Question #3

Chapter five’s brief mention of paralinguistics in relation to silence is especially interesting to me for two reasons; I like to travel, and I often become chatty when trying to get someone to like me. As an American, I’ve always assumed by showing genuine interest and curiosity about someone, i.e.: asking a lot of questions, and engaging in discussion, it would make them feel good, and hopefully like me. But chapter five mentions that many cultures are suspicious of strangers who are eager to talk. While I’m not entirely sure I understand the suspicions, I do understand how cultures would find someone who is talkative to be a bit selfish. How assumptive of me to think that a stranger wants to hear what I have to say! I think the fact that silence is valued over talk is really just familiarity being valued. Silence between people indicates comfort, and perhaps these other cultures want just that.