跨文化交际中的身体语言-英语毕业论文

The Body Language in Intercultural Communication 跨文化交际中的身体语言 Abstract

As a communicative tool, language is very important in many situations. However, body language also takes a complementary role to help people transfer information to improve communication, which will be an indispensable power to break up language obstacles in intercultural communication. In the 21st century, as the economic and cultural exchanging of all countries becomes more and more frequent, there appear more obstacles caused by the differences of language and culture. In intercultural communication, one of the most useful ways to deal with the obstacles is to master the meaning of body language. However, even if we understand the meaning of some general body language, there are also some difficulties to master. Because even the same body language have great differences in different couture background. Using body languages wrongly not only makes you fail in interpersonal communications, which would cause conflict in international communication. So what are the differences of the same body language in different country? How to apply body language correctly? In this essay, after borrowing and studying the experience of the forefathers, the author analyzes the various usages and functions of body language in different culture background.

Key Words

Body language; intercultural communication; cultural difference

摘要

语言是一种交流工具，但是起辅助作用的身势语在人类交流中也起着不可忽视的作用。在跨文化交际中它帮助人们传情达意，突破语言障碍，促进交流。

21世纪，随着国际经济文化交流的加深，由于语言，文化的差异而产生的障碍随时都可能存在，在跨文化交际中，消除障碍的最有效的方法就是了解身势语的含义。然而即使我们对常用的身势语有所了解，我们仍然面临着一些困难，身势语含义千变万化，即使同一身势语在不同的文化背景都有不同的含义。错误地

用身势语不仅会使我们在跨文化交际中失败，而且会造成和外国朋友之间的冲突，所以怎样正确地使用身势语，怎样理解身势语的差异都非常重要，该篇论文中作者在借鉴前人成果的基础上分析了各种身势语在不同文化背景下的用法和功能。

关键词

身势语；跨文化交际；文化差异； Introduction

In modern society, most countries in the world communicate with each other frequently, at the same time, the people speaking different languages have different cultural background, way of living, faith of

religion, personal values and so on, which take intervene to the communication of people coming from different country.

When a Chinese meet an American friend, would the kissing each other be offensive for the Chinese? If two young friends of the same sex walk with their arms around each other’s shoulders would this be regarded as bei ng proper by English-speaking people? Does nodding head mean ‘yes’ and shaking means ‘no’ in all cultures? I’m afraid nobody can give a positive or negative answer about the above questions .because the same behavior in different culture has different meanings. Language is an important tool in intercultural communication,

but not the only communicating means, when people talk with each other, there always accompany with some gestures and poses, which we call body language, which is composed of body distance, facial behavior, eyes contact and so on. So the study of body language should not only be the complementary to the study of language but also can help us go out of misunderstanding zone in intercultural communication.

The traditional culture and national spirit of every nation come out from specific culture environment, we can’t copy simply. We must understand the specific meaning under their background of culture firstly, and then we can understand the meaning of body language under different culture background

Ⅰ. Some Information about Body Language

When talking about body language, people often think about standing, sitting, and lying. In fact people can make over 1000 kinds gestures. The commonly used body languages include eye contact, physical contact, sound, facial behavior and so on. Western scholars have made a lot of definitions about it, the most vivid and specific definition is that body language is the non-verbal language which can express information that language cannot express and the actions most people can understand. Body language is the complementary of language, and it cooperates with language to express information more accurately.

A. Functions of Body Language

Although language is a chief tool to help people communicate, yet body la nguage can’t be replaced by verbal language, especially in interpersonal communication. The study of psychology shows when two people do face–to-face communication, more than 50% information of communication

are finished by mute body language. Moreover, body language is international, so people coming from different countries can communicate with each other by body language even if they can’t speak each other’s language. someone find that the time of a man on an average talking with the others each day takes up 10% of his total communicating time with others, at the same time, when people communicate with others, they always communicate by body language now and then. Sometimes people even find body language can express all information. (Zhao yanping, 56)

B. The Important Role of Body Language in Communication Mr. Freud had ever said that “nobody can keep secret completely, if his lip keep silent he will talk by his finger, every gesture of his body will betray him”. (Claire Kramsch, 102). His words mainly exp lain the important function of gestures during conversation. A famous psychologist have ever advanced a formula: emotion expression = 7% language + 39%voice +83%expression behavior,(Cao Hejian,56) which also illustrated the important role of body language in interpersonal communication. Some scholars think it is not only the indispensable complement of language, but also mutually dependent on each other. Language is the component parts

and carrier of culture. Studying and understanding body language is helpful to study language of foreign countries and avoid mistaking in intercultural communication.

