Comparison of the effect of generational gaps on language use, verbal and nonverbal communication between fathers and their sons from a linguistic perspective

Abstract

One of the causes of the generation gap is the relationship between generations. Language is one of the means of communication between members of a family and individuals in a community. This study, based on the theory of Mannheim (1952) and Mead (1978), attempts to investigate the influence of generational gap on the use of language, verbal and non-verbal communication between parents and their sons from a linguistic perspective. The method of this study is causal-comparative. To obtain linguistic data, the results of TAT test, interview and observation of the behaviors of youth and their parents were used. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test and coefficient of agreement. The study population consisted of thirty-five high school students with their fathers. The results of the statistical analysis show that there is a significant difference between the use of standard language (Farsi), English, non-verbal and non-verbal vocabulary in the use of fathers and sons of two different generations.