浅谈非语言交际中的身势语--.docx

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1、浅谈非语言交际中的身势语摘要“身势语同语言一样，都是的一部分。在不同中，身势语的意义并不完全相同。各民族有不同的非语言交际方式.例如：不同的民族在谈话时，对双方保持多大距离才合适有不同的看法；谈话双方身体接触的次数多少因文化不同而各异；在目光接触这一方面也有许多规定：看不看对方，什么时候看，看多久，什么人可以看，什么人不可以看；在某些场合下，在中国和讲的国家无论微笑还是大笑，通常表示友好赞同满意高兴愉快，但是在某些场合，中国人的笑会引起西方人的反感；打手势时动作稍有不同，就会与原来的意图有所区别，对某种手势理解错了，也会引起意外的反应等等。因此，要用外语进行有效的交际，在说某种语言时就得了解说

2、话人的手势，动作，举止等所表示的意思。而有些权威人士认为两者相互依存。在大多数情况下这是对的。在某些情况下，人体动作与所说的话不一致，口头说的与身势语表达的意思不一样。这时要借助其他信息或从整个情况中猜测说话人的意思，从某种意义上说，一切身势语都要放在一定的情景下去理解；忽视了整个情景就会发生误解。而通过中美身势语对比研究表明，两者有相似的地方，也有差异的地方，说明了解另一种语言中身势语的重要性。可见，真正掌握两种语言的人在换用另一种语言说话时也要换用另一种身势语。这样才能达到更好的交际效果。关键词:非语言交际身势语不同文化不同方式BodyLanguageonNonverbalCommunic

3、ationAbstract“Bodylanguage,likeourverballanguage,isalsoapartofourculture.Butnotallbodylanguagemeansthesamethingindifferentcultures.Differentpeoplehavedifferentwaysofmakingnonverbalcommunication.Forexample:differentpeoplehavedifferentideasabouttheproperdistancebetweenpeopleconversing;theappropriatene

4、ssofphysicalcontactvarieswithdifferentcultures;onecoulddrawupquitealistof“rulesabouteyecontact:tolookornottolook;whentolookandhowlongtolook;whoandwhonottolookat;smilesandlaughterusuallyconveyfriendliness,approval,satisfaction,pleasure,joyandmerriment,and,thisisgenerallytrueinChinaaswellastheEnglish-

5、speakingcountries,however,therearesituationswhensomeChinesewilllaughthatwillcausenegativereactionsbywesterners;gesturescanbeparticularlytroublesome,foraslightdifferenceinmakingthegestureitselfcanmeansomethingquitedifferentfromthatintended,and,awronginterpretationofagesturecanarousequiteunexpectedrea

6、ctionsandsoon.Soinordertocommunicateeffectivelyinaforeignlanguage,oneshouldknowalsothegestures,bodymovements,mannerismsandetc.thataccompanyaparticularlanguage.Someauthoritiesfeelthatthetwoaredependentoneachother.Thisiscertainlytrueinmostsituations.Butitisalsotruethatincertainsituationsbodyactioncont

7、radictswhatisbeingsaid,justasthespokenwordsmaymeansomethingquitedifferentfromwhatbodylanguagecommunicates.Whenthisoccurs,onemusttrytogetfurtherinformation,orguessthemeaningfromthecontextofthesituation.Inasense,allbodylanguageshouldbeinterpretedwithinagivencontext;toignoretheoverallsituationcouldbemi

8、sleading.AcomparativestudyofChineseandAmericanbodylanguageshowsanumberofsimilaritiesanddiversitiesofbodylanguage.Itshowstheimportanceofknowingthespecificgesturesthatgowithalanguage.Observationshowsthatatrulybilingualpersonswitcheshisbodylanguageatthesametimeheswitcheslanguages.Thismakescommunication

9、easierandbetter.Keywords:nonverbalcommunicationbodylanguagedifferentculturedifferentwaysContents1.Introduction12.Thenecessityandimportanceoflearningbodylanguageonnonverbalcommunication23.Theconcretetypesandapplicationofthebodylanguage33.1Typesofbodylanguage33.1.1Distancebetweenpeopleconversing33.1.2

10、Physicalcontact33.1.3Eyecontact43.1.4Smilesandlaughter63.1.5Gestures63.2Applicationofthebodylanguage63.2.1Greetings63.2.2Signsofaffection83.2.3Physicalcontactinlife83.3AcomparativestudyofChineseandAmericanbodylanguage94.Conclusion121.IntroductionWhenaChineseconverseswithaCanadianorAmericanfriendofth