C. Necessities of Studying Body Language in Intercultural Communication With the further opening to the outside world, more and more people go abroad or stay in motherland to go in for the work of intercultural communication. In intercultural communication people often feel confused and baffled because

they can’t immerge into the same background of culture and then result in failure in communication.

This “body language” just like verbal language is also a part of culture. The specific meanings of body language originate from specific culture background. people can take advantage in conversation if only they master it well. In most situations, nodding one’s head me ans agreement –‘yes’. Waving an outstretched hand with open palm is the gesture for ‘goodbye’. Leaning back in one’s seat and yawning at a talk or lecture shows lack of interest, boredom. The meanings of these gestures have come to be accepted by most people, at least by Chinese and Americans. But the same gesture or body languages have different meaning in different background of culture. Even nodding the head may have a different meaning. To Nepalese, Sri Lankan, some Indians and some Eskimos it doesn’t means “yes” but “no”. So if somebody wants to succeed in international business, if they want to have a good personal relationship with the foreign friends, and if they want to go out of mistaking zone, they must learn and master the practical skill of dealing with people coming from different background of culture. Because body language is one of the most useful ways to salve the problems mentioned above.

Ⅱ. The Relationship between Body Language and Culture Like verbal language, body language is also a part of culture, which has great influence on the meaning of body language; the same body language also has great difference in different culture background. So before learning and studying body language people must understand the important relationship between body language and culture in intercommunication. Because both body language and culture are passed from one generation to

the next generation naturally, which are common habits of specific society, formed by years.

Body language and culture are inseparable, the forming of body language is decided by a certain culture background, the relationship between them is close and complicated. people can know and understand the cultural value and exclude the narrow feeling of cultural superiority by studying the action of body language, and at the same time, they can guess people’s gesture or body language by knowing their culture. The most difficult and meaningful things of studying body language is to solve the culture conflicts. People always pay more attention and show more sensibility to the other nations’ body language than to their own. The misuse of body language can take more serious conflicts than culture can take, and if the speakers speak other nation’s language frequently but use improper body language, which means they take more serious mistake because body language stand for motion expression.

Samovar thinks people must keep some principles in their mind to solve the conflict between body language and culture in intercultural communication. Firstly, people can’t forget there are several non-verbal behaviors acting together at the same time and use body language to cooperate with verbal language during communication. Secondly, people cannot remember the meanings of all kinds of body language, but if they can correctly distinguish them and remember the meanings of some often used body language, also can help them understand easily during communication. Thirdly, and the most important thing is to understand correctly the non-verbal behavior of their own culture. However, the culture differences take many obstacles to people during intercultural communication. If people want to use

body language properly they should learn and remember a lot about the ways about body language using in different culture. (Samovar, 45)

Ⅲ. Analysis on Some Commonly used Body Language in Intercultural Communication

There are many body languages with various meaning, and some of them are common in people’s daily life, but which are useful and meaningful to help us to communicate.

A. Eye Contact

Eyes are important aspects of body language. People often compare eyes to the window of mind, and eye contact plays important part in interpersonal communication, However, There is much knowledge and question during communication about eye contact. For example, could speakers look at their partner directly when talking? How to look? How long could be looked at ? Which part could be looked at? And which part couldn’t to be looked at?

1. Indirect and Direct Eye Contact

There are different habits in different nations and areas. For example, when two Arabs talk with each other, they like gazing at the partner enthusiastically and directly, in their minds, eyes are keys of two speakers existing. In American, if an orator only bend his or her head during lectures but faces the audiences as what many Chinese do, they would be thought of indifference and impoliteness to audiences. Americans think the people who don’t dare to communicate by eyes lack sincerity or dishonesty. Also the educated Englishma n takes ‘directly looking at the partner’s eyes’ as gentlemen; in public of French, Frenchmen think gazing at ladies as norm of culture.

