体态语的中西文化内涵.docx

体态语的中西文化内涵.docx

《体态语的中西文化内涵.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《体态语的中西文化内涵.docx（18页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

体态语的中西文化内涵

体态语的中西文化内涵

体态语的中西文化内涵

摘要:

体态语是人类交际中最常见的一种非语言交际手段,在特定情况下比有声语言和文字语言更富具有表现力。

对它的研究，可以追溯至亚里士多德，但从达尔文开始才有这方面正式的研究。

体态语的定义和分类，历来也有争议。

一般来说，体态语主要指面部表情，身体动作和其他任何出自身体部位的姿势。

体态语在交际中起重要作用，它主要有五种功能，其中包括象征、补充、指示、调节和否定功能等。

此外，体态语在跨文化交际也起重要作用。

随着跨文化交际的日益频繁，中西“两方”交际也呈渐多之势，两方体态语的文化差异已是交际的主要障碍之一。

正文概述了国内外体态语及体态语文化差异研究现状，同时从精神或观念性差异，制度性差异，物质性差异三个方面对中西体态语的文化差异进行了分类。

创新之处在于将“中西体态语的文化差异”的研究归类于各自“主导文化”差异的“精神或观念性差异”；“制度性差异”和“物质性差异”三个层面中之中。

在形成差异的三个方面因素中，精神或观念性因素是形成中西体态语文化差异的“内在因素”，制度性因素是形成中西体态语的文化差异的“外在驱力”，而物质性差异则是中西体态语文化差异的重要表现及其形成的重要条件。

提出研究体态语文化差异的原则，对理解体态语所属语言国主流文化的价值观念、道德风尚、风俗习惯、历史背景、思维方式等多种文化内涵具有一定帮助。

同时帮助人们减少或避免在跨文化交际中因体态语的文化差异而引起的误解。

关键词：

体态语；功能；文化差异

TheChineseandWesternCulturalConnotations

ofBodyLanguage

Abstract:

Bodylanguageisoneofthecommonnon-verbalcommunicativedevicesandincertaincircumstances,itismoreeffectiveinexpressingone''semotionsthanspokenandwrittenlanguage.IthasbeenstudiedasearlyasAristotletimes,butonlyfromDarwindidpeoplebegintheformalstudiesonthissubject.Asforthedefinitionandclassificationofbodylanguage,thereareconsiderableopinions.Generallyspeaking,bodylanguagereferstothoseoffacialexpressions,bodyactions,andothergesturesmadebyanypartofman’sbody.Bodylanguagefunctionssignificantlyincommunications.Thefunctionsofbodylanguageincludesymbolicfunction、complementingfunction、indicatingfunction、regulatingfunctionandnegativefunction.Italsogivessignificanceofbodylanguagesininterculturalcommunication.

Withthedevelopmentofinterculturalcommunication,thecontactsbetweentheChineseandtheWesternareontheincrease,andthedifferencesbetweenbodylanguagehavebeenamongthemajorbarrierstoefficientcommunication.ThepresentpapermakesacontrastivestudyonculturaldifferencesofbodylanguagesbetweenChineseandWesterncountriesaremade.Italsoclassifiesthedifferencesofthebodylanguagebetweenthetwolanguagesintospiritual,institutionalandmaterialdifferences.

TheoriginalityplaceliesintheclassificationoftheculturaldifferencesofbodylanguagesofChinaandWesterncountriesinthreelevels:

spiritual,institutionalandmaterial.Spiritualfactorsarethemaininternalcausesoftheculturaldifferencesofthebodylanguages,theinstitutionalfactorsaretheexternaldrivetotheformationoftheculturaldifferencesofthebodylanguagesandthebodymaterialfactorsaretheimportantconditionsofformingtheirdifferences.

Thestudyoftheprinciplesoftheculturaldifferencesofbodylanguageisconductivetotheunderstandingofthevaluesystem,moralstandard,customs,historicalbackgroundandmodeofthinkingofanation.Thinkingofanation,whichmighthelppeoplereduceoravoidmisunderstandingduetoculturaldifferencesofbodylanguageininterculturalcommunication.

Keywords:

bodylanguage,function,culturaldifferences

Introduction

Bodylanguages,asimportantpartsofnonverbalcommunication,includesgestures,facialexpressions,posture,eyecontact,touch,bodymovements,etc.Therearesimilaritiesbetweenbodylanguagesindifferentcultures,butmostofthebodylanguagesvaryculturally.Withthedevelopmentofinterculturalcommunication,thecontactsbetweentheChineseandtheWesternpeopleareontheincrease,andthedifferencesbetweenbodylanguageshavebeenamongthemajorbarrierstoefficientcommunication.

ThestudyonbodylanguagehasstartedmainlyafterWordWarII.Howeverbeforethe20thcentury,Darwin,inhisfamousbookTheExpressionoftheEmotioninManandAnimals,alreadymentionedthis.Ithasmadegreatinfluenceandsignificancesonthestudyofmodernnonverbalcommunication.Inthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury,thestudyinthisfieldhasn''tbeenformedsystematically,andstudiesatthattimeonlyfocusedonsomeindividualaspects,suchassound,appearance,clothingandfacialexpressions.Inthatperiod,themostinfluentialworksincludeKretschmer''sPhysiqueandCharacter,theVariationofHumanPhysique,andthelastoneisGestureandEnvironmentbyEfronin1941.Inthe1950''snonverbalcommunicationmadeabreakthroughdevelopment.Birdwhistell''sIntroductiontoKinesicsandHall''sTheSilentLanguagecanbeseenasthefoundationstone.Inthe1960''s,thestudywastakenwithfurtherstep,andbeganthestudiesonman''sdifferentgestures.DuringthisperiodEkmanandFriesencontributedthemost.Theywrotearticlesaboutthecause,useanddecodingofnonverbalcommunications.Therewerealotofresearchpapersandworkspublishedinthe1970''s.Onedistinguishingbookthatcan''tbeignoredisBodyLanguagebyFast.Sincethe1980''s,thestudyonbodylanguagehasfurtherdeveloped,andsomecontrastiveanalysisinthisfieldhasbeencarriedout,suchastheeffortmadebyBiJiwan.HetranslatedthebookContrastiveAnalysisofBodyLanguageCommunicationbetweenChinaandEnglish-speakingCountries,whichcomprehensivelyintroducesthedifferentusesofbodylanguageindifferentcountries.[7]

