PROJECT WORK «WAYS, MEANS AND SOME “LANGUAGES” OF COMMUNICATION»

         Moscow Department of Education

Northwest Board of Education

State budget educational institution

Secondary comprehensive school # 2077 SD#3

District contest of design and research works
       "The future of the North-West" 

            Nomination  «LEADER»

    Direction  «HUMANITIES»

Section   «FORIGN  LANGUAGES»

THEME

«WAYS, MEANS AND SOME “LANGAGES” OF

COMMUNICATION»

Authors:

Lilia Nikolayevna Delitsieva

10.06.1995

Fl.42, 48-1, Narodnoye opolcheniye str,

8-916-640-27-62

Anastasya Gennadiyevna Pankratova

18.11.1995

Fl.137, 6-1, Skhodnenskaya str

Teacher:

Tasenyuk Olga Vasil’evna,

English language teacher

Moscow

 2012-2013

Contents

                                                                      page

Introduction ………………………………………………………    3

I. Theory of communication  ……………………………………..    5

1. From the history of the theory of communication ……….    5
2. The main points of the notion “communication”.

           types of communication………………………………….    5

II.   Ways and means of communication …………………………     8

   2.1.    Language………………………………………………….    9

   2.2.    Speech ……………………………………………………    9

   2.3.    Specific languages………………………………………..    10

III.  Body language………………………………………………..    13

Conclusion ………………………………………………………..    20

List of literature …………………………………………………..     21

Appendix i ...………………………………………………………    22

Appendix ii ………………………………………………………..    23

Appendix iii .....................................................................................    24

Appendix iiii……………………………………………………….    25

Appendix iiiii………………………………………………………    26

Introduction

The theme of ways, means and “languages” of communication was selected due to its high topicality and relevance and we wanted to study it in more details.    

Man is “a social being”. That means that he lives among people and carry out his vital functions (reaches goals, satisfies needs, works), not otherwise than through interaction and communication – contact, mediated or imaginary. In communication as a process of successive, mutually oriented in time and space actions, reactions and behavioral acts there is an exchange of information and its interpretation, perception, evaluation, empathy, as well as formation of sympathy or antipathy, nature of relationship, beliefs, attitudes, psychological impact, resolution of conflicts, and implementation of joint activities. Thus, each of us, interacting with other people, acquires practical skills in communication. It is possible to say that every person to some extent and degree is a practical psychologist in interpersonal relationships. But, unfortunately, not always we do as we should.

The problem of this project work is to identify the main ways, means and some “languages” of communication. The object of this project work is communicative activities. The subject is ways, means and “languages” of communicative activities.  The aim of the paper is to determine these ways, means and “languages”. The goal supposed the following tasks:

1. to study some points of theory of communication
2. to gather and analyze information about ways and means of communication
3. to allocate resources for realizing communicative activity.

Hypothesis – for effective communication it is necessary to know and use all possible verbal and nonverbal means of communication; to understand the meaning of some specific languages.

In our work we used the following methods and ways: work with reference, scientific and popular literature, and work with dictionaries; collecting and analysis of information; choosing and systematization of illustrative examples.

This activity was new and absorbing for us. We tried to do a kind of scientific research in this complicated area. It was very difficult to work with literature in English and unilingual dictionaries as my knowledge of this language is not on the sufficient level yet.

This project work had a very definite practical meaning –we presented some stages of it in our English lessons in a form of short reports and excited the curiosity in my classmates as I told them about such things they had never head before.          

We cannot help admitting that my knowledge of English has improved during this period of working on the project.

Ways, Means and “Languages” of Communication

Plan

I.  Theory of communication

        1.1.     From the history of the theory of communication

        1.2.     The main points of the notion “communication”. Types of communication.

2.  Ways and means of communication

1. Language

2.2.    Speech

3. Specific languages

2. Body language

1. Eyes - body language
2. Mouth - body language
3. Head - body language
4. Arms - body language
5. Hands - body language
6. Handshakes - body language
7. Legs and feet - body language
8. Personal space

1. Theory of communication

1. From the history of the theory of communication

The Academic Study of Communication has existed since the beginning of human beings, but it was not until the 20th century that people began to study this process. As communication technologies developed, the serious study of communication also developed. When World War I ended, the interest in studying communication intensified greatly. The social-science study was fully recognized as a legitimate discipline after World War II.