2. Eye Contact in Various Cultures

The functions of eye contact are quite rich and various. Eye contact is important way of judging the relationship between two speakers. But the cultures of different countries of eye contact have great differences. Contrary to the above example, the Middle East women believing Islamic will be very angry if men look at their eyes, in their daily life, their faces are always covered with black veil. Chinese people are unaccustomed to being looked at directly, which is taken as an impolite action, Indians and Japanese also have such view. So there exit such embarrassing situation that when Chinese people converge with English-speaking people face-to-face, during conversation English-speaking people will be unpleasant about Chinese people’s rarely eye contact, which will make them feel self-contemptuous or be looked down upon by the partner. However, Chinese people feel uncomfortable and uneasy about the partner’s too much eye contact, because which make them suspect if they make some mistake. “The language of the eyes”— also one of the most common and ancient

ways of exchanging feelings between boys and girls, men and women—is especially elaborate in the United States. Many studies have been made: how people of the opposite sex show interest or indifference, encouragement or discouragement, approval or disapproval, affection or aversion. However, there are many differences even within the United States. Men use their eyes in more different ways than women; there are differences of age, class or social status, geographical region; and ethnic background.

The story is told of a teenage Puerto Rican girl in a New York high school who was taken with a number of other girls to the principal for suspected smoking. Although there was no proof of

any wrongdoing and she had a good record, the principal thought she should be punished and suspended her. “There was something sly and suspicious about her,” he said in his report. “She dared not meet my eyes. She dared not look at me.” When she was questioned by the principal it was true that she kept staring at the floor and refused to meet his eyes. And in English there is a saying “Don’t trust anyone who won’t look at you in the eye.” It happened that one of the teachers had a Latin American background and knew about Puerto Rican culture. After talking with the girl’s parents, he went to the principal and explained that according to Puerto Rican culture, a good girl didn’t meet the eyes of an adult. Such behavior, he explained, was a sign of respect and obedience. Fortunately, the principal accepted the explanation, admitted his mistake and the matter was settled properly. This difference in interpreting a simple eye gesture was a lesson in cultural diversity that he would not easily forget. According to the above cases, we can know the rules about eye contact are complicated and various, the meaning of eyes contact can be very different according to countries, districts, ethnics, gender, social status, and ages. The cases mentioned above are common ones in daily life. We can learn a lot from it. But we still need practice actually.

B. Body Distance

Psychologists discover any person needs personal space, yet skins are not the boundary of personal space, their personal spaces are encircled by bubbles and other people can’t break in at will.

1. The Kind of Body Distance

People always carry personal space with them no matter how far they will go, and they always have a kind of instinctive

common sense of self-guard. So the speakers talking with him need to keep a distance during conversation to avoid offence. The anthropologist and socialist Doctor Hall advanced 4 kinds of definitions for it. 1. Intimate distance

(0-45cm)—proper for spouse and lovers; 2.personal

distance(5-120cm)—Proper for friends, acquaintances, and relatives;

3.social distance (120-360cm)—proper for dealing with impersonal thing; 4,public distance(360-750cm)—proper for informal party. Actually these concepts are deep-rooted in the whole society, but in some degree which are effected by many factors: ①density of population in specific unit space; ②influence of accept level and intimate extent.③influence of different custom and culture background.④influence of social

status.(E.T.Hall, 47) Here author mainly talk about the use of body distance in different custom and culture background. The people of different countries, ethnic, races and areas have different habit when they talk with each other in intercultural communication; we can choose proper body distance according to the above definition of body distance during conversation with different people.

2. Culture Difference about Body Distance

Arab and Spanish try to stand close to show friendliness. In their culture standing closely is the manner of the people when they converge. They stand close as possible as they can as if they want to smell the smells of the partner; Englishman wants to keep their personal space when they talk with the others, so pay attention not to taking up the partners’ space ; Chinese people conform with the principle of non-touching culture during the conversation. They keep a moderate distance when talking with

others. There is a very interesting picture when Englishmen talk with Arab. The Arab, showing amicable to Englishman, will walk close to the Englishman, but the latter continues moving back. The Arab moves forward to be closer again, but the Englishman keeps moving backward. By the end of the conversation, the two people may be quite a distance from the place where they were originally standing!

We have just talk about the personal space above. Everyone needs specific personal space, but it seem that the relationship of parents and children between China and American have great differences. Natural affection is

most divine in Chinese people’s eyes, and children are more important than any thing else, so Chinese parents are always busy for children all life. They are w orried about children’s eating, clothing, sleeping and try any way to pave rode for children’s future; they hope their children stay with them and obey with all the arrangement of them. Completely contrary to Chinese parents, western mother would rather children earn their own life independently, they don’t interfere with children’s private affairs including marriage.

With the further deepening of culture exchange and corporation of the world, the opportunities of corporation with foreign people are keeping increasing. We will learn to be on the other’s shoes to think about things. The important things to keep in mind is that most English-speaking people do not like people to be too close when doing communication, however, being too far apart, of course ,may be impolite, being too close makes people uneasy, we should learn and distinguish how to use body distance according to different situation in intercultural communication.

