EXPLORING SILENCE IN SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES

This research is part of a more complex study which aims to consider silence in its practical dimension, such as conduct, aesthetic or strategical turn. Our goal is to explore the role of silence in intercultural communication since linguistics has shown growing interest lately (cf. Jaworski & Stephens 1998) emphasizing that silence is not simply an absence of noise but constitutes a part of communication as important as speech (e.g. Tannen & Saville-Troike 1985; Blimes 1994; Jaworski 1997). Our study starts with an overview of the forms and functions of silence. Next, literature on silence from intercultural perspectives will be discussed.