Linguistics
para language
1. Go to YouTube and view videos of services of three different religions: Catholic, Buddhist, and
Jewish. Observe the nonverbal elements, noting particularly the differences in how members of
each group use para language, space, and touch.
2. Locate pictures from magazines, newspapers, and the Internet that you believe are showing the
following emotions through facial expressions:
(a) anger, (b) joy, (c) sadness, (d) fear, and
(e) revulsion. Show these pictures to people
from various cultures and see what interpretations they give to the facial expressions.
3. Go to YouTube and type in “culture and body language.” View some of the videos for examples of
how cultures differ in their use of body language.
4. Watch a foreign film and look for examples of proxemics, touch, and facial expressions. Compare
these to those of the dominant culture of the United States.
