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Post 1:
About mePost 1:
Hi everyone, I am Dorthly! I am nineteen years old and currently in my fourth and last semester at Dawson in the Modern Languages program. I am very passionate about learning new languages and cultures. Being born to two Haitian parents, I've always been exposed to cultural differences. I'm a dancer and also enjoy modeling. Can't wait to get to know you all better this semester and welcome to my blog :)
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Video presentation
Post 2:
Topic ideasPost 2:
Code-switching:
A practice that we cannot get rid ofCode-switching:
I would say that I am very interested in this topic because I code switch pretty much every single day. Growing up with Haitian parents in a multilingual society, I have been exposed to many beautiful languages. Within the same sentence, I can easily speak three languages. How so? Because as multilinguists we code-switch without even thinking. While looking for resources to support my topic idea, I came across an article talking about Montreal city. I immediately found myself in it. This article spoke about several issues that face Anglophones in Montreal. How there is a certain tension between the Anglophones and Francophones. "Bilingualism is an economically attractive option for Anglophones and Francophones alike. Still, even in this bilingually enlightened setting, tensions between the two linguistic groups persist. Many Francophones continue to consider Québec French as endangered" (Valentin, 280). In my opinion, code-switching is related to our identity and comfort. While reading the source, what impressed me the most was the code "We and They". The code "We" is more associated with what defines us, our values, beliefs, and identity. It represents our true self. While the code "they" is more general. "Sociolinguists who study CS are often able to identify a "We" code and a "They" code. The We code is the one spoken in the language community with which the speaker most closely relates. Studies have revealed that speakers tend to use their We code when discussing personal topics like family and religion, while the They code, usually the speaker's second language, is associated with the linguistic "other." (Valenti, 281)
WORKS CITED:
WORKS CITED:
Body language:
How to read people's hidden thoughts and intentionsBody language:
I have always been fascinated by the concept of body language. Why? Because it is universal no matter where you come from. We do not always need to speak a specific language to understand what someone might say. Body language tells a lot more than we might think. When we really think about it, most of our everyday communication is done without any words. Body language is a part of our identity as it reveals so many things. As I read in one of my sources, it does help a lot in understanding people with disabilities. Throughout the article, the author explains what language impairment is and how this disability can impact people's way of communicating. I find it very interesting to see how body language can seem very banal for us but is very life-changing for others. Non-verbal communication is as much meaningful as verbal communication. "Nonverbal communication on the other hand describes the process of conveying meaning in form of non-word messages such as facial expression, eye contact, gestures, body posture, proximity, et cetera. Gordon and Druckman (2018:93) posit that ‘nonverbal acts serve to regulate conversation flow between people" (Ezeh, 126).
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WORKS CITED:
Post 3:
Final topic selectionPost 3:
After doing more research about my two topic ideas, I decided that the topic for my research essay is going to be body language. How it impacts us and how to understand it. I chose this topic as my final selection because it is a part of our everyday lives. Our body tells a lot more than we might think. I always thought that it was interesting to see how we can express our feelings and emotions without saying a single word. Body language is definitively a form of non-verbal communication and is frequently used. I got the chance to learn many new things about that subject.
One of the sources that I read that really stood out and picked my interest in this topic was "Online Communication and Body Language" by Paolo Paradisi, Marina Raglianti & Laura Sebastiani. I really felt connected to the article because it spoke about how body language plays a huge role in social interactions, and yet with the pandemic, it became hard to play that role.
This article speaks about how one day to the next, our only way to connect with each other was through technology. From work meetings to online school, we had to adjust our lifestyle. Elders who were not necessarily comfortable with technology before the whole pandemic had to find a way to work with it in order to have contact with their loved ones. The authors also mentioned that the online sensory interaction is quite different from the "live" one. As banal as it can seem, the human touch is very important for our development. This is our way to feel closeness and proximity with each other. For obvious reasons, this aspect has been quite neglected for two years. "Previous studies have demonstrated a close association between pleasant social touch and the release of oxytocin, which is a crucial modulator of social behavior and emotions across species" (Paradisi, 2021).