11、eoppositesex,woulditbeindecenttobelookingattheotherperson?Iftwoyoungfriendsofthesamesexwalkwiththeirarmsaroundeachothersshouldersorholdhands,wouldthisberegardedbyEnglish-speakingpeopleasproper?Doesnoddingtheheadmean“yes,andshakingtheheadmean“noinallcultures?Therearenotquestionsaboutlanguage,butabout

12、bodylanguage,aboutnonverbalcommunication.Nonverbalcommunication,composedofpictures,dresses,eyecontact,spatialsignals,gesturesandsoon,isasimportantasverbalcommunication.Peoplecommunicateinmanydifferentways.Oneofthemostimportantways,ofcourse,isthroughlanguage.Moreover,whenlanguageiswrittenitcanbecompl

13、etelyisolatedfromthecontextinwhichitoccurs;itcanbetreatedasifitwereanindependentandself-containedprocess.Likeallanimals,peoplecommunicatebytheiractionsaswellasbythenoisestheymake.Itisasortofbiologicalanomalyofmansomethinglikethegiraffesneck,orthepelicansbeakthatourvocalnoiseshavesoforoutgrowninimpor

14、tanceandfrequencyallourothermethodsofsignalingtooneanother.Languageisobviouslyessentialforhumanbeings,butitisnotthewholestoryofhumancommunication.Notbyalongshot.Thestudyofnonverbalcommunicationshouldbecomplementarytothestudyoflanguage.Theunderstandingofoneshouldbehelpfulinthefurtherunderstandingofth

15、eother.Someauthoritiesfeelthatthetwoaredependentoneachother.Thisiscertainlytrueinmostsituations.Butitisalsotruethatincertainsituationbodyactioncontradictswhatisbeingsaid,justasthespokenwordsmaymeansomethingquitedifferentfromwhatnonverbalcommunicationcommunicates.Whenthisoccurs,onemusttrytogetfurther

16、information,orguessthemeaningfromthecontextofthesituation.Inacase,allnonverbalcommunicationshouldbeinterpretedwithinagivencontext;toignoretheoverallsituationcouldbemisleading.2.ThenecessityandimportanceoflearningbodylanguageonnonverbalcommunicationAlthoughwemaynotrealizeit,whenweconversewithotherswe

17、communicatebymuchmorethanwords.Byourexpressions,gesturesandotherbodymovementswesendmessagestothesearoundusasmileandanoutstretchedhandshowwelcome.Aformisasignofdispleasure.Noddingonesheadmeansagreement“Yes.Wavinganoutstretchedhandwithopenpalmisthegesturefor“goodbye.Leaningbackinonesseatandyawningatat

18、alkorlectureshowslackofinterest,boredom.Thesegestureshavecometobeacceptedingeneralashavingthemeaningsmentioned,atlasttoChineseandAmericans.Therearepartsofthewayinwhichwecommunicate.This“bodylanguage,likeourverballanguage,isalsoapartofourculture.Butnotallbodylanguagemeansthesamethingindifferentcultur

19、es.Differentpeoplehavedifferentwaysofmakingnonverbalcommunication.Theanswerstothequestionsatthebeginningofthischapterareall“no.Evennoddingtheheadmayhaveadifferentmeaning.ToNepalese,SriLankans,someIndiansandsomeEskimositmeansnot“yes,but“no.Soinordertocommunicateeffectivelyinaforeignlanguage,oneshould

20、knowalsothegestures,bodymovements,mannerismsandetc.thataccompanyaparticularlanguage.Bodylanguageisanimportantmediathroughwhichpeoplecommunicatewitheachother.Itreferstothepatternsoffacialexpressionsandgesturesthatpeopleusetoexpresstheirfeelingsincommunication.ThespecialistonbodylanguageresearchFen.La

21、fle.Angles,oncesaid:Onceitwaslost,ababycouldnthavegrownintoanormalperson.Itsalsotruetothejuveniles.Inschooleducation,bodylanguageplaysapositiveroleincultivatingthestudentscharacters.3.Theconcretetypesandapplicationofthebodylanguage3.1Typesofbodylanguage3.1.1DistancebetweenpeopleconversingWatchanArab

22、andanEnglishmaninconversation.TheArab,showingfriendlinessinthemannerofhispeople,willstandclosetotheEnglishman.Thelatterwillmoveback,watchingtotheEnglishman.TheArabwillthenmoveforwardtobecloser;theEnglishmanwillkeepmovingbackward.Bytheendoftheconversation,thetwomaybequiteadistancefromtheconversation;

23、thetwomaybequiteadistancefromtheplacewheretheywereoriginallystanding!Here,distancebetweenthetwoisthekeyfactor.Differentpeoplehavedifferentideasabouttheproperdistancebetweenpeopleconversing.Accordingtostudies,itseemstherearefourmaindistancesinAmericansocialandbusinessrelations:intimate,personal,socia

