9
Silence
The role of silence in communication in linguistics is viewed not simply as an absence of noise but also as a part of communication as important as speech (Enninger 1987, 1991; Jaworski 1993, 1997; Sacks et al. 1974; Tannen and Saville-Troike 1985). Silence has been studied from perspectives as varied as semiotics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, social psychology, and anthropology. Investigation into silence, however, poses unique challenges because silence is ambiguous and multifaceted. The problem is amplified when investigating silence in intercultural encounters as the researcher may need to consider varying assumptions and norms about use of silence across cultures. As Basso (1972: 69) puts it: “For a stranger entering an alien society, a knowledge of when not to speak may be as basic to the production of culturally acceptable behaviour as a knowledge of what to say.”
This chapter begins with an overview of the units and functions of silence to set a framework for discussion of silence in intercultural communication. Following this, major aspects of silence that have been explored in intercultural communication literature will be discussed. This will include culture-specific usages of silence reported in ethnographic studies. Findings of these studies have implications for how silence is used and interpreted in intercultural communication. In introducing the units and functions of silence, and discussing various aspects of silence in intercultural communication, ...