Before becoming simply communication, or communication studies, the discipline was formed from three other major studies: psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Psychology is the study of human behavior, sociology is the study of society and social process, and anthropology is the study of communication as a factor which develops, maintains, and changes culture. Communication studies focus on communication as central to the human experience, which involves understanding how people behave in creating, exchanging, and interpreting messages.

Communication Theory has one universal law posited by S. F. Scudder (1980). The Universal Communication Law states that, "All living entities, beings and creatures communicate." All life communicates through movements, sounds, reactions, physical changes, gestures, languages, and breath. Communication is a means of survival. Examples - the cry of a child (communicating that it is hungry, hurt, or cold); the browning of a leaf (communicating that it is dehydrated, thirsty, or dying); the cry of an animal (communicating that it is injured, hungry, or angry). Everything living communicates in its quest for survival.

2. The main points of the notion “communication”

Communication is a process that involves exchange of information, thoughts, ideas and emotions. Communication   is a process that involves a   sender who encodes and sends the message, which is then carried via the communication channel to the receiver where the receiver decodes the message, processes   the information and sends   an appropriate reply throughout  the same communication channel.

Types of communication

Communication can occur through various processes and methods and depending on the channel   used    and   the  style  of  communication  there  can  be  various  types  of communication.

Types of communication based on communication channels

Based on the channels used for communicating, the process of communication can be  broadly classified   as verbal communication  and  non-verbal communication. Verbal communication   includes   written   and  oral communication whereas  the non-verbal  communication   includes  body  language, facial expressions  and visuals diagrams or pictures used for communication.

Verbal communication

Verbal communication is  further  divided into written    and oral communication. The

oral communication  refers to  the spoken words   in  the communication process. Oral communication can either  be face-to-face  communication  or  a conversation over the phone or   on    the voice  chat over  the Internet. Spoken  conversations or  dialogs  are influenced     by  voice   modulation,  pitch,   volume and  even   the speed  and  clarity

of  speaking.  The  other  type of   verbal  communication  is  written   communication. Written  communication  can  be either through snail mail, or email. The effectiveness of written communication depends on  the  style of writing, vocabulary used, grammar, clarity and precision of language.

Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication includes the overall body language of the person who is speaking, which will include  the  body  posture, the hand gestures, and overall body movements. The  facial  expressions  also  play a major  role   while  communication since the expressions on a person’s face say a  lot about his/her  mood. On  the  other hand   gestures  like   a   handshake, a  smile  or  a  hug   can  independently  convey emotions.    Nonverbal communication  can    also   be   in    the   form    of   pictorial representations,  signboards, or  even photographs, sketches and paintings.

Types of communication based on style and purpose

Based on   the  style  of  communication, there  can   be  two   broad   categories     of communication, which are formal  and  informal  communication that  have  their own

set of characteristic features.

Formal communication

Formal communication includes all the instances where communication has to occur in a set formal format.Typically  this can  include all sorts of  business  communication or corporate communication. The style of communication in  this form is  very formal and official.   Official  conferences,  meetings  and  written memos and corporate letters are used   for   communication.  Formal    communication    can   also  occur  between  two strangers   when   they   meet   for   the   first   time.  Hence  formal  communication  is straightforward,  official  and always precise and has a  stringent and  rigid tone to it.

Informal communication

Informal  communication  includes  instances  of  free unrestrained    communication between people who share a casual rapport with each other. Informal communication requires two people  to have a similar  wavelength  and hence occurs between friends and  family. Informal  communication does  not have any rigid rules  and  guidelines. Informal conversations  need  not necessarily have boundaries of time,  place or even subjects for that matter since  we all know that friendly chats with our loved ones can simply go on and on.

Summary

The Academic Study of Communication appeared long ago,  but only in the 20th century people began to study this process. The Universal Communication Law was posited by S. F. Scudder in 1980.

      Communication is a process that involves exchange of information, thoughts, ideas and  

      emotions. There are several types of communication, they depend on   the   channel and

      the  style used.

