the body language or facial expression.
In this study, the researcher will focus on the contribution of paralanguage or
called as vocalic by Masterson (1996) and Boy (2000) or paraverbal features by
Key (1975) in English language teaching. The term of paralanguage was first
used by Trager (1958) which means a combination between linguistic and
psychological material collected on the kinds and categories of voice modification
which could be applied in the different context. Allen (2000) defines it as auditory
behavior including pitch, volume, silence, laughter, sighs, and cough.

Paralanguage conveys important message for the verbal aspect of speech.

Parzyan (2009) stated in his article about the importance of Paralanguage in
public speaking that Paralanguage and metamessage are considered to be
nonverbal components in a mechanism of public speaking and the have great
influence on the whole speech. No matter how the speech is contracted the
nonverbal delivery may change its meaning.
In education field, Butt (2011) conclude in his study that pitch or rise and
fall in the tone of teachers voice also helped the students in the proper
understanding of poetry. Teachers proper voice also caught the attention of
students attention for increasing their learning outcomes.
In language teaching, in this case English language teaching, paralanguage is
also considered as an important aspect since it is related to the sound produced.
According to Poyatos (1983), paralanguage is the nonverbal voice qualities,
voice modifiers and independent utterances produced or conditioned in the areas
covered by the supraglottal cavities (from lips and the nares to the pharynx), the
laryngeal cavity and the infraglottal cavities (lungs and esophagus), down to the
abdominal muscles, as well as the intervening momentary silences, which we use
consciously or unconsciously supporting, or contradicting the verbal, kinesics,
chemical, dermal and thermal or proxemic message, either simultaneously to or
alternating with them, in both interaction and noninteraction (Poyatos, 1983:
Based on that definition, Poyatos (1983) divides paralanguage into some
categories; those are primary qualities, qualifiers, differentiators, and alternant.
Primary qualities are the features of personal voice. It covers timbre, resonance,

intensity or volume, tempo, pitch, intonation range, syllabic, duration, and

rhythm.
Primary qualities of paralanguage is the basic component of everyday speech
(Poyatos, 1983). It would be shortsighted to try to isolate that cluster of voice
features from the inherent visual features of the face and body. That is why the
researcher will focus this research on the primary quality form of paralanguage
B. Problem Statement

This study will be brought into the analysis of the use of paralanguage
features by the teachers in English language teaching. Besides that, the study also
will see the students perception toward these features.
Thus, the researcher formulates these research questions:
1. What is the perception of teachers toward primary quality features of
paralanguage in the classroom?
2. How do teachers apply the primary quality features of paralanguage in the
classroom?
3. How are students responses toward teachers primary quality features of
paralanguage in the classroom?
C. Objectives of the Study
Based on the background and the problem statement above, the aims of this
study are:
1. To analyze the perception of teachers toward the use of primary quality
features of paralanguage in the classroom.

2. To find out the way teachers apply the primary quality features of
paralanguage in the classroom.
3. To find out the students responses toward teachers primary quality features in
the classroom.
D. Significance of the Study
The result of this study is expected to further be used mainly for language
teaching. Nonverbal communication, especially paralanguage plays an important
role in Language teaching.
This study is likely to promote the awareness of teacher about the importance
of the features of paralanguage in their teaching process and as a reflection after
seeing the students perception towards the use of paralanguage features.
E. Scope of the Study
According to Surakhman (1975, cited in Setiawan 2006), the scope of the
study is important to simplify and solve the problem for the researcher, such as
time, dexterity, cost, energy that emerge from the researcher planning.
Based on that, this study will be focused on the primary qualities features of
paralanguage which can be modified like laudness, tempo, pitch quality,
intonation, syllabic length, and rhythm, used by teacher in English classroom. The
subjects are English teachers in Watansoppeng, center of Soppeng Regency, South
Sulawesi.
Primary qualities of paralanguage is actually more than what researcher
mention above. There are also timbre and resonance. But under the consideration

that timbre and resonance are permanent qualities that cannot be modified, the
researcher exclude them from this research.