As mentioned in this article, the fact that we could not make any connections with other humans really affected us. What impressed me the most was how smell is also a part of our non-verbal communication since it reveals a deep and personal piece of information about people and if we don't access it, there can be consequences. I found this article very interesting because it deeply explained many consequences on a social and human level (our behavior) that the pandemic has had on us.
One of the sources that I read that really stood out and picked my interest in this topic was "Online Communication and Body Language" by Paolo Paradisi, Marina Raglianti & Laura Sebastiani. I really felt connected to the article because it spoke about how body language plays a huge role in social interactions, and yet with the pandemic, it became hard to play that role.
This article speaks about how one day to the next, our only way to connect with each other was through technology. From work meetings to online school, we had to adjust our lifestyle. Elders who were not necessarily comfortable with technology before the whole pandemic had to find a way to work with it in order to have contact with their loved ones. The authors also mentioned that the online sensory interaction is quite different from the "live" one. As banal as it can seem, the human touch is very important for our development. This is our way to feel closeness and proximity with each other. For obvious reasons, this aspect has been quite neglected for two years. "Previous studies have demonstrated a close association between pleasant social touch and the release of oxytocin, which is a crucial modulator of social behavior and emotions across species" (Paradisi, 2021).
As mentioned in this article, the fact that we could not make any connections with other humans really affected us. What impressed me the most was how smell is also a part of our non-verbal communication since it reveals a deep and personal piece of information about people and if we don't access it, there can be consequences. I found this article very interesting because it deeply explained many consequences on a social and human level (our behavior) that the pandemic has had on us.
WORKS CITED:
WORKS CITED:
Paolo Paradisi, et al. “Online Communication and Body Language.” Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, vol. 15, Sept. 2021.
Post 4:
Presenting SourcesPost 4:
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Paolo Paradisi, et al. “Online Communication and Body Language.” Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, vol. 15, Sept. 2021.
This article "Online Communication and Body Language" is an academic and peer-reviewed journal that I found on the Dawson library website. It was published in Switzerland in September 2021. There were three authors who contributed to the writing of this article. These three were Paolo Paradisi, Marina Raglianti & Laura Sebastiani. This article was written to present some findings of a study concerning how body language has been affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. It mostly spoke about the progress how the progress of digital technologies is now the center of our interpersonal way of communication. Throughout the whole pandemic, “face-to-face” exchange has been neglected since we were online. While this change has brought improvement in the fields of technology, there have been direct consequences on people. There has been a lack of physical closeness such as hugs and a sense of smell which reveals more than we might think about someone. The conclusion of this article is that online communication did impact our body language. The main takeaway for me was the importance of the sense of smell in our communication. Also, it did advance my understanding of body language but more specifically during what we are still going through (covid-19). This article was definitively proposing a new perspective since it was not only speaking about body language in general. I was able to understand what my source was about.
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"6 Bad Body Language Behaviors To Avoid." Youtube, uploaded by TheExecuSearchGroup, 13 march 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXAHwa1CWYw.
My second source is a youtube video "6 Bad Body Language Behaviors To Avoid" published by TheExecuSearchGroup from the USA. I would say this source was made to inform people about types of body language that can be misinterpreted. It spoke about body language in interviews. It is a primary indicator of ourselves and our personalities. Any judgment or analysis will be based on what the interviewer can tell by our non-verbal communication. The first bad body language that we must avoid is having a bored expression. The second one is the poor handshake, which must be brief and confident. The third one has crossed arms, it can give the impression that we are disinterested or indifferent. The fourth one is slouching. The fifth one is poor eye contact with the interviewer. The last one is fidgeting, which means avoiding for example scratching your head. My main takeaway was fidgeting (scratching your head) because I think it is a pretty normal thing to do. It did increase my interest in body language. This video did offer a different perspective of body language since I did not read another source presenting the body language that we should avoid. It was very easy to understand this video.
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Cherry, Kendra. "Understanding Body Language and Facial Expressions".https://www.verywellmind.com/understand-body-language-and-facial-expressions-4147228. 28 September 2019.
