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helps determine meaning (e.g., “She is my friend,” or “She is my friend,” or “She is my
friend”).

 Substituting: Vocalic cues can take the place of other verbal or nonverbal cues (e.g.,
saying “uh huh” instead of “I am listening and understand what you‟re saying”).
 Regulating: Vocalic cues help regulate the flow of conversations (e.g., falling pitch and

slowing rate of speaking usually indicate the end of a speaking turn).
 Contradicting: Vocalic cues may contradict other verbal or nonverbal signals (e.g., a

person could say “I‟m fine” in a quick, short tone that indicates otherwise).

3.6.2. SIGN LANGUAGE

Signs are the symbols that convey almost 50% of what we want to say. Sign language is

a non-verbal form of communication where the sender conveys a message to the receiver
through symbols.

Types of Sign Language

Visual signs: these convey messages through pictures and drawings. Ancient
civilization speaks about itself through paintings and engravings on walls. Use of posters,
pictures, maps, diagrams, colours, etc., is very commonly made to convey the intended

messages.
Audio signs: Use of audio signals is an effective tool that supports non-verbal communication.

Alarm clocks, bells, ambulances, fire brigades and police vans, which have their peculiar
sounds that convey standard meaning, are all examples of audio signals. The moment one
hears the sound of an ambulance one gives way to the vehicle.

3.6.3. CHRONEMICS

Temporal or time communication, also known as chronemics, is concerned with the
communicative dimension of time. The messages that different times communicate, the

meanings we derive from the use of time by others, the time preferences we have, the ways in
which our culture divides up time, and the ways in which our biological clocks operate are some

of the topics normally covered in chronemics.

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