SILENCE AS A TYPE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN JAPANESE CULTURE

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to determine the type of non-verbal communication and features of this type in Japanese, as well as the specifics of using silence for translation. Methods of the research include observation and description of moments of silence in cinematography and animation in Japan, as well as a quantitative static analysis that models how silence correctly conveys a thought to the viewer, and the result after a dialogue between creators and viewers in general. The paper presents a comparative analysis between the content of non-verbal communication of the original and its translation into another language and an analysis of the translation itself, and the correctly understood meaning in the course of the study. Based on the work done, it can be stated that silence is the key to Japanese communication, conveying most of the information to the listener and viewer. Due to cultural peculiarities, silence is not perceived as the absence of a conversation, but, on the contrary, makes it possible to understand the peculiarity of the interlocutor’s speech or thought. Being an important element in culture, silence manifests itself in all spheres of culture and is difficult to be translated into another language, since for this it is necessary to know the meaning and context of the action. Thus, non-verbal communication can interact with the viewer or listener not directly, but at the same time either supplementing the main idea or expressing it from the other side, as would be impossible with ordinary communication. Specifically, non-verbal communication as a type in the culture of Japan, in particular in anime culture, is a fairly common phenomenon that, in addition to direct communication, allows you to convey your idea to others, thereby opening up new facets of culture or viewing. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that for the first time silence is considered on the basis of animation and cinematography, thanks to which, for the first time, it is possible to consider the peculiarity of silence in this part of Japanese culture. In anime in particular, this issue is not considered, although this type of communication is almost always used in anime, since silence is an integral part of the anime industry. The article can be used to further consider silence as a feature in Japanese communication and to analyze translations of Japanese animation in general. Also, non-verbal communication in anime is quite common, but little studied, so the article will help other researchers to study anime culture from this point of view.