The article "Understanding Body Language and Facial Expressions by Kendra Cherry is a peer-reviewed journal. This was published in the USA in September 2019. This article has also been medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD. This article has been written to findings of the body language study field. Body language represents between 60-65% of our everyday communication. Even when we don't necessarily speak, we are still able to convey messages. There are many types of body language. Facial expressions are the most common, they help us determine if we trust the person. They reveal our truest and deepest emotions and feelings. Sometimes we might feel a certain way but our face will say otherwise. Many emotions are easy to read on someone's face such as anger, sadness, happiness, disgust, etc. Someone's intelligence can also be judged by their facial expressions. There are also the mouth and lips signals. In fact, the pursed lips reveal some type of disapproval, lip bitting reveals some anxiousness, and covering the mouth is a way to hide a reaction and finally turned up and down (happy vs sad). The author also presented gestures, personal space, eyes, posture & arms, and legs as forms of body language. The main takeaway was that according to one study the most trustable facial expression is the raise of the eyebrow and a little smile. I learned that it projects confidence and trust. I found this article very enriching because I did increase my understanding of body language. There is actually a new perspective in this article since it speaks about the different types of body language more in-depth. This source was pretty interesting and very understandable.
Post 5:
Presenting sources
- Kissiah, Michael. "How to Read Body Language and Identify Deception". https://www.einvestigator.com/interpret-body-language/. October 10th, 2021.
After doing further research on my topic, I came across an academic article explaining how we can use body language as an efficient tool for lies in the legal system. This article has been published quite recently on October 10th, 2021 on the Einvestigator website. It was written by Michael Kissiah. This article was written to inform people about investigations techniques to detect lies through body language. The author talks about how they use many professionals from different fields and make them do a test in order to detect dishonesty. Secret Service agents were the ones who got the highest score on that test. Even though polygraphs are made to detect lies they cannot be fully trusted which explains why we cannot bring them as a piece of evidence to the court. Some people are quite good at lying and that explains why service agents must keep their distance from the suspect. There are actually four components of tactical body language that should be carefully monitored: facial expression, gestures, stance, and personal space, especially with suspects. "If you find yourself moving back from a suspect you have probably picked up a danger signal at a subconscious level" (Kissiah, 2021). The main takeaway for me was the fact that lies can also be detected through shifty eyes and specific behaviors and that even skilled service agents can be misled by them. Science is not always perfect. It really did advance my understanding of my topic since it was more focused on the legal system. This article does offer a new perspective compared to my previous readings. This source was pretty understandable and very enriching. I loved it.
Potential Thesis Statement
Potential Thesis Statement
Body language is a form of non-verbal communication that conveys messages through gestures and facial expressions but can also be used as a lie detector when it comes to the legal system.
Topic Sentences
Topic Sentences
1) The cultural differences in body language.
2) The different components of body language that we should avoid in a professional environment.
3) Body language is used as a tool to detect lies in the legal system.
Post 5.2 :
Presenting sources"Body Language Expert Explains How to Show Confidence | WIRED". Youtube, uploaded by WIRED, 18 octobre 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRJzvJ5XPQI.
While I was doing further research on my topic, I came across this wonderful youtube video. It was published in 2021 in the USA. I would say that this video was published to inform people. There were a lot of great ideas presented in the video. Joe Navarro, who is a former FBI investigator was a part of that learning video as well. He stated that body language can exude confidence in many ways. In other words, the more confident you are the more you'll try to make some eye contact subconsciously. I also learned that confidence can be quiet as well and shown by non-verbal gestures. Also, unlike most people's beliefs, confidence is a choice. It is not something innate in us, it is simply a question of how we want to be perceived. and command presence; we are not born this way… How do I want to be perceived... Navarro gave as an example that one time he had just started his carrier in law enforcement, and he was proceeding to an arrestation and said his voice went really high and it did not show any kind of command presence to be seen as an authority. There was obviously a lack of confidence in his voice and body language at that moment. Finally, when we listen to a person who talks fast, we are less likely to keep track of what they are saying. However, when we talk in cadence (with pauses), we will look forward to what will come next… it’s kind of a mystery. These pauses make people listen and let the people know subconsciously that that person who is talking is in charge. The most important to exude confidence is simply to avoid quick movements. You should instead use smooth gestures and show no mark of hesitation. I learned that confidence is mostly exuded non-verbally which is quite interesting. This video definitely advanced my understanding and increase my interest in body language. I think it is very enriching to know those tips to show confidence on a daily basis. In some ways, the information in this video was similar to other readings but also presented a new perspective since it was focused on confidence. This source was quite interesting, to be honest. I am glad I had the chance to learn more tips about exuding confidence through my gestures and attitudes.