        II. Ways and means of communication

1. Language

Such a phenomenon as language has more than one meaning:

1. Language is the system of sounds and words used by humans to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings
2. Language is also a particular system used by a nation (e.g.: English, French etc)
3. Language is a particular way or style of speaking or writing (e.g.: everyday language, poetic language, strong/bad language)
4. Language is a set of words and phrases used by a particular group or profession

     (the language of the science/musicians/programmers/drug users etc; medical  

     language, etc) – so called specialized professional/group language

1. Signs, symbols, gestures, etc used for indicating ideas or feelings – the language of mime.

There are also come other languages which we are going to touch upon later.

2. Speech

Speech is a process of communication with the help of language. The ability of speech or verbal communication is one of the main differences of a human from the rest of fauna,  reflecting the patterns of a human’s physiological, mental and social development.

Classification of speech is based on the presence of certain features. For example, the monologues are always active, planned, involves the ability to use any language, different intonations used during the monologue, pauses, etc. While the distinctive features of inner speech is the fragmentation and segmentation.
External and kinetic speech is played mainly the role of communication, and inner speech -  of thinking. 

The main characteristics of verbal communication include:
     • informativeness
     • clarity
     • expressiveness.

Speech is not possible without the acquisition of language, while language exists and develops according to laws not related to psychology and human behavior.

_______________________

       The scheme of classification of speech is given in the Appendix

In the structure of communication there are three interrelated aspects:
1) communicative - exchange of information between communicating individuals;
2) interactive - interaction between communicating individuals;
3) perceptual - the mutual perception of partners in communication and the establishment    

         of understanding based on it.

Communicative aspect

When    we speak    about communication while   talking, above  all we keep in  mind  that   people  in the  process of  communication    exchange among each   other    their views,   ideas,  interests, feelings, etc. However, in the communicative process there is not  simply a  flood of information, as in cybernetic device, but  the active exchange of information. The  main feature is that people in the process of exchanging information can influence each.

Interactive aspect

Communicative   process  is   born   on  the  basis  of   a   joint  activity,  and  exchange                

of  knowledge,  ideas,  feelings, etc.,  suggests  that  such activity  is  organized.   In psychology two types of interaction are distinguished: cooperation and competition (conflict).

Perceptual aspect

The process of perception by one person of another is an integral part of communication and is what is called a perception. Perceptual aspect of communication explains the perception and understanding of another person and the person himself, the establishment of mutual understanding and cooperation on this basis. In perception the setting in communicating plays an important role. Formation of the first impression of a stranger often depends on characteristic given to him. And then in this impression, depending on the setting, one can find positive traits, while others - negative. In the perception mistakes may occur, which can be due to:

2. the effect of "halo" - the information obtained about a person before direct communication with him, forms preconceived notions about him prior to his perception;
3. the effect of "newness" – in the perception of a stranger the most important often seems the primary information about him (so-called first impression);
4. the effect of stereotype - is due to insufficient information about the    person and exists as a steady image.

Dialogue is a process of interaction between people, in which personal relationships are manifested and formed. Communication involves an exchange of thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In the process of interpersonal communication people consciously or unconsciously, affect the mental state, feelings, thoughts and actions of each other. Communication functions are very diverse, it is crucial for the formation of each person as an individual, of personal goals and satisfaction of needs. Communication is the internal mechanism of the joint activities of people and is an important source of information for a person.

3. Specific languages

There are some specific languages which should be reviewed separately.

They are first of all:

1. Sign language  -  the system of communication for deaf and HOH (Hard Of Hearing) people
2. Fingerspelling – the system of communication for deaf-blind people. It is also called touch language

Sign language (also signed language)

It is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's thoughts, ideas, fillings, emotions.

Wherever communities of deaf people exist, sign languages develop. Their complex spatial grammars are markedly different from the grammars of spoken languages. Hundreds of sign languages are in use around the world and are at the cores of local deaf cultures. Some sign languages have obtained the form of legal recognition, while others have no status at all. Official sign languages are: American SL, French SL, Russian SL, Danish SL, German SL, Arabian SL, Chinese SL, Japanese SL, etc. Sign language has its alphabet, but deaf and hoh people do not usually use it, only on some special occasions. They use definite gestures denoting words and word combinations. Sign language does not have written form. Mobile phones are considered necessary for deaf and hoh people for communication.

