In spoken language, paralinguistic and linguistic features can add enormous amounts of creativity to a conversation. Paralinguistic features are non verbal communications that are used while having a spoken conversation for example, body language or facial expressions Linguistic features are the features that are used in your voice as a filler noise that aren’t actual words, like, tone change and volume change. Both of these can add various aspects to a conversation and they can express your feelings.
Examples of these are when you use body language to describe how you feel. You can turn your back to show that you do not wish to speak to that particular person or you can make a sudden movement that shows your shock and surprise at the subject. Sometimes, body language could be instinctive or reactive which means you automatically show your feelings which in itself adds more creativity to a conversation. Facial expressions can make you speak without verbally saying anything. For example, if you frown or make a scrutinized expression, it could mean that you do not understand something and you are asking what something means. Another example is that if you arch an eyebrow or widen your eyes, you show surprise and the facial expression can ask an unspoken question that is; “really?”. This can add creativity to a conversation without having to use words and it is a solution for communicating quietly or silently. A linguistic feature that adds creativity to a conversation is the change of volume in your voice. When a person raises their voice, it could mean that they are angry but that links in with other paralinguistic or linguistic features, that help you be able to tell how the person is feeling. When a person lowers their voice and speaks with a monotone, it usually means that they are serious in what they’re saying. This adds creativity to conversations by adding meaning to it this way, as well as using words.
The effects of these features on conversations are that it creates more things to say and you are able influence situations by just using paralinguistic or linguistic features. People do these because it is their instincts; to express their feelings without having to use words. It adds creativity in many ways and these features are good for spoken language.
October 22, 2012 at 11:04 pm
This is a good piece of writing. It makes one point and makes it very well, referring to a wide range of examples and extending the point by showing a range of applications.
Paralinguistic features are all those that don’t involve the voice. Instead of saying ‘linguistic features’, which refers to anything related to speaking (and is therefore too broad), you might prefer to use the word “prosody” which refers to how the delivery sounds. It can include: pitch, pace, pause, intonation, volume etc. Accent is separate to this and can then be discussed separately too.
I hope you’re feeling confident about tomorrow. What you’ve written here would make a good ‘paragraph’ in the context of your plan.
CW