"Former FBI Agent Explains How to Read Facial Expressions". Youtube, uploaded by WIRED, 11 august 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAB9cUlGrRo.
Another source that I found was the academic video about how to read facial expressions published in 2020 by WIRED. This video was created to inform people and to learn how to decode facial expressions. The presenter of the video was the former FBI agent: Joe Navarro. He stated that ever since we were born, we have learned subconsciously to read through facial expressions to know some things since the face reveals a lot of information. It is one of the principles of non-verbal communication. Whenever we feel comfortable, facial muscles will tend to be more relaxed. On the other hand, if we feel some kind of discomfort, our forehead will start to be squinting, our head will be tucked down, the chin can also begin to vibrate and some people are even covering their eyes. If someone does not like something or disagree with something, they'll tend to arch their eyebrows without even noticing. He stated that throughout the whole pandemic, even with masks on, it is still possible to decode emotions through it. I also learned that even feet reveal feelings which really surprised me. I did understand pretty well this source and it was very enriching. I had already read a source about body language and facial expressions so it was not necessarily a new perspective since there were some similarities. This source was easy to follow and the given examples were great.
Post 6 :
Gender norms in non-verbal communication
Another source that I found was about gender norms in body posture. It is a peer-reviewed journal published in Sweden written by Cristina Tiljander in 2007. The purpose of this journal is to speak about the inequalities of our society and the concept of gender norms. Some things are innate and some are not. From the day we were born, we have been exposed to gender norms. The author discusses how come we do things without even realizing it because it is simply what society wants us to act. How socially speaking, there are norms even for body postures. Her article is an analysis of the body language in our society and in the show Friends. Men are seen as powerful; they tend to use wide positions and take place. On the other hand, women tend to use more “reserved” and closed positions. Even when we talk about walking, both genders don’t walk the same way. As given example in the journal is leg position. In fact, there are "ways" of walking associated with gender; women will tend to swing their hips more and follow a straight line whereas men will walk by moving their arms to a greater extent. The author also spoke about how men require more personal space than women and are not necessarily comfortable with the sense of touch. I would say that I definitely improved my knowledge of this topic. What surprised me the most was how every act and gesture is judged in our society. I already knew that but this journal made me realize how much we have to fit in a certain case. It seems like life has to be black or white, and I personally think that it is a sad reality. This source has advanced my understanding because it offered me a new perspective on my essay topic. I found this source very interesting since it really analyzed body language in genders, and it was very easy to follow because there were constantly examples from the series Friends.
WORKS CITED:
WORKS CITED:
TILJANDER, Cristina. “Social gender norms in body language: The construction of stereotyped gender differences in body language in the American sitcom Friends”. Estetisk-filosofiska fakulteten, March 21st 2022.
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Additional sourceAnother source that I found was addressing how students' communication behaviors have changed due to the Covid lockdown. This source is an academic article published in Russia and written by Gabriel-Mugurel Dragomir and others in 2021. The main idea of this article is how coronavirus has affected students not only physically, but also mentally. How relationships and communications were compromised. It focuses on a survey based on students' non-verbal and verbal communication. Those students were from the University of Timisoara in Romania. It has been proven that video-conferencing tools take a lot of our energy. As basic as it might sound, not being able to get out of our environment, and interact with people was an issue. Also, the fact that people had to exaggerate facial expressions behind masks just to portray an emotion or a feeling is absurd. They argue that this pandemic has disrupted the students' productivity and motivation. In conclusion, even by imposing those covid restrictions on non-verbal communication, students adapted themselves but some scars will stay. The main takeaway of my reading is how much depression the lockdown and all that comes with it have affected badly students. This article was very informative because of the survey. I was able to understand more about the effects with real data. The information given in this article is similar to another one that I read a long time ago, speaking about the impacts of covid on people. This source was very useful and understandable.
Verbal and Non-verbal communication during COVID
WORKS CITED:
WORKS CITED:
Gabriel-Mugurel Dragomir, et al. “Students’ Perceptions of Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Behaviors during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Applied Sciences, vol. 11, no. 8282, Sept. 2021.