Deaf and hoh people have International sign language known as Gestuno, is used mainly at international Deaf events such as the Deaf Olympics and meetings of the World Federation of the Deaf. Recent studies claim that while International Sign is a kind of a pidgin, but they conclude that it is more complex than a typical pidgin and indeed is more like a full signed language.

Fingerspelling (or dactylology)

It is a language which is used by deafblind people. It is also called touch language.

As the name implies, is a system of hand-shapes which can be used to represent the individual letters of the alphabet or numbers – as opposed to sign language, in which hand-shapes and gestures can represent whole words or phrases. Finger spelling is a supportive addition to sign language, not a substitute for it – many sign language users have difficulty with literacy so that fingerspelling will always be of limited benefit to them.

In Britain, people who communicate in sign language use a two-handed fingerspelling system, as illustrated below.

A similar system is used in a few other countries such as Australia and South Africa, but most other countries use a one-handed fingerspelling system to support their own particular language.

Letters are formed by a dominant hand, which is on top of or alongside the other hand at the point of contact, and a subordinate hand, which uses either the same or a simpler handshape as the dominant hand. Either the left or right hand can be dominant. In a modified tactile form used by deafblind people, the signer's hand acts as the dominant hand, and the receiver's hand becomes the subordinate hand.

Deafblind people cannot use mobile phones. For them a special device was invented. It is called Deafblind Glove.

The principal benefit of fingerspelling is that it allows for the communication of words such as the names of people, streets, towns, etc, for which there is unlikely to be an individual sign. Fingerspelling can be easily learned in a few hours, whereas sign language can take years to master.

Summary

Language is a many-sided phenomenon.

Speech is  not possible  without  the  acquisition of  language, while language exists and develops according to laws not related to psychology and human behavior.

Speech  is  a  complex,  multifaceted  social and  psychological  process of  establishing  

and   developing   contacts   among    people,   generated   the   need  for   joint   action, communication,   and includes   the  exchange   of   information, developing  a common strategy of interaction, perception and understanding of other persons.

Sign language  and Fingerspelling  are very important, because they are used by disabled people – the deaf and HOH (Hard Of Hearing) and the deafblind. These languages are necessary for them as they are the only possible ways of communication for such people.  

Hundreds of sign languages are in use. Some of them have legal status (American SL, Russian SL, French SL, German SL, etc), others have no status at all. Sign language has its alphabet, but deaf and hoh people do not usually use it, only on some special occasions. They use definite gestures denoting words and word combinations. Deaf-blind people use alphabet, their system of hand-shapes represents individual letters or numbers.

Fingerspelling can be easily learned in a few hours, whereas sign language can take years to master.

______________________________

Examples of Sign language ABC and Fingerspelling ABC are given in the Appendix

The picture of Deaf-blind Glove is given in the Appendix

III. Body language

Body language – it is the process of communicating by the way a person sits, stands, and moves rather than by words. Facial expression, gestures, poses, personal distances, eye movements, physiognomy and hand movements are the parts of body language.

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements.  Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously.

James Borg states that human communication consists of 93 percent body language and paralinguistic clues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves. Others assert that "Research has suggested that between 60 and 70 percent of all meaning is derived from nonverbal behavior." *

Body language may provide clues as to the attitude or state of mind of a person. For example, it may indicate aggression, attentiveness, boredom, relaxed state, pleasure, amusement, and intoxication, among many other clues.

Body language is not just about how we hold and move our bodies.

Body language potentially (although not always, depending on the definition you choose to apply) includes:

1. how we position our bodies
2. our closeness to and the space between us and other people and how  this changes
3. our facial expressions
4. our eyes especially and how our eyes move and focus, etc.
5. how we touch ourselves and others
6. how our bodies connect with other non-bodily things, for instance, pens, spectacles, etc

Voice type and other audible signals are typically not included in body language because they are audible “verbal” signals rather than physical visual ones, nevertheless the way the voice is used is a very significant (usually unconscious) aspect of communication, aside from the bare words themselves.

Consequently, voice type is always important to consider alongside the usual body language factors. 

___________________

Diagram is given in the Appendix

Body Language - technically known as kinesics - is a significant aspect of modern communications and relationships. Body Language is therefore very relevant to management and leadership, and to all aspects of work and business where communications can be seen and physically observed among people.