C. Physical Contact

Just like eyes contact, physical contact, as one kind of body language, also plays important role in transferring information and emotions during social communication. For instance, infant cradled and patted in mother’s arms can get information of maternal love, moreover, which can suscitate baby’s cerebella and accel erate auxesis. Foreign schools call it touch education. Anthropologists classify culture as two kinds: touch culture and non-touch culture, Arab, Southern European, Western European, Judean belong to first the kind and American, western European, Eastern people belong to the second kind .

1. The Scope for Physical Contact

Usually, physical contact can only happen in two cases: ‘intimate distance’ and ‘personal distance’, people can only embrace, kiss, fondle and cuddle in the case of ‘intimate distance’, and can only touch, hold hands, gazes at each others facial behavior closely in the case of personal distance. mentioned above, Arab prefer narrow body distance during conversation, so no matter at home or in public , they like staying together in a crowded room, even some people think touching nose is also a best manners to express one’s affections according to their own custom.

Although American often take kissing each other as a manner of greeting, however, they will be quite repugnant about the above mentioned two kinds of conventions. In their eyes, intimate distance can be only proper for the closest person. They will try to avoid body touch with common friends and acquaintances even in crowed elevator. If some one touch others slightly or not intentio nally they will say “I am sorry” quickly, or who will be thought of shamelessly .That phenomenon is

obvious because America have a strong sense of personal space.

2. The Different Views about Physical Contact between Chinese and American Different from American, Chinese people are more traditional and conservative. They even can’t accept Americans’ kissing between the same sexes as manner of greeting, not even the opposite sexes. They firmly keep feudal ideas that women cannot be close to man in their minds. Shaking hands is a kind of friendly expression for Chinese people. In China, it’s very natural that a mother fondle her friends’ or acquaintances’ babies or kittle child, but such behavior--- touching, hugging or kissing --- can be quite embarrassing and awkward for western mother. They know such behaviors in china are not harmful but a way of expressing of affection, friendliness, so they cannot openly show their displeasure even if such actions in their culture would be consider to be rude, impolite and offensive, they would have mixed and embarrassing emotions

in their faces if a Chinese friends or acquaintances fondle their children. About the physical contact between members of the same sex, Chinese people also have different view from peoples of English-speaking country. In China two good friends with the same sex waling with arm in arm is also common thing, but it is delicate for English- speaking people. They think the holding hand or walking with an arm around another’s arm of the same sex is considered to be improper for adults, which is easily mistaken by people as homosexuality. Someone even think china is the paradise of homosexuality. However, Chinese people also think it unimaginable that English-speaking country’s men and women do close a ction in public, which they think is over-indulge. Actually, the touch between same sex, especially among young people is neutral phenomenon, but which can only be

seen among children in English-speaking county. the touch between opposite sex , especially among the young men and women is normal behavior , but Chinese people think which was serious personal action only young

husband and wife or young lovers can have such behavior . In short, every country’s culture and custom are various; we should pay more attention to remember the other country’s special habit to avoid giving a bad impression to them.

D. Facial behavior

We often compare face to the mirror of soul, and facial emotion is external manifestation of intrinsic feelings, facial behavior plays a very important role during conversation, it is also the best way to help people express feelings. The organs of expressing emotions include eyes, mouse, nose, eyebrows, even muscle and skins can have great functions. R.L Bird Whistell, the anthropologist of America believes people’s face can make 250,000 kinds of expression; eyebrow has 23 kinds of changes. (David Mcneill,69) American specialists have studied 10 kinds of facial emotions, which include interest, joyance, curiosity, panic, outrage, sadness, disfavor, snooty, perplexity, and decision. In which the actions

‘smile’ and ‘cry’ almost can help people to express all these emotions. For example, when people receive good news they would be joyful, so they can use smile to express joyance, when people are frustrated by difficulties or feel sad, they would be depressed. When people lost relatives they would cry bitterly, which are practical example of using facial behavior to express emotions. Therefore, smile and cry take very important role in people’s f acial behavior .So here we can simply talk about ‘smile’ and ‘cry’.

1. Interesting ‘Smile’ and ‘Cry’

Every person has all kinds of emotions, and the nature of expressing emotions, in which smile and cry are two opposite and representative behaviors. However, different cultures have different rules to display emotions.

