Nonverbal Language

For writers nonverbal communication allows them to reveal a character’s thoughts and emotions without lengthy descriptions. Such also means drawing the reader into the story, top feel as the character does. But I wondered just where these originate. Are they learned or evolutionary?

Chemical communications may be associated with animals, but humans still pick up such olfactory messages. Scientists disagree as to the extent which humans can detect messages, and some maintain these abilities to detect pheromones fade and even vanish as an individual matures, which explains the high divorce rate.

Gestures may possibly predate verbal communication. Certainly apes do get a message across in this manner.

Universal expressions come next. The sort of things which communicate emotions such as anger, disgust, fear, happiness, surprise, and sadness – all of which are seemingly involuntary and thus suggesting these are evolutionary. Eyebrows are particularly helpful.

Facial expressions are possibly also evolutionary, but there is the idea that some of these – puzzlement, for example – are as much learned as involuntary.

There are also learned cues, the nod being the most obvious. I tried nodding for ‘no’ and shaking me head for ‘yes’ and found it more difficult than writing with my non-dominant hand. So isn’t it evolutionary? It can’t be – for while nodded affirmatives are well-nigh universal, there are several parts of the world where the reverse is the case. Bulgaria and Albania are two examples, while Greece and Turkey employs a quick backward jerk of the head to indicate ‘no’.

Body language – posture, stance, eye contact (or lack of it) – are all learned from out cultural and social experiences.

Vocalisations might seem to fit in the non-verbal group – but we all make sounds which convey a message, but are not words and are understood across verbal language barriers. “Ah”, “hmm”, “huh” for example.

And finally there are proxemics – which if you don’t know (and I didn’t) refers to how we have learned to communicate through the use of personal space. (Sociable and welcoming into that space; or the reverse like me.)

As a writer I have never considered I could communicate the miserable misanthrope through the use of body language in a passage. But the idea is intriguing and well worth investigating.

Greetings

I have never been one to use slang terms of greeting, prefer more formal greetings. Not that I’m against such, it just isn’t ‘me’. But that doesn’t stop the etymologist in me wondering when 'Hi' and other greetings became popular as a greeting, and examining the origins.

Hello, as a greeting, dates from 1848 and began in the US of A; although the term was used much earlier (albeit seen as hallo, holla, hollo) from at least the 14th century when used simply to attract attention. The rise in popularity, from around 1880, corresponds to the spread of the telephone – this cannot be coincidental.

Hi, the earliest record is from 1862 in the written speech of a Native American from Kansas. This is not to say it was anything but English and is almost certainly from Middle English hy. Hiya is simply an extended form, seen since the 1940s.

Good morning is seen from the early 15th century, prior to that it was ‘Good morrow’.

Good afternoon has been recorded since the early 14th century, rather surprising to find it earlier than the morning version.

Good evening is even earlier still and has been around since the Saxon era.

How do you do – is a formal greeting from 1632.

How’s it going – a more casual greeting seen since the early 17th century.

How are you – is first seen in print in 1666, courtesy of William Killigrew’s play Selindra: A Tragy-Comedy

Hey has been around since the early 13th century when, rather than a greeting, was used to indicate anger, derision, or a challenge.

What’s up – has appeared in fictional works since the early 20th century, although it was never really used in general conversation until it became the catchphrase of Bugs Bunny as ‘What’s up, Doc?’

Howdy appears in print from 1720 as ‘howdy’ee.

G’day is the abbreviated version, often associated with Australians, of goodday, seen since the early 12th century.

Long time no see is seen for the first time in print in 1843 in James Campbell’s Excursions, Adventures, and Field-Sports in Ceylon - although it was not used as a greeting for at least another fifty years.

What’s new – popularized by the song composed in 1939, but a form of greeting since the early 19th century.

What’s happening has been used as a greeting from around the 1920s.

Yo is a greeting used by sailors since the early 15th century.

And we should also mention the non-verbal greetings. The nod, the smile, both fairly obvious – but what about the raised eyebrows? Eyebrows as a form of communication are particularly eloquent; surely they would have conveyed messages and moods at least as early language developed – and it is tempting to think they may even have pre-dated same.