Body language is also very relevant to relationships outside of work, for example in dating and mating, and in families and parenting.

Communication includes listening. In terms of observable body language, non-verbal (non-spoken) signals are being exchanged whether these signals are accompanied by spoken words or not.

Body language goes both ways:

1. Your own body language reveals your feelings and meanings to others
2. Other people's body language reveals their feelings and meanings to you.

The sending and receiving of body language signals happens on conscious and unconscious levels.

The body language signals are grouped together according to parts of the body.

Eyes - body language

Our eyes are a very significant aspect of the non-verbal signals we send to others.

To a lesser or greater extent we all “read” people's eyes without knowing how or why, and this ability seems to be inborn.

Eyes - and especially our highly developed awareness of what we see in other people's eyes - are incredible.

For example we know if we have eye contact with someone at an almost unbelievable distance. Far too far away to be able to see the detail of a person's eyes - 30-40 metres away or more sometimes - we know when there is eye contact. This is an absolutely awesome capability when you think about it.

Incredibly also, we can see whether another person's eyes are focused on us or not, and we can detect easily the differences between a “glazed over” blank stare, a piercing look, a moistening eye long before tears come, and an awkward or secret glance.

We probably cannot describe these and many other eye signals, but we recognize them when we see them and we know what they mean.

Eyes tend to look right when the brain is imagining or creating, and left when the brain is recalling or remembering. This relates to right and left sides of the brain - in this context broadly the parts of the brain handling creativity/feelings (right) and facts/memory (left). Under certain circumstances 'creating' can mean fabrication or lying, especially (but not always - beware), when the person is supposed to be recalling facts. Looking right when stating facts does not necessarily mean lying - it could for example mean that the person does not know the answer, and is talking hypothetically or speculating or guessing.

Mouth - body language

The mouth is associated with very many body language signals, which is not surprising given its functions - obviously speech, but also those connected with infant feeding, which connects psychologically through later life with feelings of security, love and sex.

The mouth can be touched or obscured by a person's own hands or fingers, and is a tremendously flexible and expressive part of the body too, performing a central role in facial expressions.

The mouth also has more visible moving parts than other sensory organs, so there's a lot more potential for variety of signaling.

Unlike the nose and ears, which are generally only brought into body language action by the hands or fingers, the mouth acts quite independently, another reason for it deserving separate detailed consideration.

Smiling is a big part of facial body language. As a general rule real smiles are symmetrical and produce creases around the eyes and mouth, whereas fake smiles, for whatever reason, tend to be mouth-only gestures.

Head - body language

The head is very significant in body language.

The head tends to lead and determine general body direction, but it is also vital and vulnerable being where our brain is, so the head is used a lot in directional (likes and dislikes) body language, and in defensive (self-protection) body language too.

A person's head, due to a very flexible neck structure, can turn, jut forward, withdraw, and tilt sideways, forwards, backwards. All of these movements have meanings, which given some thought about other signals can be understood.

The head usually has hair, ears, eyes, nose, and a face, which has more complex and visible muscular effects than any other area of the body.

The face, our eyes and our hands, are the most powerful parts of our body in sending body language signals.

The head - when our hands interact with it - is therefore dynamic and busy in communicating all sorts of messages - consciously and unconsciously.

Arms - body language

Arms act as defensive barriers when across the body, and conversely indicate feelings of openness and security when in open positions, especially combined with open palms.

Arms are quite reliable indicators of mood and feeling, especially when interpreted with other body language.

This provides a good opportunity to illustrate how signals combine to enable safer analysis. For example:

1. crossed arms = possibly defensive
2. crossed arms + crossed legs = probably defensive
3. crossed arms + crossed legs + frowning + clenched fists = definitely defensive, and probably hostile too.

While this might seem obvious written in simple language, it's not always so clear if your attention is on other matters.

Body language is more than just knowing the theory - it's being aware constantly of the signals people are giving.

Hands - body language

Body language involving hands is extensive.

This is because hands are such expressive parts of the body, and because hands interact with other parts of the body.

Hands contain many more nerve connections (to the brain) than most if not all other body parts. They are extremely expressive and flexible tools, so it is natural for hands to be used a lot in signaling consciously - as with emphasizing gestures - or unconsciously - as in a wide range of unintentional movements which indicate otherwise hidden feelings and thoughts.