We first talk about the meanings of ‘cry’ in China and America. Chinese people must cry their eyes out if their close relatives such as their family member pass away although they have no tears to cry out. Otherwise, other people would gossip secretly that they don’t have filial piety. Unlike in Western countries crying loudly before people are taken as indelicacy. No matter how sad they are, they must stand tears. However,

a minority in a small island of American think crying is the best courtesy, so which is indispensable amenity in wedding or important party.

2. The Different Understanding of Smile between China and Western When people talk about smile it means friendliness and happiness in most situations, but a tribe of Saudi Arabia thinks smile is the expression of unneighborly. If a boy want to fall in love with a girl there, don’t smile, a smile can blow him off. In China and English-speaking country, smiles stand for friendliness and happiness. However, in some special occasions, especially when people feel embarrassed, Chinese people’s smile can be disgusted by the Western people. One story can tell us the different cognition about smiles between Chinese and English-speaking countries. A Chinese couple held a party in their home and invited a foreign friend, but the foreign friends broke up a glass with a heavy hand, so he felt very sorry and embarrass, but the Chinese people broke out laughter voice, which made the foreign fiends flush and feel more embarrassed, Who thought

they were laughed at, but actually the Chinese people just means that “take it easy”. In China, smiles have many kinds of different meanings,

such

as

“appreciation”,

“acceptance”,

“disapproval”, “it doesn’t matter” a nd so on.

E. Hand Gesture

Hand gesture is one of the most common body language. Owing to different custom and culture, even if the same gestures maybe have great differences. Most people know the gesture of “ok” – thumb circle with forefinger means ok, the gesture of raising the thumb means all things go well, raising forefinger means number ‘one’ in general situation, but which may have different meanings even opposite meaning in some place of Latin America, the gesture of “thumb circle with forefinger” h ave the meaning of insulting. In 1950s, Richard Nixon, the vice president of America went to visit Latin America. He made gesture of “ok” to the crowd waiting at the airport after he took off airplanes, which of course ignite the local people, and they mad e a lot hiss at once. In fact Nixon’s gesture just means “every well, thank you, I’m very well”. But the Local people thought it means defiance, because some counties have attitude of antagonism to American, the gesture of the president became the top line of paper next day. The gesture of “ok” in France can mean unworthiness

or be over; Japanese people think this kind of gesture as sign of money, so when a western entrepreneur deal with Japanese, don’t use gesture “ok” to express agreement to sign contract, or Japanese man will think you want to get bribe.

Raising the big thumb also has different meaning in some countries in American and European, which means hitchhiking, but Nigeria think it means being rude, so if foreign visitor to

Nigeria wants to take a taxi with the gesture of raising the big thumb, who would be hit, because the driver will think you are outraging him.

If somebody like using thumb to express number, he or she also should pay attention. People often think rising fore thumb as number one, but in Germany raising big thumb means ‘one’, fore thumb means ‘two’. So if someone wants to drink one glass of bear in Germany, don’t forget the local custom of the finger and avoid making a fool.

Conclusion

In this essay author mainly talk about the body language of non-verbal language and introduce some kinds of commonly used body language and their different uses in different cultural background. From the study of body language above, we know how important of body language and how complicated it is. I believe which can help the readers succeed in intercultural communications.

The study of body language should be complementary to the study of language. The understanding about body language should be helpful in the further understanding of other foreig n country’s language, but during the process of studying body language, there are some difficult places people should pay more attention to. a specific kind of culture tradition, national spirit, cultural character deeply originate from a specific society and nation. So people can’t ignore of the sanction and influence of the culture, and should know the meaning of body language in different countries and distinguish out the same body language’s use in different culture background. Therefore, there are six principles to conform to, which can help people treat culture difference correctly, which are: Excluding the feeling of

cultural superiority; excluding cultural prejudice; treating other people’s custom correctly; treating

themselves’ custom correctly; res pecting mutually; and equally communicating. If people can do well all above they would be quite successful in intercommunication.

In short, body language is a kind of magical tool in intercultural communication, even if two speakers coming from different countries can’t speak each other’s language, they can understand each other smoothly by hand gesture, facial behavior, eye contact and so on.

Acknowledgements

Firstly, I want to thank my tutor, Ms. Cui, she always amends my paper carefully, and gives me great encouragement and help, so I can write my essay on time and finish it step by step.

Moreover, my numerous thanks go to my dear friends and my lovely roommates, Zhang Xiaoyu, Liang Yongmei , who spend much time with me on my thesis. Finally, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to those who spend their precious time in reading this thesis.

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