A Multimodal evaluation of Malala Yousafzai's speech at Harvard University

Abstract

Through language speakers express thoughts, experiences, feelings, values and attitudes. Nevertheless, language is not only verbal communication, as multiple devices are included in interaction in order to make something coherent. Thus, people inform others about feelings through a combination of verbal and non-verbal interactions. Language is not made up exclusively of words, phrases and sentences but also of images as it is the main resource for conveying meaning. Non-verbal behaviour covers all forms of non-spoken human conduct possessing the capacity to construct communicative messages. Hence, the nature of the connection between speech and gestures has become a popular topic to study among researchers in the field of linguistics among others. This paper presents a multimodal evaluation of an academic speech performed at Sanders Theater, Harvard University, September 27th, 2013, by Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner 2014. Even though the speech is a monologue, the speaker achieves interaction and engagement with the audience by means of using both verbal expressions and nonlinguistic resources throughout her presentation. This study exhibits an evaluation of how non-linguistic resources such as paralanguage and kinetics are used as complementary tools in spoken discourse.