Communication is far more than speech and writing. Most of us are

aware that we are communicating in many different ways even when we 【M1】__________

are not speaking. The same goes to other social animal species. We are 【M2】__________

rarely taught about this most non-verbal form of human communication 【M3】__________

in school even though it is very important for effective interaction to 【M4】__________

others. Growing up in a society, we informally learn how to use

gestures, glances, slight changes in tone of voice, and other auxiliary

communication devices to alter or emphasize how we say and do. We 【M5】__________

learn these highly culture-bound techniques over years largely by

observing others and imitating them.

Linguists refer to all of those auxiliary communication methods as 【M6】__________

paralanguage. It is part of the redundancy in communication that helps

prevent ineffective communication. It can prevent the wrong message

from being inadvertently passed on, as is often as the case in a telephone 【M7】__________

call and even more so in a letter. The paralanguage messages that can be

observed through face-to-face contact also makes it more difficult to lie 【M8】__________

or to hide emotions.

Paralanguage is often less important in communication than what is 【M9】__________

actually being said orally. It has been suggested that as much as 70% of

what we communicate when talking directly with others are through 【M10】_________

paralanguage.

【M5】