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UTEP Research to Reduce Misinterpretations of Arabic Language Speech Patterns

Dr. Nigel Ward

Research being done at The University of Texas at El Paso promises to show how to avoid some of the non-verbal pitfalls affecting interactions between Americans and Arabs.

Dr. Nigel Ward, of the UTEP Computer Science Department, has been researching cultural differences in conversations.  In normal conversations, people give subconscious signals to coordinate whose turn it is to speak and how the listener should react.  Because Americans and Arabs use different cues for this, misunderstandings and misperceptions are a common effect.

“Part of being a polite listener is showing that you’re listening,” said Ward.  “This is usually done with words like ‘okay’ and ‘uh-huh.  But it has to be done at the right times, or it sounds rude.  How do you know when the time is right?  One indication is when the other person drops their pitch for a word or two --- that’s a signal that they’re giving you an opportunity to nod or say `uh-huh.’  Although this is allsubconscious, it’s critical to making conversations work.  The problem is, the signal in Arabic is different; it’s a steep continuous drop in pitch.  Americans only use this signal when they’re angry or upset --- so it has that connotation for them.  The Arab speaker is just being polite, using what for him is normal signaling to keep the conversation on track, but the signals are wrong for English speakers.  Misunderstanding is almost inevitable.”

According to Ward, this effect that can be avoided with knowledge.  He hopes that by making others aware of the differences in conversational styles, communication between Americans and Arabs will improve.

“Our sponsor’s initial interest was in helping soldiers in Iraq,” said Ward, “but such signals reach us all; anytime you hear a radio interview with someone speaking Arab, there will be these subconscious signals, signals getting crossed, giving us false impressions.  It’s important to be aware.”

For more information about this research or the Department of Computer Science at UTEP visit www.cs.utep.edu.