中西方肢体语言的比较研究.docx

中西方肢体语言的比较研究.docx

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中西方肢体语言的比较研究

毕业设计（论文）

题目：

中西方肢体语言的比较研究

Title:

AComparativeStudyofBodyLanguageinChinaandWesternCountries

2009年5月20日

Acknowledgements

Firstofall,myappreciationgoestomyaffectionateparents,andtherestofmyfamily.Throughoutthedevelopmentofthispaper,theyhavebeenthereandalwaysgivingmecontinuoussupport,encouragementandunderstanding.Theirloveandsupportencouragemetomakeprogressallthetime.

Iwouldalsoliketoextendmysincerethankstoallotherteacherswhogavemelecturesduringthepastthreeacademicyears.Ihavebenefitedsomuchnotonlyfromtheircoursesandlecturesbutalsofromtheirconstantencouragement.Mysincerethanksshouldgotomystudentsandfriendsaround,fortheirconstantencouragementandsupportthroughoutthecourseoftheresearch.

Finally,ImustshowmygratitudetomysupervisorMs.LuLi,whosehelpfulsuggestionshavecontributedgreatlytothecompletionofthisthesis.Ioweherspecialthanksforprovidingmepreciousadviceandsuggestionthatthispapersappearsinthepresentform.

Abstract

Bodylanguageisanimportantpartofnonverbalcommunicationanditisconnectedwithculture.Inordertomakesuccessfulcross-culturalcommunication,weshouldknowthebodylanguagefromtheperspectiveofcultures.Bodylanguage,likeverbalcommunicationandculture,hasmanysimilaritiesallovertheworld.However,bodylanguagefromdifferentculturesalsohasmanydifferencesbecauseofdifferentregions,racesandculturalcustoms.Anditisrestrictedbyitscultureandhasdifferentculturalconnotations.Thatistosay,thesamebodylanguagehasdifferentmeaningsindifferentculturesandhasdifferentsocialfunctions.Thisarticledevotestoacomparisonandcontrastofbodylanguageindifferentculturesintermsofeyelanguage,gestures,postures,facialexpressionsandtouch.Itaimstoillustratethedifferencesandsimilaritiesofbodylanguageandputforwardtheprinciplesofreducingbarriersincommunicationsoastoachieveefficientcommunicationandtoavoidmisunderstanding.

Keywords:

BodyLanguageinChinaandwestcountries;Culturalconnotations;cross-culturalcommunication

摘要

肢体语言是非言语沟通的重要部分并与文化紧密相连。

为了能成功的进行跨文化交流，我们应该明白肢体语言在不同文化中的意义。

就像语言和文化一样，肢体语言也有一些是全球通用的。

然而在不同地区，种族和文化习俗中肢体语言的意义也不一样。

也就是说，同一个肢体动作在不同的文化和社会背景下会有不同的意思。

本文致力于比较眼睛、手势、姿势、面部表情和接触等不同的肢体语言在不同文化中的意义，目的是解释其产生的原因，加深人们对两种不同文化的理解，促进中西文化的交流，避免跨文化交际中的误会。

关键词：

中西方肢体语言；文化根源；跨文化交际

Contents

Introduction………...…………………………………….......................1

.Theconceptofbodylanguage………………………...…..............….2

1.1Classificationofbodylanguage……………...………......................2

1.2Eyecontact…………………………..............….…………………...3

1.3Smileandlaughter……………………………………….................3

.SomegestureswhichhavedifferenceconnotationsinChinaandwesterncountries………………………….................................……....4

.SomegestureswhichhavethesamemeaninginChinaandWesterncountries…………………………………….......................….4

.Somegestureswhichhavenoequivalentsinothercultures….....5

.Culturalrootsforthedifferenceofgestures……….................…...5

5.1Differentcustoms………………………...………………...............5

5.2Differentreligionbeliefs…………………………………...............6

5.3Differenthistory………………………...…………….…................6

.Bodylanguageinpractice………….……………....……...............7

.Theconsequencesofwronginterpretationofgestures.................7

Conclusion

Introduction

Humancommunicationconsistsofverbalcommunicationandnonverbalcommunication.Nonverbalcommunicationplaysaveryimportantroleinthewholecommunication.Someexpertssaymorethan60percentofcommunicationcomesfromnonverbalbehaviors,suchasfacialexpression,postureandsoon.Thesenonverbalbehaviorsalwayshavemanymeaning.

Bodylanguageisanimportantpartofnonverbalcommunication,andthusarticleintendstopresentitsmeaningandtalkitbrieflysothatwecanimproveourcommunicationskillsandabilitiesbyunderstandingitwell.Bodylanguageisknownasnon-verbalbehaviorwhichtransmitsinformationthroughgestures,actionsandfacialexpressions.Butindifferentculturesbodylanguagemeansthedifferentthings.Differentpeoplehavedifferentwaysofmakingnonverbalcommunication.UnderstandingthedifferentculturalimplicationofEnglishandChinesebodylanguagecanpromotepeople’scross-culturalcommunicationcompetence,reinforcetheheart-to-heartunderstandingandintheendwillbenefitthecommunicationbetweenEnglishandChinesepeople.

