Cross-Cultural Communication Vol. 9, No. 2, 2013, pp. 31-35 doi

2.2  Non-Verbal Communication Reflects Culture 

Diversity

——From the perspective of high-context and low-

context

Silence is also speech

——An African proverb

In human intercourse the tragedy begins not when there 

is misunderstanding about words, but when silence is not 

understood.

——Henry David Thoreau

The proverb and sentence mentioned above bring out 

the subject of silence. Actually silence is a part of 

nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication 

is communication that conveys meaning without words. 

“It is a subtle and mostly spontaneous and unconscious 

process in which we are not aware of.”(Andersen, 

1986).Researchers has estimated that 85 percent of all 

communication is nonverbal, with the importance of this 

type of communication varying widely across cultures. 

In fact, research indicates that we will believe nonverbal 

message instead of verbal ones when the two contradict 

each other. So nonverbal communication is important. 

First, we use the actions of others to learn about their 

affective or emotional states. Second, it is usually 

responsible for first impressions and those initial messages 

usually influence the perception of everything else that 

follows. Many scholars believe that nonverbal signals are 

part of a universally recognized and understood code.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

——U.S proverb

Still water runs deep.

——Japan proverb

Empty cans clatter the loudest

——Indonesian proverb

The U.S proverb implies that the person who stands 

out and is the most vocal will be rewarded. Because 

Americans usually hold that expressing one’s opinion 

as openly and forcefully as possible is an admirable 

trait. While the Japan proverb conceals that the Japanese 

believe that a person who is quiet and spends more time 

listening than speaking is more credible because they 

regard constant talking as a sign of shallowness.

Sometimes silence—seeming the opposite of 

communication—sends a powerful message. The 

differences in the use of silence can best be examined by 

looking at high-context and low-context cultures. Low-

context cultures place less attention on the context of a 

communication (such as implied meaning or nonverbal 

messages), they rely on explicit verbal messages. In low-

context cultures, the verbal message contains most of the 

information; they expect messages to be detailed, clear-

cut, and definite. On the contrary, high-context cultures 

emphasize the context in which a communication takes 

place; they pay a great deal of attention to implicit, 

nonverbal messages. In high-context cultures, meaning 

is not necessarily contained in words, information is 

provided through gestures, the use of space, and even 

silence, therefore, low-context cultures view silence 

as communication gone wrong. To them it indicates a 

rupture has occurred in the communication process. 

Silence is ambiguous, it must be interpreted, and the 

interpretation of silence is more difficult than the 

interpretation of words. So silence does not fit with the 

low-context culture which emphasizes precision and 

clarity. And people in high-context cultures perceive low-

context people, who rely primarily on verbal messages, 

as less credible. They believe that silence often sends a 

better message than words.

Asia, Arab and Mediterranean cultures belong to 

high-context culture while American, German, Swiss 

and Scandinavian cultures belong to the category of low-

context culture. From this aspect, silence has two layers 

of meanings. First, silence is negative and indicates 

confusion: because Euro-Americans and northern 

Europeans expect a certain rhythm and cadence of 

statement and response, they may interpret silence as 

confusion about the statement, as a negative response 

to the proposed idea, or even as anger at the speaker or 

the proposal. Second, silence is positive and indicates 

respect. People from Asian cultures use silence to indicate 

respect for the other speaker, consideration for the idea 

the speaker has presented, and time to weigh the pros and 

cons of the statement and form a thoughtful response.

In this way, it is clearly that America is a culture of 

low-context while Japan is a high-context culture. Back 

to the proverbs mentioned above, it will be more easily 

to understand the differences they reveal. The Japanese 

believe that silence is preferable to conversation. It is 

through silence that one can discover the truth inside 

oneself. Contemplation and meditation take place in 

silence. There is a view in Japanese culture that words 

contaminate understanding. Reading another person’s 

inner core, a kind of communication without words, 

can take place only in silence. Most of the discussion 

in Japanese negotiations is in groups, and much is said 

through silence, facial expressions, and body gestures 

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Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture

Proverbs Reveal Culture Diversity

among the Japanese team. A study by Japanese scholars 

shows that silence is a key to success for Japanese men, 

and over 60 percent of Japanese businesswomen said 

that they prefer to marry silent men. So while Westerners 

typically view silence as a gap in conversation, the 

Japanese believe that silence is part of conversation.

—Nothing done with intelligence is done without 

speech. This Greek saying emphasizes the importance of 

talk as a means of conversation.

—A man’s tongue is his sword. With this saying, Arabs 

are taught to value words and use them in a powerful and 

forceful manner.