Unsaid

The term "unsaid" refers what is not explicitly stated, what is hidden and/or implied in the speech of an individual or a group of people.

[1] Sociolinguistics points out that in normal communication what is left unsaid is as important as what is actually said[2]—that we expect our auditors regularly to fill in the social context/norms of our conversations as we proceed.

Harold Garfinkel, following Durkheim, stressed that in any given situation, even a legally binding contract, the terms of agreement rest upon the 90% of unspoken assumptions that underlie the visible (spoken) tip of the interactive iceberg.

[5] Edward T. Hall argued that much cross-cultural miscommunication stemmed from neglect of the silent, unspoken, but differing cultural patterns that each participant unconsciously took for granted.

[6] Luce Irigaray has emphasised the importance of listening to the unsaid dimension of discourse in psychoanalytic practice[7]—something which may shed light on the unconscious phantasies of the person being analysed.