Paralanguage

Volume, Tone, Articulation, Rate of Words per minute, Silence

1. Paralanguage

2. Paralanguage: what is it When we speak, we produce sounds. These sounds act as information to our listeners. If the listener understands our language, he will catch the word-meanings. Word-meanings comprise the verbal message in speech. If the listener does not understand our language, he will totally have to depend on the other things that we do while speaking: high volume; high pitch; rising and falling tones; speed of speaking etc. These are called paralanguage features.

3. Definition Paralanguage consists of all the activities happening inside our oral cavity, from the vocal chords to the mouth, while we speak. Paralanguage acts as a support to the verbal message we speak, and conveys our emotions and intensions to the audience. Paralanguage consists of 8 parts: Volume; Pitch; Tone; Rate of Speech per minute; Stress; Articulation; Pronunciation; Silence

4. Volume This indicates your sense of adjusting the right volume for a particular occasion, while delivering a speech. The norm is to keep it neither too high or low . Eg .: When we are doing a formal group discussion .

5. Volume On serious occasions, we keep our volume mid-low, i.e. it is lower than our usual voice, but is still audible. Eg : while giving the client a negative information; while expressing condolence and sympathy. On joyous occasions, we keep it mid-high . Eg .: Congratulating a colleague on his success.

6. Pitch Every individual has a highest point and a lowest point in his/her voice . She/he cannot speak louder or softer those points. These two points are called pitch boundaries of that person. In between the pitch boundaries, we have our Vocal range . The vocal range of men lies in the lower scales of the musical ladder. The Vocal range of children lies in the highest scales of the musical order. The vocal range of women lies between the men and children .

7. Pitch This change happens due to difference in rate-of-vibration of the vocal chords. Men have lesser vibrations, hence the baritone quality. Too low pitch= the voice sounds like a groan. Too high a pitch = the voice sounds like a scream. Neither produces positive effect on the minds of the listener. So, both are to be avoided.

8. Tones Tone means voice-movement from high-to-low, or low-to-high in the pitch ladder. When a person speaks, she/he moves the voice across her/his vocal range, to convey emotions, intentions, etc. Tone is of 4 types: Falling Tone Rising Tone Falling-Rising tone Rising-Falling tone.

9. Falling tone Used at the end of a complete sentence/list. Eg .: I am young, energetic, and fun-loving. II. Used at the end of yes/no questions Eg .: You have cheated, haven’t you? III. In issuing strict commands. Submit your copies! Now! iv. When we state facts. Eg .: The victim was rushed to the hospital. There, he was declared dead. High Low

10. Rising Tone When we move from low to high Pitch, it is called Rising tone. We mainly use it when: We ask questions that seek information. Eg .: How does the attacker look like? 2. We show genuine concern to someone. Eg .: Are you ok? Do you need water? High Low

11. Falling-Rising Tone We use this tone to indicate a replacement. Eg .: If you don’t have cash, you can pay with PayTm . If Plan A fails, Plan B will take over.

12. Rising-Falling Tone It is used in sarcasms. To be avoided while counseling a client. Eg : You did not see the instructions. Clearly, you must be a very busy person!

13. Stress Stress means word-highlight. When we speak a sentence, we give more emphasis to the important words. This is called stress. It gives accurate information of what the speaker wants to highlight. Eg .: I went to Bombay last week. [Not Delhi ] I went to Bombay last week. [Not this week]. I went to Bombay last week. [Not my Dad ].

14. Rate of Words Per Minute The general rate is 120-150 words per minute. It varies from person to person. Talking too slowly makes one a dull presenter. Talking too fast will leave your audience frustrated, as they can’t grasp ideas. However, pace can be adjusted according to occasion. Inspirational speeches are spoken faster than academic speeches.

15. Articulation When addressing a formal audience, we don’t articulate words in their slang form. Do not say: “I dunno wats gonna happen. ” You articulate the slang words in their formal shape, and say: “ I don’t know what is going to happen.” In other words, we should not speak in a style that makes us sound too hi-fi for our client, or too uncultured.

16. Pronunciation Articulation error happens, when you speak the entire language with an accent that is disliked by your listener. Pronunciation error happens, when you say ONE word wrongly. Eg .: Spelling Mispronounced Correct form pronunciation Ask Aks AS-k Gigantic Jai- jan - tik Jai- gan - tik Gesture Ges-ture Jes-ture

17. Pauses Pauses are non-speaking seconds coming between important ideas delivered in your speech. Used effectively, it increases the gravity of your speech. Used ineffectively, it indicates your lack of preparation on the topic. Vocalized pauses like umm, ahem, etc. indicate low confidence in the speaker.

18. Analyze the voice of Amitabh Bacchan . Can you identify the paralanguage factors that make him sound so good?