Paraverbal Communication in The Silence of Nathalie Sarraute

Abstract

Communication is an essential need in life, while the voice is the way that we communicate it. The voice is a series of vocal modifications which is based on its cords before it is pronounced. The group of this modification consider itself as an addition to the main meaning, in other words, paraverbal communication. Paraverbal communication is manifested in The Silence of Nathalie Sarraute. Sarraute focus on the voice and its role in paraverbal communication. The characters use it whenever possible to express themselves directly or indirectly. Indeed, they use paraverbal communication as a discursive strategy. In addition, they benefit from the voice for diffusing more and more indirect messages. Moreover, they need specific intelligence to capture and understand the true intentions of their enunciator. Sarraute draws our attention to an essential point: it is not only a question of saying but of knowing how to say it. In this research, we focus on the tools of paraverbal communication in The Silence of Sarraute such: as punctuation, interjection and orientation vocal or information which we collect from the voice. If punctuation shows us the power of pronunciation and its effect on the spoken language, interjection shows us the power of the spoken language itself. Pass to the vocal orientation and the information they carry at the time of pronunciation.