Awkward silence.html
 
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An awkward silence is a pause in a conversation which the participants find uncomfortable. It is commonly preceded by an imbalance in which one of the participants make minimal responses.1 When westerners communicate with Japanese, a period of meaningful silence is sometimes misinterpreted as an awkward silence.2

In art and literature

In Pulp Fiction, Mia and Vincent discuss awkward silences after a pause in their conversation at Jackrabbit Slim's:3

“ Don't you hate that?

Hate what?

Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit? In order to be comfortable?

I don't know. That's a good question.

That's when you know you found somebody really special, when you can just shut the fuck up for a minute. Comfortably share silence.		 ”

References

  1. ^ Margaret L. Mclaughlin, Michael J. Cody (17 Mar 2006), "Awkward Silences: Behavioural Antecedents and Consequences of the Conversational Lapse", Human Communication Research, doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.1982.tb00669.x, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119564011/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 
  2. ^ Christalyn Brannen (2002), Going to Japan on Business: Protocol, Strategies, and Language for the Corporate Traveler, Stone Bridge Press, pp. 73, ISBN 9781880656730, http://books.google.com/books?id=X5jDn2aRnd0C 
  3. ^ Stefan H. Krieger (Spring, 2001), "A Time to Keep Silent and a Time to Speak", Oregon Law Review 80 (1), http://www.law.uoregon.edu/org/olr/archives/80/80_Or_L_Rev_199.pdf 
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