Open Access
American Research Journal of English and Literature
ISSN (Online): 2378-9026
DOI: 10.46568/arjel
Non-Verbal Communication as Face Acts: A Linguistic Analysis of Selected Television Movies Corpora
Abstract
This paper examines the use of non-verbal communication. To perform face acts (FAs). Non-verbal communication includes
laughter, gestures, body movements, etc. The literature of face acts is replete with the use of language in the performance
of face threatening acts (FTAs) and face saving acts (FSAs). Presently, we do not know of any study that examines the use
of verbal communication in the performance of face acts, even though language philosophers unanimously agree that
illocutionary acts can be performed via non-performative formula (extralinguistic means). This study hinges on two
theoretical frameworks: the Face Management View and the Pragma-crafting Theory. One of the findings of the study is
that non-verbal communication conveys face acts that are determined by different variables including the relationship
between the participants and psychological underpinnings.