24、l,andpublic.Intimatedistancerangesfromdirectphysicalcontacttoadistanceofabout45centimeters;thisisforpeoplesmostprivaterelationsandactivities,betweenmanandwife,forexample.Personaldistanceisabout4580centimetersandismostcommonwhenfriends,acquaintancesandrelativesconverse.Socialdistancemaybeanywherefrom

25、about1.30metersto3meters;peoplewhoworktogether,orpeopledoingbusiness,aswellasmostofthoseinconversationatsocialgatheringstendtokeepadistanceisfartherthananyoftheaboveandisgenerallyforspeakersinpublicandforteachersinclassrooms.TheimportantthingtokeepinmindisthatmostEnglish-speakingpeopledonotlikepeopl

26、etobetooclose.Beingtoofarapart,ofcourse,maybeawkward,butbeingtooclosemakespeopleuncomfortable,unlessthereisareason,suchasshowingaffectionorencouragingintimacy.Butthatisanothermatter.3.1.2PhysicalcontactTheappropriatenessofphysicalcontactvarieswithdifferentcultures.Figuresfromastudyofferinterestingin

27、sightintothismatter.Pairsofindividualssittingandchattingincollegeshopsindifferentplaceswereobservedforatlastonehoureach.Thenumberoftimesthateitheronetouchedtheotherinthatonehourwasrecorded,asfollows:London,0;Gainesville,Florida,2;Pairs,10;SanJuan,PuertoRico,180.Thesefiguresspeakforthemselves.(Robine

28、tt,1978)InEnglish-speakingcountries,physicalcontactisgenerallyavoidedinconversationamongordinaryfriendsoracquaintances.Merelytouchingsomeonemaycauseanunpleasantreaction.Ifonetouchesanotherpersonaccidentally,he/sheusuallyuttersanapologysuchas“Sorry,Oh,Imsorry,Excuseme.InChina,acommoncomplaintofwester

29、nmothersisthatChineseoftenfondletheirbabiesandverysmallchildren.Suchbehaviorwhethertouching,patting,huggingorkissingcanbequiteembarrassingandawkwardforthemothers.Theyknowthatnoharmismeant,andthatsuchgesturesaremerelysignsoffriendlinessoraffection,thereforetheycannotopenlyshowtheirdispleasure.Ontheot

30、herhand,suchactionsintheirownculturewouldbeconsideredrude,intrusiveandoffensiveandcouldarouseastrongdislikeandevenrepugnance.Sothemothersoftenstandbyandwatchinawkwardsilence,withmixedemotions,evenwhenthefondlingisbyChinesefriendsoracquaintances.Goingbeyondthemilderformsoftouching,weshalltakeupthemat

31、terofhuggingandembracinginpublic.Thispracticeisfairlycommonamongwomeninmanycountries.Andinmostofthemoreindustrializedcountries,itoccursfrequentlybetweenhusbandandwifeandclosemembersofthefamilywhenmeetingafteraperiodofabsence.Huggingandembracingamongmen,however,isadifferentmatter.AmongArabs,Russians,

32、French,andinseveraloftheeastEuropeanandMediterraneancountries,awarmhugandakissonthecheeksareastandardwayofwelcome.ThesameistruewithsomeLatinAmericans.InEastAsiaandintheEnglish-speakingcountries,though,thepracticeisseldomseen.Asimplehandshakeisthecustom.ThestoryistoldofwhathappenednotlongagowhentheJa

33、paneseprimeministeratthetime,Mr.Fukuda,wenttotheU.S.onastatevisit.Whenhesteppedoutofhiscarinfrontofthewhitehouse,hewasgreetedbytheAmericanpresidentwhita“bearhug.Theprimeministerwasflabbergasted;othersoftheJapanesedelegationwereamazed;manyAmericansweresurpriseditwassounusualandsounexpected.Ifthepresi

34、denthadbowedlowinJapanesefashion,itwouldhavebeenlessasurprisethantobegreetedinawaysouncommonineithercountry!ThematterofphysicalcontactbetweenmembersofthesamesexinEnglish-speakingcountriesisadelicateone.Oncepastchildhood,theholdingofhands,orwalkingwithanarmaroundanothersshoulderisnotconsideredproper.

