LANGUAGE REPRESENTATION OF SILENCE IN NON-VERBAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

The subject of the research is communicatively relevant silence understood as zero speech act. The object of the research is non-verbal discourse which represents the situation of silence. The research is aimed to define the role of nonverbal discourse analysis in the study of silence phenomenon and to distinguish language means of non-verbal discourse in the situation of silence. The research is based on the texts by the Siberian writers: V. Shukshin, V. Rasputin and A. Vampilov. The research revealed a number of features typical of non-verbal discourse in the situation of silence (intonation marker, emotional marker, emotion specifiers: kinesic and proxemic somatic reaction). Since there are no verbal representants in the situation of silence, hence the intonation marker is occasional and only contextually substitutes the verb of speech denoting sound. Emotional markers indicate the causators of silence as well as their specifiers. Kinesic somatic reaction is represented by the following reactions of the subject of silence: eye contact, absence of eye contact, face, lips, head movements, hands, posture. Proxemic somatic reaction or location of the subject of silence is connected with reflection, effort to regain composure before starting to talk, awkwardness, humbleness or involvement. Leaving the location in the situation of silence means the unwillingness to start a conversation or the end of the conversation. The analysed non-verbal means of communication in the situation of silence specify and clarify the phenomenon under research and help to differentiate silence and describe it more clearly.

Keywords

• zero speech act, causation, non-verbal discourse, intonation marker, emotional marker, somatic reaction