FACIAL EXPRESSIONS: NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN EASTERN INDONESIA

Abstract

The significance of intercultural communication is growing in tandem with the advancement of globalization. Acquiring intercultural communication skills is crucial in order to prevent misunderstanding. Communication is the utilization of human language to transmit a message. Regarding communication, human language is commonly categorized into two distinct forms: verbal and nonverbal (Wahyuni, 2018). This paper aims to (1) investigate diverse types of facial expressions in Eastern Indonesia, and (2) comprehend the significance of facial expressions among the people of Eastern Indonesia. This is a descriptive- qualitative research. There were two participants were involved in this study. Observation and interviews were used to gain the data. To analyze the data of observation and interviews, the researchers apply steps recommended by Miles & Huberman (2014). The results showed that facial expressions are not the same as the meanings of different people even with the same ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, the results of observations and interviews conducted with the two participants revealed that when the eastern Indonesians, the northern Maluku people began to speak slowly and smiling a little, they became upset and could produce great chaos, so people need to recognize it as a context of intercultural communication.