Today I met up with my cousins who are in Singapore on holiday. They are triplets- 2 girls and a boy.
They are Japanese, but they do understand and speak English to a certain extent. However, I realized that more often than not, we communicate purely by facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice and the occasional one word sentences like "ok?" or "no!".
Oh, I forgot to mention that they are only seven years old.
Then I thought back, for the three weeks they've been here, I communicate with them non-verbally about 80% of the time. Even when I do say or ask them a question in simple English, they probably only understand 50% of what I'm actually saying, and they rely the other 50% on visual ques, context and tone of voice.
But it's not only them who uses non-verbal communication to understand. Since they seldom speak English, I, myself have to use their body language, tone and context to try to figure out what they are saying. Sometimes they just speak entirely in Japanese, sometimes they don't use words at all, just some sounds that children make when they need something. Amazingly, most of the time, I get it right.
Just a simple example of how we use non-verbal communications to good effect.
Really like this post, candid, and VERY true.I think as Asians, we rely on non-verbal communication to a large extent.Especially with the Japanese! I remembered my trip to Japan a few years back, and often a times, their greetings & farewells are paired with a bow, and words of "oishi!" and "Nani?" come with a very very amusing facial expression. It just makes you feel like they added something extra, like they made more effort to make what they say that much more understandable and comprehensible.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post --- and wonderful illustration of the power of nonverbals.
ReplyDeleteWhen you say the kids are your cousins, does that mean that one of your family members married a Japanese?
Hi Brad! yes my mother's sister married a Japanese and she has been living there for almost 30 years!
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