paralinguistic
/ˌpɛrəlɪŋˈɡwɪstɪk/
adjective
- Relating to the aspects of spoken communication that are not part of the actual words, such as tone of voice, pitch, volume, speed, and pauses.
- Her paralinguistic cues, like a sarcastic tone, made it clear she wasn't serious.
- In a phone call, paralinguistic features such as sighing can reveal a person's mood.
- The actor studied paralinguistic signals to make his character sound more authentic.
Synonyms
noun
- The study or system of non-verbal elements in speech, such as tone, pitch, and rhythm.
- Linguistics students often take a course on paralinguistic to understand how meaning is conveyed beyond words.
- Her research in paralinguistic focuses on how laughter changes the message of a sentence.
- Understanding paralinguistic helps translators capture the speaker's emotion, not just the text.