Talk:Paralanguage

message: a competence is not the same thing as the thing one is competent in. I feel the desire to merge is a result of both articles being stubs.
If metalinguistic compentence were expanded into a full article, I would expect topics such as: assessment, a list of drugs, disabilities and diseases that affect competence (various affective disorders, autism, stroke, etc), a discussion of treatment modalities, etc. -and- of course a cross reference to paralanguage.
If paralanguage were expanded into a topic, I would expect a discussion of the kinds of paralinguistic communication, cultural variations within a single language, a brief history of research on the topic, and a list of other related linguistic areas, for example pragmatics.  Egfrank 23:52, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Merging Paralanguage and Paralinguistic competence 

message: The wording here (pasted below) needs to distinguish between non-linguistic, but voiced elements (which it later refers to as pitch, volume and intonation) and non-verbal (ie un-voiced) elements which are referred to later in the text..  
"Paralanguage refers to the non-verbal elements of communication used to modify meaning and convey emotion. Paralanguage may be expressed consciously or unconsciously, and it includes the pitch, volume, and, in some cases, intonation of speech. Sometimes the definition is restricted to vocally-produced sounds. The study of paralanguage is known as paralinguistics."
Jeroboambramblejam (talk) 02:06, 2 January 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree and too found the introduction bewildering, primarily because of the reference to communication.  I have simplified and focussed the intro on the common definitions of paralanguage as referring to human speech.  LookingGlass (talk) 13:07, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Imprecise introductory paragraph... 

message: -A brief history of the study of paralanguage will be added, hinging mostly on Mary Ritchie Kay's book Paralanguage and Kinesics
-Specific findings of psycholinguistic literature pertaining to the effects of paralinguistic variation will be detailed to enrich specifically the "Expressive aspect" subheading (four studies: one EEG, one off-line, two fMRI base).
  -Van Berkum 2008: semantic coherence (N400) of utterance/identity mismatch
  -Nygaard and Lunders 2002: off-line transcription of emotional homophones
  -Dietrich et al. 2008: fMRI data regarding emotional interjection
  -Groen et al. 2011: sensitivity to paralinguistic information in Autism spectrum patients
-Language will be adjusted for clarification
-Edits will be made wholesale and are in progress
--MAJOR EDITS COMPLETE
Dkusa22 (talk) 17:04, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Future major edits 

message: Both gasp and sigh are short articles with little potential for expansion on their own, but which are significant examples of paralanguage. I propose merging all of these together. Cheers! bd2412 T 00:49, 11 September 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Proposed merger of [[gasp]] and [[sigh]] into Paralanguage. 

message: I see that Sigh and Gasp were merged into this article pursuant to an inquiry above, but this seems incorrect to me. As the text states, "Like a gasp, a yawn, or a moan, a sigh is often an automatic and unintentional act." Or like scratching an itch, etc.? And also, "Behaviors equivalent to sighing have also been observed in animals such as dogs, monkeys, and horses." So in what sense is it paralanguage? It's a physical reaction (which happens to have an audible component) rather than a form of communication. This is true notwithstanding that, in writing, we communicate that we are sighing in reaction to something by writing "*sigh*": I've been known to write "(fainting)" in response to a message about something startling, but that doesn't make fainting a form of communication. —Largo Plazo (talk) 16:25, 5 March 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: As the lede indicates, paralanguage may be expressed consciously or unconsciously, and I don't think it matters at all that such behaviors have been observed in animals (many language functions have been so observed). I suppose it would be possible to restore the individual articles at Sigh and Gasp, but they are both examples of communication - whether conscious or unconscious - through respiration. bd2412 T 16:44, 5 March 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: It seems to me that the lede is full of contradictory observations. It's unconscious, therefore, it isn't intentionally directed at anyone, and no one's around to hear it, but it's still "communication"? What distinguishes them from coughing, sneezing, hiccuping, and belching? Or should they also be classified as communication and as paralanguage. —Largo Plazo (talk) 18:36, 5 March 2014 (UTC)
replies: text:  A sigh or a gasp can be unintentional, but can also be intentional, and intended to communicate. I suppose a cough (or at least a fake cough) could be intentional also, but the sigh and the gasp tend to convey specific emotions. There are sources that class these specific acts as paralanguage, and everything else that is classed as paralanguage can be done by a person sitting alone and not thinking about what they are doing. However, if these are not paralanguage, then what are they? Is there another term to describe possibly meaningful patterns of inhaling/exhaling? bd2412 T 18:56, 5 March 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't know what else they'd be called, but they fall into the same category as scratching an itch. —Largo Plazo (talk) 22:23, 5 March 2014 (UTC)
replies: text:  Do you scratch an itch with your respiratory system? bd2412 T 22:27, 5 March 2014 (UTC)
replies: text:  The respiratory system is just a body part, and "communication" doesn't mean "everything the respiratory system does that happens to make sound". Snoring isn't communication. —Largo Plazo (talk) 04:12, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

text: Neuroscience is finding the physiologic functions of sighing. The main function of a sigh is to reverse alveolar collapse (a large breath re-expands all alveoli). Indeed, breathing without sighing results in impaired pulmonary function. A sigh can restore the lung resistance and compliance back to normal levels. It is a respiratory reflex.Gcascas (talk) 02:07, 4 March 2020 (UTC)
replies: text: Relevant find here. I concur that Sigh should be separated from this article. Perhaps what’s written here can stay, but for the sake of individuals trying to reference the type sigh that occurs unconsciously, there should be an alternate entry. Boobshart (talk) 22:20, 10 March 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Sigh" and "Gasp"  here?