Chapter 4 Nonverbal Communication 105eye contact with children. Accordingly, children gaze more directly at fathers in
European American homes than in Mexican American homes (Schofield, Parke,
Castañeda, & Coltrane, 2008). Perhaps children in Mexican American homes gaze
less directly at fathers as a sign of respect for the cultural hierarchy in the family.
The human gaze remains important beyond childhood. You use direct eye
contact with a hiring manager in a job interview in the United States to make a
stronger impression. In more personal relationships, you look at a friend differ-
ently than you look at your significant other and very differently from someone
you dislike intensely. Each glance can send a message of liking, loving, attraction,
or contempt (see Table 4.1).
Voice
When the University of Arizona opened the National Institute for Civil Dis-
course, they wanted to promote compromise and understanding among groups
famously at odds with one another (Dooling, 2011). They quickly found out
that it was not only the words used that stood in the way of civility, but it was
also the vocal tone. Imagine yourself saying, “I respect your right to believe that”
with a calm, balanced tone; now imagine saying the same words with a sarcastic
tone while emphasizing the word right. You could communicate genuine respect
in the first instance or disgust and intolerance in the second.
The vocalized sounds that accompany our words are nonverbal behaviors called
paralanguage. Pitch in language involves variations in the voice (higher or lower)
that give prominence to certain words or syllables. Vocal tone is a modula-
tion of the voice, usually expressing a particular feeling or mood; you may
notice your friend sounds “down” or hear the excitement in your team-
mate’s revelry about your win. Vocal volume is how loud or soft the voice
is—think of the softness of a whisper or the thunder of an angry shout.
In addition to pitch, tone, and volume, paralanguage also involves
behaviors like pauses, hesitations, vocal quality, accents, and the rate
and rhythm of speech. It exhibits qualities like hoarseness, nasality,
smoothness, or deepness, and it may sound precise, clipped, slurred,
or shrill. Teenage girls are sometimes mocked for using uptalk (making
statements into questions? “Right?”) or for guttural flutter of the vocal
cords called “vocal fry,” as in comedienne Maya Rudolph’s mimicry of
poet Maya Angelou on Saturday Night Live (Quenqua, 2012).
We all have preferences about which voices are most attractive—
angry, demanding voices are usually perceived as annoying—and whiny
voices really annoying (Sokol, Webster, Thompson, & Stevens, 2005).
Look no further than your favorite radio DJs or newscasters to examine
the vocal qualities people enjoy the most. These individuals tend to have
smooth voices and find a middle ground between precise and fluid speech.
Pronunciation matters too—and can identify individuals as coming from
another country or region. Thus, our Missouri readers may know that resi-
dents disagree on whether to pronounce their home state as “Missouruh”
(which tags a speaker as being from a rural part of the state) or “Misou-
reeee,” indicating a more urban environment. Interestingly, politicians
often pronounce it both ways to cover their bases (Wheaton, 2012).
How do you feel about mak-
ing eye contact with others
(fellow classmates or your
professor) when speaking in
the classroom? With strang-
ers when you lock eyes in
the grocery store or on an
elevator? When interacting
with people who have higher
status (such as a hiring
manager or boss)?AND YOU?
NPR MUSIC HOST Bob
Boilen uses a precise,
accentless voice on the
air. Max Hirshfeld/Redux