Nonverbal communication is not a traditional discipline, it is an intellectual fraternity of like-minded communication scholars: psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and linguists. When communication scholars first began to look at the nonverbal area, they tended to see it as an adjunct to verbal communication. On occasion, it seemed that voice qualities, facial expressions, postures or gestures could embellish what people were saying verbally, providing helpful redundancy or emphasis, or even saying the same thing more efficiently.

General characteristics: During the last three decades, nonverbal communication has become a topic of interest of linguistics. The discovery of the importance of nonverbal communication has transformed the study of human social behavior. Researchers in nonverbal semiotics have been intrigued with the ways in which nonverbal systems are similar to and different from language. The study of nonverbal communication deals with human nonverbal behaviors, called nonverbal components or nonverbal signs. Nonverbal signs are rarely treated as singular, independent units. Rather, organized or patterned systems of signs are required for communication. Nonverbal signs appear to operate at three levels - they define and condition the communication system; nonverbal signs help to regulate the communication system, they signal referents, indicate who is to speak next, provide feedback about evaluations and feelings; finally, nonverbal signs communicate contents and intentions in speech acts.

Objectives of research. The theory of nonverbal behavior is a rapidly expanding linguistic field, providing insights into the problems of discourse analysis, cross-cultural communication and linguistic competence, and is therefore of great importance for language students. The discovery of the importance of nonverbal communication has transformed the study of human social behavior and put forward a wide range of problems for investigation:

• What nonverbal components are available to the communicator?
• What do the signs mean and how do they come to have those meanings?
• What do nonverbal signs do in communication systems?
• What things can be communicated nonverbally in different cultures?
• What pragmatic role do they play in human interaction?

Results. Some recent publications and dissertations for a Candidate Degree in Philology:

• Seryakova I. I. Magic of Nonverbal Communication. - Kyiv: KNLU, 2004. - 95 p.
• Yanova O.A. Nominative and Communicative Aspects of Designating Smile as a Nonverbal Behavoiur Component in Modern English, Kyiv, KNLU, 2002.
• Koziarevych L.V. Verbal and Nonverbal Means of Empatization in Dialogical discourse ( a study of the 20th English prose), Kyiv, KNLU, 2006.

Activities:
(1) within academic subjects - a series of electives courses on nonverbal communication for senior, graduate and master students aimed to highlight some aspects of the theory of nonverbal communication and to demonstrate its practical relevance to language learning and teaching.;
(2) within extra classroom activities - the Communicative Semiotic Systems students' research group which joints university students interested in theoretical aspects and practical recommendations on how to behave nonverbally in some speech situations ;
(3) within recent scientific events - Semiotics in Communication Session in the 4th USSE Symposium (10-12 October, 2007, KNLU, Kyiv) with more than 20 local and guest speakers.