Peoplecancommunicatewitheachotherthroughnotonlyverbalcommunicationbutalsononverbalcommunication.Moreover,thelatterplaysanessentialroleinhumancommunication.Nonverbalcommunicationisconnectedwithculturesanditistheresultofcultures.Butmanypeoplepaygreatattentiontotheacceptanceandcorrectnessoftheverbalcommunicationandoverlooktheinfluenceandculturaldifferenceofnonverbalcommunication.Thenthemisunderstandingandculturalcrashoftenoccurinthecross-culturalcommunication.Sointheprocessofcommunication,itisnotacompletecommunicationwhileignoringtheculturaldifferencesofnonverbalcommunication.

.Theconceptofbodylanguage

“Nonverbalcommunicationisaprocessinwhichcommunicatorsusethenaturalfeaturesoftheirbodiestodeliverinformationandexpressspecificmeaninginstinctivelytotheothercommunicator.”[4:

90]

Peoplecommunicatewitheachotherbytheirbodylanguageinthewaysofnodding,waving,eyecontacting,shruggingandsoon.Asweknow,inacertaintradition,bodylanguageisdeterminedbyitscustomsandtraditions..Ontheotherhand,themeaningsofbodylanguageinacertainculturearedevelopingandchanging.Weintendtomakeacomparisonandcontrastofthesimilaritiesanddifferencesonbodylanguageinordertoavoidmisunderstandingandmakeefficientcommunication.

Ingeneralsense,thestudyofbodylanguagebeganin1950s.Andduring1970s,thestudyofbodylanguageenteredafullydevelopingperiod.Fromthelateof1970stotheearlyperiodof1980s,bodylanguagecontainedmorecontents,andhadagreatinfluenceontheotherfields.AndDoctorR.L.BirdWhitellisthereprehensiveofstudyofbodylanguage.Hisresearchindicated:

eyebrowscouldchangefor23positionsandpeoplecouldmake250,000differentfacialexpressions.AndpsychologistDavidAberconbiealsopointedout:

‘wespeakwithverbalorgansbutwetalkwithourbody.’

AfamousanthropologistE.T.Hallpointedout“Silentlanguageexpressesmoreinformationthanverballanguage.Becauseitcontainsmuchinformation.”Accordingtosomeresearchersabroad,inpeople’sdailylife,nonverbalcommunicationtakespartover65%inallofinformationexchange.Andbodylanguageisanimportantpartofnonverbalcommunication.Manyexpertshaveshowntheimportanceofbodylanguageinthecross-culturalcommunication.“Apsychologistproposedaformula:

thetotalimpactofmessage=7%verbal+38%vocal+55%facialexpressionsandbehavior.”[6:

89]Usuallybodylanguageoccursunconsciously.Yetthebodylanguageweusedextentthequalityofourcommunication.Anditisimportanttonotethatbodylanguagehasdifferentmeaningsindifferentcultures.Howwecaninterpretbodylanguagedependsonthesituation,theculture,therelationshipwehavewiththeperson.Inotherwords,thereisnoonesignalthathasthesamemeaningallovertheworld.Aswellasthat,variousbodylanguagesignscancomplementeachothertomakeaparticularmeaningcrystalclearorstrengthenthemeaningofwhatwecommunicate.

1.1Classificationofbodylanguage

Bodylanguagecontainseyelanguage,gestures,postures,facialexpressions,mannersandbehaviorsandtouchandsoon.

Gesture,asanotherimportantpartofbodylanguage,meanswecommunicateandexpressbythemovementandmannersofourhandsandfingers.Inourdailylife,everyonemakesgestures,butmanygestureshavedistinctregionalandculturalfeatures.“Gesturemeanswecommunicateandexpressbythemovementandmannersofourhandsandfingers.”[7:

123]

Facialexpressionisthemostexpressivepartofthebody.It’scapableofconveyingemotions.Differentcultureshavemanydifferentorsamefacialexpressions.Laughingmeanshappinessandcryingindicatessadness.

Eyecontact,Englishdramatist“Shakespearesaid,‘Thereislanguageinhereye,hercheek,herlip.’TheChinesesayinggoes,‘Theeyeisthewindowofthesoul.’”Fromthesetwosentences,peoplecanseethateyecontactisquiteimportantintheirinteraction.

“Postureisamatterofhowpeoplesit,walk,standandmove.”Posturereferstothegeneralwaypeoplecarrytheirbody,especiallytheback,shouldersandheadwhilestanding,lying,etc.Itoffersinsightintoaculture’sdeepstructureandoftenreflectsaperson’sattitudetowardpeoplehe/sheiswith.[8:

58]

1.2Eyecontact

Eyecontactisanimportantaspectofbodylanguage;itisnotquitethesameinChinaandEnglish-speakingcountries.Inconversationswithpeoplewhoknoweachother,Americancustomdemandsthatthereshouldbeeyecontact.Thisappliestoboththespeakerandthelistener.Foreitheronenottolookattheotherpersoncouldimplyanumberofthings,amongwhicharefear,contempt,uneasiness,guilt,indifference,eveninpublicspeakingthereshouldbeplentyofeyecontact.Foraspeakerto“burryhisnoseinhismanuscript”,toreadaspeechinsteadoflookingatandtalkingtohidaudience,assomeChinesespeakersareinthehabitofdoing,wouldberegardedasinconsiderateanddisrespectful.

InJulietsFaster’sbook“BodyLanguage”,thereisaparagraphwhichcanexplaintheproblem.“Twostrangers