Scholarsathomehavealsocontributedalot.InChinathescientificstudyofbodylanguageonlybeganattheendof1982''s.TherepresentativeworksareIntroductiontoBodyLanguagebyGengErling（1988）,LanguageandCulturebyDengYanchangandLiuRunqing（1989）,PracticalBodyLanguageeditedbyFanYunhuaandLiJiequn（1991）,InternationalcommunicationbyJiaYuxin（1997）,InterculturalNonverbalCommunicationBiJiwan（1999）,andtheseriesofbooksoninterculturalcommunicationeditedandtranslatedbyHuWenzhongsuchasIntroductiontointerculturalcommunication（1999）,etc..Generallyspeaking,theChinesescholars''studiesonbodylanguagesconsistoftwoparts:

communicativefunctionsandculturaldifferences.Onthebasicofforeignscholars''researchesChinesescholarshaveaddedmorespecificandconvincingexamplesfromChineseculture.

Judgingfromwhatismentionedabove,wecanseethatculturaldifferencesofbodylanguage,asbarrierstointerculturalcommunication,havealreadybeendrawnanincreasingattentionbyscholars.

Butthepreviousstudiesonbodylanguageareeitherfoundinthestudiesofinterculturalcommunicationandnonverbalcommunication,whichonlyconsistofseveralparagraphsorpagesandarefarfromdetailedstudies,ortheyjustmakebriefcomparisonsofbodybehaviorsinmanydifferentcultureswithdiscreteexamples,whicharenotsystematic.Untilnow,therehasbeennoresearchdoneontheChineseandWesternculturalconnotationsofbodylanguage.

Onthebasicofthepreviousstudiesandachievements,thispaperfirstfocusesacomparativestudyofculturaldifferencesofbodylanguagebetweenChineseandWesterncountries.Withtherapiddevelopmentoftheworldeconomy,political,economicandculturalinterchangebetweenchinaandwesterncountriesisbecomingincreasinglyfrequent.Suchbeingthecase,thecontactsbetweenChinesepeopleandforeigners,especiallypeoplefromEnglish-speakingcountries,areincreasing.Incommunicationpeopleareencounteringmorebarrierscausedbyculturaldifferences,includingtheculturaldifferencesofbodylanguages。

Thepaperthenclassifiesculturaldifferencesofbodylanguagesofeachmainculturalintothreestrata:

spiritualstratum,institutionalstratumandmaterial.Itsauthorthinksthatthestudyofculturaldifferencescanbeconductedattwolevels:

atthefirstlevelthestudyisfocusedonphenomenon（differencesthemselves）;atthesecondlevel,onthecausesofdifferenceswhicharedeeplyrootedinculture.Theformertellsuswhatisdifferent,whilethelattertelluswhytherearesuchdifferences.Thispaperisjustanattempttomakeastudyofculturaldifferencesofbodylanguageatthesecondlevelthroughanewclassification,which,itsauthorthinks,canhelpitsreadersbetterunderstandthecultureofastudiedlanguage.

1.TheDefinitionofBodyLanguage

Aboutthedefinitionofbodylanguage,manywesternscholarshaveproposedalot.FirstIwilllistoutsomeofthemtohelpmakeaclearunderstandingaboutwhatlanguageis.“Bodylanguageisnotconveyedthroughwords.Itisakindofman''ssocialattributesandbehavior.Whichareissuedbythedeliverer,andreceivedbythereceivedpurposely.”（Burgoonandsaine,1978）TheChinesefamousscholar,ChenWangdaooncegavebodylanguagethefollowingdefinition,“theactionofstrikingaposeisbodylanguage,whichisatoolforcommunication.”[2]

Bodylanguage,strictlyspeaking,canbedividedintotwokinds.Onekindincludesgestures,bodymovements,signsandpostures,etc.Theotheriscalledkinesics.KinesicsisawordmadeupbyBirdwhistell,whichreferstothesubjectstudyingbodylanguage.Sometimesbodylanguageisequatedwithbodylanguage.InWebster''sNewDictionary,kinesicsisdefinedas“tosystematicallystudynonverbalbodyactions（suchasblush,eyemovements,etc.）andcommunications.”Samovaroncesayskinesicsisthesystematicstudyofbodymovementsandactions,andthroughthestudy,makestheseactionsandbehaviorsformalizingandencoding.FastinhisbookBodyLanguagesaysthatspaceandorientation,andseatingarrangementarealsopartsofbodylanguage.[1]ThethirdeditionofWebster’sNewWorldDictionarydefinesbodylanguageas“gestures,unconsciousbodilymovements,facialexpression,etc,whichserveasnonverbalcommunicationorasaccompanimentstospeech.”CollinsCOBUILDEnglishlanguageDictionarygivesthefollowingdefinition,“alsospelledwithahyphen.Bodylanguageisthewayinwhichyoushowyourfeelingsorthoughtstootherpeoplebymeansofthepositionormovementofyourbodyratherthanwords.”

Generally,bodylanguagereferstothoseappearancesandactionstransmittingcommunicationinformat