BodylanguageinNonverbleCommunication.doc

Bodylanguage in Nonverble Communication

1. Introduction

1.1 Research Background
In modern society, most countries in the world communicate with each other frequently,but at the same time, the people who speak different languages have different cultural background, way of living, faith of religion, personal values and so on, which lead to some difficulty in the communication of people coming from different countries.
1.1.1 Introduction
1.1.2 Motivations and Objectives
If two young friends of the same sex walk with their arms around each other’s shoulders would this be regarded as being proper by English-speaking people? Does nodding head mean ‘yes’ and shaking means ‘no’ in all cultures? I’m afraid that 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 to 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.

2. Definition and Functions of Nonverbal Communication
2.1 Definition of Nonverbal Communication
“Nonverbal communication is a process in which communicators use the natural features of their bodies to deliver information and express specific meaning instinctively to the other communicator.” The study of nonverbal communication covers three major parts: Proxernics, Kinesics or Body Language, and Paralanguage. Proxernics refers that people keep certain space with each other when they communicate and the meaning it suggests. For example, Arabians like to keep close while Englishmen like to keep a certain distance. It is funny to see they are in conversation. Arabians will come closer and closer but Englishmen will withdraw further and further. When they finish the conversation, they are far away from the place they stood. Kinesics is also called body language, which studies the meanings of the movement of all parts of body and it includes many nonverbal behavior such as eye language, gestures, postures, facial expressions, touch and so on. We will discuss it in details later. Paralanguage refers to all kinds of sound signals made by mouth, which can express certain emotions and ideas. Paralanguage is not the phrases and sentences with clear meanings. It is to transform information by sound, such as “Ouch”. Besides this, the pitch of tone and loudness or quietness of voice also belongs to paralanguage. And some researchers believe that clothing belongs to paralanguage, too.
2.2 Functions of Body Language
Although language is a chief tool to help people to communicate, yet body language 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
3. Classification of Body Language
There are many body languages with various meanings, and some of them are common in people’s daily life, but which are useful and meaningful to help us to communicate?Now let's have a rough discussin on them。
3.11 Eye Contact
Eye contact is an important aspect of body language. People often compare eyes to the window of mind, and eye contact plays an 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?
3.112.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 Englishman takes ‘directly looking at the partner’s eyes’ as gentlemen; in public of French, Frenchmen think gazing at ladies as norm of culture.

3.113. Eye Contact in Various Cultures
The functions of eye contact are quite rich and various. Eye contact is an 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.
And we know that 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.
3.12 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.
3.121. 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.

3.122 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 worried 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.
3.12 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.
3.121. 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.

3.122 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 worried 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.
3.2 Facial expression
We often compare face to the mirror of soul, and facial emotion is external manifestation of intrinsic feelings, faci