A Socio-Pragmatic Analysis of Silence in Communication: An Ethnographic Review
Silence as a sociolinguistic and pragmatic concept is not a weather-bitten topic in linguistic literature. However, its ramifications in intra- and inter-cultural communication have not been well explored, especially in the ethnography of speaking. The term itself looks illusory; it is epistemologically ontogenetic and hence confusing. The author therefore tries to unravel the seeming mystery around the term and its role in communication. The paper presents a review of literature from socio-pragmatic perspective, with ethnography as its theoretical framework. The author employs descriptive survey method, using interview and participant observation for data elicitation. The data were collected from randomly selected students and lecturers from the Faculty of Arts, University of Abuja. Qualitative analysis of data was used. It was found that silence is a veritable communication tool, and that it has its meaning and functions. There is nothing really mysterious about silence, except, perhaps God's own divine silence which is beyond human understanding. Silence, from a pragmatic view point, is a socio- cultural and religious communication tool, with perlocutory effect.
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