A nose or an ear by itself can do little to signal a feeling, but when a hand or finger is also involved then there is probably a signal of some sort.

Hands body language is used for various purposes, notably:

1. emphasis, (pointing, jabbing, and chopping actions, etc)
2. illustration (drawing, shaping, mimicking actions or sizing things in the air - this big/long/wide/etc., phoning actions, etc)
3. specific conscious signals like the American OK, the thumbs-up, the Victory-sign, and for rude gestures, etc.
4. greeting people and waving goodbye (which might be included in the above category)
5. and more interestingly in unconscious 'leakage' signals including interaction with items like pens and cigarettes and other parts of the body, indicating feelings such as doubt, deceit, pressure, openness, expectation, etc.

Body language experts generally agree that hands send more signals than any part of the body except for the face. Studying hand body language therefore yields a lot of information; hence the hands section below is large.

There are many cultural body language differences in hand signals. Much applies elsewhere, but avoids assuming that it all does.

Handshakes - body language

Firmness of handshake is not the reliable indicator of firmness of character that many believe it to be. Firm handshakes tend to be those of confident people, especially those who have spent some time in business, and who realize that most people in business consider a firm handshake to be a good thing. Handshakes that are uncomfortably firm show a lack of respect or awareness, especially if used in cultures (Eastern especially) where firm handshaking is not normal.

Handshaking evolved from ancient times as an initial gesture of trust, to show that no weapon was being held. Naturally also the handshake offers the most obvious way to connect physically as a way to signal trust or friendship. In more recent times, especially from the 1800s onwards, a handshake became the way to confirm a commercial transaction. Handshaking by women became common practice much later, reflecting the change of social attitudes and the increasing equality of women, for whom a hundred years back such physical contact was considered improper. Women have throughout time generally been subservient to men, hence the very subservient female curtsey gesture (also spelled curtsy), which survives now only in traditional situations such as meeting royalty, or ending a stage performance.

     Legs and feet - body language

Legs and feet body language is more difficult to control consciously or fake than some body language of arms and hands and face. Legs and feet can therefore provide good clues to feelings and moods, if you know the signs.

Men and women sit differently, which needs to be considered when reading leg body language. Partly due to clothing and partly due to sexual differences, men naturally exhibit more open leg positions than women, which should be allowed for when interpreting signals. Certain open-leg male positions are not especially significant in men, but would be notable in women, especially combined with a short skirt.

Older women tend to adopt more modest closed leg positions than younger women, due to upbringing, social trends, equality and clothing. Again take account of these influences when evaluating signals.

Also consider that when people sit for half-an-hour or more they tend to change their leg positions, which can include leg crossing purely for comfort reasons. Again allow for this when interpreting signals.

Leg signals tend to be supported by corresponding arms signals, for example crossed arms and crossed legs, which aside from comfort reasons generally indicate detachment, disinterest, rejection or insecurity, etc.

Where the terms “leg crossing” and “crossed legs” are used alone, this refers to the legs being crossed at both knees. The “American” or “Figure-4” leg cross entails the supporting leg being crossed just above the knee by the ankle or lower calf of the crossing leg. This makes a figure-4 shape, hence the name. The posture is also called the American leg cross because of its supposed popularity in the US compared to the UK, notably among males.

Personal space

The technical term for the personal space aspect of body language is proxemics. The word was devised by Edward T. Hall, an American anthropologist and writer on body language and non-verbal communications, especially relating to cross-cultural understanding. Proxemics - personal space - is defined as  the amount of space that people find comfortable between themselves and others.

Personal space dimensions depend notably on the individual, cultural and living background, the situation, and relationships, however some general parameters apply to most people. There are five distinct space zones, which were originally identified by Edward T. Hall, and which remain the basis of personal space analysis today.

Summary

Body language is the unconscious and conscious transmission and interpretation of feelings, attitudes, and moods, through:

1. body posture, movement, physical state, position and relationship to other bodies, objects and surroundings
2. facial expression and eye movement.

This transmission and interpretation can be quite different to the spoken words.

