2. Communications types

2.A.Verbal communication

Scholars in this field usually use a strict sense of the term "verbal", meaning "of or concerned with words," and do not use "verbal communication" as a synonym for oral or spoken communication. Thus, vocal sounds, which are not considered to be words, such as a grunt, or singing a wordless note, are nonverbal. Sign languages and writing are generally understood as forms of verbal communication, as both make use of words — although like speech, both may contain paralinguistic elements and often occur alongside nonverbal messages. A sign language (also signed language) is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns (manual communication, body language) to convey meaning — simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's thoughts.

2.B. Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication can occur through any sensory channel — sight, sound, smell, touch or taste. This type of communication is very important as when we speak or listen, our attention is focused on words rather than body language, but our judgement includes both. Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages. Such messages can be communicated through gestures, body language or posture, facial expression, eye contact, object communication such as clothing, hairstyles or even architecture, symbols and infographics. Speech may also contain nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, emotion and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the use of emoticons. The first scientific study of nonverbal communication was Charles Darwin's book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872). He argued that all mammals show emotion reliably in their faces. Studies now range across a number of fields, including linguistics, semiotics and social psychology. Let us consider each of these components separately

2.b.l. Gesture

A wink is a type of gesture.

A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication made with a part of the body used instead of or in combination with verbal communication. The language of gesture allows individuals to express a variety of feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection. Most people use gestures and body language in addition to words when they speak. The use of gesture as language by some ethnic groups is more common than in others, and the amount of such gesturing that is considered culturally acceptable varies from one location to the next. Gestures do not have invariable or universal meanings. Even simple gestures like pointing at someone can cause offense if it is not done correctly. In the USA and western European countries it is very common for people to point with an extended finger, but in Asia this is considered very rude and it is safer to use the whole hand. Psychologist Paul Ekman suggested that gestures could be categorised into five types: emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors:

• emblems are gestures with direct verbal translations, such as a goodbye wave;

. illustrators are gestures that depict what is said verbally, such as turning an