A Comparative Study of Verbal Communication and Nonverbal Communication in Crosscultural Communicat.docx

1、A Comparative Study of Verbal Communication and Nonverbal Communication in Crosscultural CommunicatA Comparative Study of Verbal Communication and Nonverbal Communication in Cross-cultural Communication IntroductionCommunication is an indispensable part in peoples activities. It falls into two categ

2、ories, namely, verbal communication and nonverbal communication. When it comes to communication, people tend to view it as verbal communication. Yet besides the language, non-language communication plays a dispensable role in peoples daily life. Both depend on each other. .Verbal communication In ge

3、neral, verbal communication means that people communicate with each other by means of language. Through verbal communication, people will learn who they are, and what the world around them is like. Furthermore, verbal communication expresses ones thought and feelings to others, and to satisfy ones e

4、motional and material needs. In humans daily life, communication is something that they do every day. Verbal communication is humans main communicative form, in which language is its communicative tool.Nonverbal communicationIn a broad sense, nonverbal communication refers to all communicative means

5、 except verbal communication. According to外语界，上海外国语主办，nonverbal communication may divide into two categories: non-language information sent by body like body language, facial expression, eye contact, physical touch, smell and paralanguage, and nonverbal information connected to environment such as t

6、ime, space and silence. In a narrow prospect, definitions of nonverbal communication differ from one expert to another. Nonverbal communication may convey richer information than that of verbal communication. Sometimes, it can send messages independently, and in many situations it is employed in com

7、bination with verbal actions to transmit meanings.Superiorities of nonverbal communication4.1 Comparison of verbal and nonverbal communication In social communication, verbal and nonverbal communication are not absolutely separate each other. Both are indispensable and interactive. Verbal communicat

8、ion sends information only in a waylanguage. Such information may be repeated, explained, complemented and reinforced with the accompaniment of nonverbal behaviors like tone of voices, smiling, nodding, eye movement, facial expression, etc. During peoples face- to -face activities, verbal communicat

9、ion is a principle communicative means, but once verbal and nonverbal communication happen to conflict, nonverbal messages are more powerful in that it may reflect ones true thinking and feelings. Why is nonverbal communication more forceful than verbal communication when they conflict? The real val

10、ue of these two kinds of communications lies in their differences. 4.1.1 One-way information vs. Multiple-way messages Verbal communication, whose communicative tool is only language, conveys information with the use of verbal messages such as words, sentences and paragraphs. Whether sending compreh

11、ensive information that what counterpart needs, it depends on his or her reaction. Unlike verbal communication that sends information in a single waylanguage, nonverbal communication may provide various ways of learning about others such as other eyes movement, facial expression, postures, gestures

12、and so on. Just as Chinese saying: to read ones faces. Then, verbal communication conveys information with the one- way use of language. However, in fact, language may hardly convey absolutely the senders thought and feelings. Sometimes, there is no need to convey ones minds and emotions. Whats more

13、, only with the use of language can they not be conveyed. Whereas, non-language information sent by body and nonverbal messages connected to environment may tell others. Through some nonverbal cues, others are able to understand the senders verbal information in the whole .It naturally leads to the

14、fact that verbal communication sends information in a single way, while nonverbal communication may explain and complement the messages that language can not convey or impossibly convey through various ways.4.1.2 Direct vs. IndirectVerbal communication directly sends information through language, wh

15、ile nonverbal communication indirectly conveys messages through some non-language cues such as body languages, physical touch, spatial use and so on .When communicating through human language, people receive direct information. Then, in a conversation, the topic, the content, the direction and the p

16、urpose are obvious. Communicators are able to directly gain necessary information and they will reach an agreeable idea. Nonverbal communication, however, may indirectly bring a great variety of messages. Although nonverbal communication differs in different cultures, some basic emotions reflected b

17、y behaviors such as smiling, frowning, laughing and crying have common meanings in human communication. A smile signifies happiness, greeting, and welcome; Frown may display disagreement, unhappiness, discouragement, dissatisfaction, anger and so on. On the other hand, people in different culture ha

18、ve different attitude towards physical contact, spatial use and so on. Such indirect information without the aid of language is more effective than that of verbal language.4.1.3 Conscious vs. Unconscious It is a usual fact that people think about what they want to say before speaking or writing, mor

19、e nonverbal messages are not conscious. Of course, someone really focus on some of their nonverbal behavior: smiling, as people want to try their best to convince others that they are happy or making sure the handshake is firm to show that they are straightforward and decisive. Yet there are so many

20、 nonverbal signals that are unlikely for people to consider and dominant over all of them. Then, their subtle frowns may deny their smiles, and their eye movement may destroy all the self-confidence of their strong handshakes. The unconscious nature of most nonverbal behavior explains the reason why

21、 it can offer so many valuable cues about how others are feeling and thinking. Verbal communication and nonverbal communication are inseparable. The two depend on each other. Thus, both are interactive. It is difficult to image that how they could take into effect without either one. Much of the rea

22、l value of these communications of two kinds lies in their differences. 4.2 Function of nonverbal communication Nonverbal communication is also called silent language because it does not use sound as media. The messages sent by nonverbal communication are not in such an orderly, sequential manner. N

23、onverbal communication may convey ones soundless and true feelings in the inner world. In interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication is unlikely to be replaced by spoken language. Nonverbal communication is the linguistic signal system that people exchange thought, convey information and e

24、xpress emotions. It has its own function. When only used, it has the function of conveying emotions, replacing language, conveying information, showing ceremony and so on. When used together with language, it has the following functions. 4.2.1 Emphasizing the information of verbal communication Nonv

25、erbal signal may underline the information that the verbal communication conveys, and leave a deep impression on others. In a speech, nonverbal transmission is especially important, sometimes even more important than language. When you are giving a speech or talking, nonverbal cues may lead to your

26、success, for it can draw audiences attention and emphasize your speech. In this way, people will have a deep impression on you and a better understanding on what you try to convey in this speech. In addition, nonverbal signals may highlight what one is speaking. For example, when a stranger gets los

27、t in a big city, then turn to you for help, you will describe how to get there, pointing at a landmark. In such way, the stranger makes a clear sense of your words. And this gesture emphasizes what you say. Nonverbal signals play a vital role in emphasizing what verbal language is conveying. It may

28、make verbal information clearer, more powerful. 4.2.2 Repeating the verbal messages Nonverbal communication may reinforce whats said in verbal language. Studies show that the information that verbal language conveys is only partly sent to receiver. Hence, repeating the verbal messages by nonverbal c

29、ues, such as by a gesture, the receiver possesses a better possibility to understand the messages. For instance, people may point at a building after they just say “this is the most beautiful office building here”.4.2.3 Complementing more information Repetition can reinforce the information, while c

30、omplementing generally adds more information to messages. For example, if you are delivering a lecture, you may change your tone of voice, for in such way, audience will not feel bored. Meanwhile, this way may complement your lecture that is expressing ideas. In addition, if you make an apology to s

31、omeone, it is more powerful on your face, eyes as well, are saying, “I am sorry”. It is more effective that you could accent your anger by speaking in a much louder voice than in normal. 4.2.4 Contradicting the verbal messages Nonverbal communication sends signals opposite to the real meaning convey

32、ed in verbal language in some situation. In such occasion, it is easier to bring about misunderstanding. It is often argued that people have a trend to believe the information that nonverbal language conveys when verbal communication and nonverbal communication conflict. Some talkers, however, often send their nonverbal cues beyond their conscious control. For example, if you visit a friend, when you are going to leave, your friend enthusiastically say to you, “I really want you to stay a day once again”, opening the door and having a desire to push you outside and shu