Page 176 - Silence in Intercultural Communication

Chapter 5. Performance and perceptions of silence 163

(52) [Interaction: Aya]

62 Molly: Do- do we: lik- do generally um: (0.6) I
63 don’t know how can I say it right do Western
64 people: (0.3) do their ow- do their own
65 fill-in: stuff?
66 (0.2)
-> 67 Miki: Do their, sorry?
68 (0.4)
69 Molly: L- like um (0.4) um? hu(h)h (0.2) li- do we
70 (0.2) instead of um:: li- >I don’t know< we
71 have pauses instead of um: (0.6) I don’t know
72 we have pauses instead of (0.5) um (0.2)
73 the: (0.2) those ( ) you know saying
74 something with: nodding or whatever, (.) do
75 we fill it in instead? (0.2) more?
-> 76 (3.6)
77 Molly: Er the are the:se backchannel:s(0.4)um(0.2)
78 after: like specifically a:fter sentences but
79 the person keeps(.)the speaker keeps talking?
-> 80 (1.2)
((Lect makes a comment on the concept of backchanneling))
133 Molly: But that- it- like how- >I don’t know,< (.)
134 i- is there: (0.4) do Westerners do you find
135 Westerners do that?
136 (4.2) ((after 2.5, shakes her head))
137 Miki: I really don’t (know) ( ).
138 ((looks down on the paper.
139 Molly nods 4 times- 1.2))
140 (6.0)
141 Lect: It’s really (quite a) dramatic difference,(.)
142 (those) ( )

Molly is quite persistent in her pursuit of a response from Miki, who remains silent
on three occasions. In line 136, there is a long silence of 4.2 seconds. Since no one
speaks, Miki has to verbally express an outright admission of not knowing the
answer, which causes a serious loss of face. It is possible to consider these silences
as realizations of “off-record” politeness strategies, but the silence did not seem to
have been interpreted by Molly as a face-saving strategy by Miki. The difficulties of
interpreting silent pauses in intercultural communication are exemplified here.
The type of silences shown above are likely to be used as an indirect method
of communicating “I don’t know the answer” or “I have no idea” or “I am not