Intonation is an integral part of communication for all speakers. But can sign languages have intonation? A new study shows that signers use their faces to create intonational ‘melodies’ just as ...

Have you ever noticed that a natural conversation flows like a dance—pauses, emphases, and turns arriving just in time? A new study has discovered that this isn't just intuition; there is a biological ...

When adults speak a second language, you can oftentimes tell. Usually, it’s from what’s coming out of their mouth. But communication isn’t always verbal. Their body (and head) moves too. And according ...

We have intensively discussed speech sounds in this class. The aim has been to improve on how we pronounce words. Today, we are building on what I hope has been achieved by looking at the concept of ...

Raúl Sánchez and Dan Bullock are linguistics and communications specialists and NYU professors. They say improving vocalics, aka nonverbal aspects of speech, is key for effective communication. Vocal ...

Adults learning another language often tend to continue using the intonation of their native language. This causes them to make mistakes in the new language: incorrect intonation can change the ...