The five vital signs of conversation : address, self-disclosure, seating, eye-contact, and touch.

120 Pages·2009·1.41 MB·English

by  Markel

The Five Vital Signs
of Conversation
B E R K E L E Y
I N S I G H T S
I N LINGUISTICS
AND SEMIOTICS

Irmengard Rauch
General Editor

Vol. 75

PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt am Main (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
Norman Markel

The Five Vital Signs
of Conversation

Address, Self-Disclosure,
Seating, Eye-Contact,
and Touch

PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt am Main (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Markel, Norman N.
The five vital signs of conversation: address,
self-disclosure, seating, eye-contact, and touch / Norman Markel.
p. cm. — (Berkeley insights in linguistics and semiotics; v. 75)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Interpersonal communication. 2. Conversation.
3. Self-disclosure. 4. Body language. I. Title.
BF637.C45M328 302.3’46—dc22 2009018352
ISBN 978-1-4331-0736-8
ISSN 0893-6935

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek.
Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available
on the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de/.

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council of Library Resources.

© 2009 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.

Printed in Germany
To my father, Azriel Isadore Irwin Markel (aka Speedy Mike),
who drove a laundry truck in Detroit for 35 years.

Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................1
AS & SET are Practical..........................................................................1
A Survey of Conversational Style...................................................2
Address.......................................................................................2
Self-Disclosure............................................................................2
Seating........................................................................................3
Eye-Contact................................................................................3
Touch..........................................................................................3
AS & SET are Helpful............................................................................4
AS & SET are Scientific.........................................................................4
A Note to the Reader.............................................................................5

Chapter One: Address..................................................................................7
Practical...................................................................................................7
The Survey Questions.....................................................................7
The Survey Responses.....................................................................7
Health Care...........................................................................................10
Scientific................................................................................................11
Ethnicity..........................................................................................11
Nigeria: Yoruba Speakers.......................................................11
USA: Blacks and Whites.........................................................12
China: Honorifics....................................................................14
Gender............................................................................................15
Sexism in College....................................................................15
Sexism in Restaurants.............................................................16
Male Solidarity.........................................................................17
Relationship....................................................................................18
The Interpersonal Context.....................................................18
viii The Five Vital Signs of Conversation

The Busniess Context..............................................................18
A Church Context...................................................................20

Chapter Two: Self-Disclosure....................................................................23
Practical.................................................................................................23
The Survey Questions...................................................................23
The Survey Responses...................................................................23
Health Care...........................................................................................25
Scientific................................................................................................27
Ethnicity..........................................................................................27
USA vs. Russia.........................................................................27
Greeks, Greek Americans, and Americans...........................27
East Asians in the U.S.............................................................29
Gender............................................................................................30
The Counseling Context.........................................................31
First Impressions......................................................................32
Responses to Self-Disclosure..................................................33
Relationship....................................................................................35
Getting Acquainted.................................................................35
Intimacy....................................................................................36
Relationship Satisfaction.........................................................37

Chapter Three: Seating...............................................................................39
Practical.................................................................................................39
The Survey Questions...................................................................39
The Survey Responses...................................................................39
Health Care...........................................................................................41
Scientific................................................................................................42
Ethnicity..........................................................................................42
Asians, Caucasians, and “Latins”...........................................42
USA: Blacks and Whites.........................................................43
Three European Countries.....................................................45
Gender............................................................................................46
Face-to-Face vs. Side-by-Side.................................................46
Head of the Table Trumps Gender.......................................47
Sexist Discrimination..............................................................48
Relationship....................................................................................49
Contents ix

Amount of Conversation........................................................49
Social Status (1)........................................................................50
Homophobia............................................................................51

Chapter Four: Eye-Contact........................................................................53
Practical.................................................................................................53
The Survey Questions...................................................................53
The Survey Responses...................................................................53
Health Care...........................................................................................55
Scientific................................................................................................56
Ethnicity..........................................................................................56
USA: Blacks and Whites...............................................................56
Black Students and White Teachers.............................................58
Pakistanis.........................................................................................59
Gender ...................................................................................................59
The Visual Dominance Ratio.......................................................59
Visual Attention.............................................................................61
Other-Directed Gaze.....................................................................62
Relationship..........................................................................................63
Romantic Partners vs. Friends......................................................63
Compliance with a Request (Eye-Contact)..................................64
Approachability..............................................................................65

Chapter Five: Touch...................................................................................67
Practical.................................................................................................67
The Survey Questions...................................................................67
The Survey Responses...................................................................67
Health Care...........................................................................................70
Scientific................................................................................................72
Ethnicity..........................................................................................72
Contact and Non-Contact Cultures (1)..................................72
Contact and Non-Contact Cultures (2)..................................73
USA, Chile, and Malaysia......................................................75
Gender............................................................................................76
Compliance with a Request (Touch/Gender).......................76
Gratuities..................................................................................77
Heart Rate................................................................................78