Semiotic silence in intimate relationships: Much silence makes a powerful noise – African Proverb

The theoretical and empirical research on the use of communicative silence in human interaction reveals sustained scholarly interest in the topic. Yet, very little research attention has focused on how married couples use this phenomenon in their relationships. Thus, we have a superficial understanding of, for example, the functional uses of silence as conflict management tactic in such relationships. This paper attempts to broaden further our understanding of how participants, in a previous study, used silence to negotiate some of the conflicts that arose in their relationships. From this perspective, the paper elaborates on prior identified themes as well as discusses an additional theme that was found in the interview data. The overall aim of the paper then, is to engender interest into this domain of silence usage.