Words alone - especially emotional words (or words used in emotional situations) - rarely reflect full or true meaning and motive. We find clues to additional or true meaning in body language.

Being able to “read” body language therefore helps us greatly:

1. to know how people feel and what they mean
2. to understand better how people might perceive our own nonverbal signal
3. to understand ourselves better, deeper than the words we hear ourselves saying.

_____________________

Tables of “signals” of  body language are given in the Appendix

Conclusion

The object of this project work is communication. The subject is ways, means and “languages” of communicative activities.  The aim of the paper is to determine these ways, means and “languages”.

The main result of this project work is that I managed to study the main points of communication theory. In the process of working I gathered and analyzed all found information about ways, means and “languages” of communication.

So, we carried out the aim - determined the ways, means and “languages” of communication and proved that for effective communication it is necessary to know and use all possible verbal and nonverbal means of communication; to understand the meaning of some specific languages.

In our work we used the following methods and ways: work with reference, scientific and popular literature, and work with dictionaries; collecting and analysis of information; choosing and systematization of illustrative examples.

This activity was new and absorbing for us. We tried to do a kind of scientific research in this complicated area. It was very difficult to work with literature in English and unilingual dictionaries as our knowledge of this language is not on the sufficient level yet; to translate into English ideas, thoughts and material from sources in Russian. This work was rather hard and tedious, but very interesting. We have never realized how difficult life of  deaf people is and we have never even seen deafblind people and the way they communicate.

This project work had a very definite practical meaning –we presented some stages of it in our English classes in a form of short reports and excited the curiosity in our classmates as we told them about such things they had never heard before.          

We cannot help admitting that our knowledge of English has improved during this period of working on the project.

And the main thing: we realized how important it is to study, understand  and use all possible verbal and nonverbal means and ways of communication.  We realized  significance and necessity of  body language because words alone rarely reflect full or true meaning and motives. We can find clues to additional or true meaning in body language. We can understand true emotions in it.

Being able to “read” body language therefore helps us greatly to know how people feel and what they mean, to understand better how people might perceive our own non-verbal signals, to understand ourselves better and deeper, to realize what is hidden behind our words, and hence to control ourselves and communicate effectively.

We have learned to speak, let’s learn to communicate now.

 List of Literature

1. M. Benson, E. Benson, R. Ilson. The BBI Combinatory Dictionary of English. – M.: The Russian Language, 1990.
2. Dimbleby R., Burton G. More Than Words. An Introduction to Communication.   - N.Y.: Routledge, 1998.
3. A. S. Hornby. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English. – Oxford.: OUP, 1995.
4. Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners. – Oxford: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2006.
5. Pease Allan, Pease Barbara.  The Definitive Book of Body Language: How to Read Others' Attitudes by Their Gestures. – London, Gardner Books, 1991.
6. Дерябо С., Ясвин В. Гроссмейстер общения. – М.: Раритет, 1998.
7. Зайцева Г.Л. Дактилология. Жестовая речь. – М.: Просвещение, 1991.
8. Почепцов Г.Г. Теория и практика коммуникации. – М.: Центр, 1998.
9. Сепир Э. Коммуникация // Избранные труды по языкознанию и культурологии. – М.: Прогресс, 1993.
10.  Экман Пол. Психология лжи. Обмани меня, если сможешь. – С-Пб.: Питер, 2011.
11.  http://www.deafnet.ru/dn/images
12.  http://www.img.webme/com/pic/d/deaf-zhest
13.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alfabet
14.  ru.wikipedia.org

Appendix i

The Scheme of Classification of Speech

Appendix ii

                        Examples of Sign Language Alphabet

            Russian SL                                                                       Israel SL  

                International SL                                                      British SL

Appendix iii

Fingerspelling

             Alphabet

fg                           

                                                                                       Deadblind-glove (prototype of mobile phone)

                Fingerspelling class

Appendix iiii

Diagram

Human Communication

Voice, Tones + Physiology =NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION (Body Language)

Words – VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Appendix iiiii

Tables of “signals” of body language

Table 1                                                                                

Table 2                                                                                

Table 3

Table 4

Table 5

Table 6

Table 7

Table 8

           external

verbal communication

internal

           kinetic

         nonverbal          

     communication

  oral

written

dialogues

monologues

       KINDS OF SPEECH