Post 8:
Body language in the education field
This academic article published by Feruza Khandamova in 2020 addresses the importance of body language in teaching. Since about the 2 thirds of our entire conversations are non-verbal, it is mandatory for new teachers to use some tools. It has been proven that non-verbal communication helps efficiently students. Positive body language gives credibility to the teacher. Students feel more safe and encouraged. It develops a healthy relationship between the teacher and the students. For instance, it is through facial expressions that most feelings are being expressed. Smiling is always a win. Teachers who like to smile become obviously approachable in the students' eyes. In conclusion, new teachers should be aware of the types of body language that can grab more students' attention. I found this article very interesting since it did offer a new perspective on my research. I learned that there are many young teachers that ignore the impact of the lack of knowledge in non-verbal behaviors. The author explains that more teachers should receive a formation of non-verbal behaviors. Our body speaks more for itself than we think. We tend to often forget how crucial for students' education a positive environment is. Some time ago, I read an academic article about the impacts that COVID had on students. I think those two articles have a lot in common because both refer to students' motivation. I personally think that teachers' absence of non-verbal behaviors did affect many teenagers. This article was very enriching and easy to follow. It is by far my favorite one.
WORKS CITED:
WORKS CITED:
Feruza Khandamova. “Body Language and Teachers’ Attitude in Teaching Process.” Science and Education, vol. 1, no. 8, Nov. 2020, pp. 314–17.
Post 9:
Non-verbal communication & babies
This academic journal written by Régine Prat and published in 2007 really picked my interest. It discusses the stages of communication for babies. Even inside the belly, babies are confronted with musicality and touch. In the two first months, the first sign of communication is their cries. Most of the time mothers are able to differentiate the different types of cries of their infant. What surprised me the most is the fact that babies have the ability to manipulate their cries to get what they want. On the other hand, when the infant starts using larger hand movements on the mother's boob, that means that they are satisfied and fulfilled. Babbling is the stage where the baby discovers its capacity to reproduce sounds. It becomes the beginning of verbal communication. I learned that it is during this stage that the baby tries to coordinate its babbling with his physical interactions such as regard and hand movements. I found that academic journal very interesting since it did offer a different perspective. Unlike the other articles that I have read, this one is more focused on the babies' non-verbal communication development which is quite fascinating. This article made me realize how intelligent we are from day one and how we are able to express our desires even without being able to use words. Some things are simply innate in us. This article was quite challenging to understand at times because of the vocabulary used, but I still got the most out of it.
WORKS CITED:
WORKS CITED:
Prat, Régine. “How Does Language Come to Babies?” Enfances & Psy, vol. 36, no. 3, Sept. 2007, pp. 10–19.
Post 10:
What Have I Learned?
For the past few weeks, I have been researching and reading lots of articles about the relationship between us and our use of body language. This idea came to my mind when I realized how much I use hand gestures while I speak in everyday life. I was very curious about this subject. I wanted to know how come our thoughts and expressions can be expressed non-verbally through body language. I personally chose this topic because it is something that we tend to forget sometimes. From our facial expressions to our gestures, it is often quite easy to follow an individual’s feelings through these. People can conclude things just by giving a look at our faces. During my research, I came across a bunch of articles that helped me understand this topic in depth. I found that body language represents between 60-65% of our everyday communication, which is quite a lot. While being the most common of body language, facial expressions can even represent reliability in some way. When we talk about facial expressions, we often think about the face, eyes, and eyebrows, but lips signals can also convey messages. For example, the pursed lips can reveal some type of disapproval. Body language can even significate confidence because the more confident you are the more, you’ll try to make eye contact subconsciously. Another thing that I learned or should I say realized is how many gender norms are related to body language. In fact, women tend to use more reserved and closed positions whereas men prefer to use more open and wide positions. This is since men are seen as more powerful in our society, and this is a way to show it. One of the things that amazed me the most was learning how present is body language even in the early stages of life. Even if babies cannot express themselves with words, they still have a way to express their desire to their mother. Finally, I have also read an article about the importance of body language in the education field.
In conclusion, I found a bunch of great sources that not only made me understand this topic but will surely help me with my research paper. I am glad that I have been able to learn further about body language.
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