35、Theimplicationishomosexuality,andhomosexualitygenerallyarousesstrongsocialdisapprovalinthesecountries.3.1.3EyecontactEyecontactisanimportantaspectofbodylanguage.Onecoulddrawupquitealistof“rulesabouteyecontact:tolookornottolook;whentolookandhowlongtolook;whoandwhonottolookat.ThesepassagesfromthebookB

36、odyLanguage(Fast,1971)areamusingaswellasinformative:“Towstrangersseatedacrossfromeachotherinarailwaydiningcarhavetheoptionofintroducingthemselvesandfacingamealofinconsequentialandperhapsboringtalk,orignoringeachotheranddesperatelytryingtoavoideachothersglance.Awriter,describingsuchasituationinanessa

37、y,wrote,theyre-readthemenu,theyfoolwiththecutlery,theyinspecttheirownfingernailsasifseeingthemforthefirsttime.Comestheinevitablemomentwhenglancesmeet,buttheymeetonlytoshootinstantlyawayandoutthewindowforanintentviewofthepassingscene.Hepointsoutthatwithpeoplewhoareunfamiliar:“Wemustvoidstaringatthem,

38、andyetwemustalsoavoidignoringthemWelookatthemlongenoughtomakeitquiteclearthatweseethem,andthenweimmediatelylookaway.Therearedifferentformulasfortheexchangeofglancesdependingonwherethemeetingtakesplace.Ifyoupasssomeoneinthestreetyoumayeyetheoncomingpersontillyouareabouteightfeetapart,thenyoumustlooka

39、wayasyoupass.Beforetheeight-footdistanceisreached,eachwillsignalinwhichdirectionhewillpass.Thisisdonewithabrieflookinthatdirection.Eachwillveerslightly,andthepassingisdonesmoothly.Inconversationswithpeoplewhoknoweachother,however,Americancustomdemandsthatthereshouldbeeyecontact.Thisappliestoboththes

40、peakerandthelistener.Foreitheronenottolookattheotherpersoncouldimplyanumberofthings,amongwhicharefear,contempt,uneasiness,guilt,indifference,eveninpublicspeakingthereshouldbeplentyofeyecontact.Foraspeakerto“burryhisnoseinhismanuscript,toreadaspeechinsteadoflookingatandtalkingtohidaudience,assomeChin

41、esespeakersareinthehabitofdoing,wouldberegardedasinconsiderateanddisrespectful.Inconversation,apersonshowsthatheislisteningbylookingattheotherpersonseyesorface.Iftheotherpersonisspeakingatsomelength,thelistenerwilloccasionallymakesoundslike“Hmm,“Ummm,ornodhisheadtoindicatehisattention.Ifheagreeswith

42、thespeaker,hemaynodorsmile.Ifhedisagreesorhassomereservations,hemayslanthisheadtooneside,raiseaneyebrow,haveaquizzicallook.StaringatpeopleorholdingaglancetoolongisconsideredimproperinEnglish-speakingcountries.Evenwhenthelookmaybeoneofappreciationasofbeautyitmaymakepeopleuneasyandembarrassed.ManyAmer

43、icanstravelingabroadfindthestaresofthelocalpeopleirritating.Theybecomeextremelyself-consciousandoftenendupquiteindignantaboutthe“rudenessofthepeoplethere,notrealizingthatthepracticemaybequitecommoninthecountryandmaybenothingmorethancuriosity.ManyEnglish-speakingpeopleinchinahaveheardtocomplainaboutt

44、his.“Thelanguageoftheeyesoneofthemostcommonandancientwaysofexchangingfeelingsbetweenboysandgirls,menandwomenisespeciallyelaborateintheUnitedStates.Muchstudyhasbeenmadeofthis:howpeopleoftheoppositesexshowinterestorindifference,encouragementordiscouragement,approvalordisapproval,affectionoraversion.Ho

45、wever,therearemanydifferencesevenwithintheUnitedStates.Menusetheireyesindifferentwaysthanwomen;therearedifferencesofage,classorsocialstatusandgeographicalregion;therearedifferencesofethnicbackground.ThestoryistoldofateenagePuertoRicangirlinaNewYorkhighschoolwhowastakenwithanumberofothergirlstothepri

46、ncipalforsuspectedsmoking.Althoughtherewasnoproofofanywrongdoingandalthoughshehadagoodrecord,theprincipaldecidedshewasguiltyandsuspendedher.“Therewassomethingslyandsuspiciousabouther,hesaidinhisreport.“Shejustwouldntmeetmyeye.Shewouldntlookatme.Whenshewasquestionedbytheprincipalitwastruethatshekepts

47、taringatthefloorandrefusedtomeethiseye.AndinEnglishthereisasaying“Donttrustanyonewhowontlookatyouintheeye.ItsohappenedthatoneoftheteachershadaLatinAmericanbackgroundandknewaboutPuertoRicanculture.Aftertalkingwiththegirlsparents,hewenttotheprincipalandexplainedthataccordingtoPuertoRicanculture,agoodg

48、irl“doesnotmeettheeyesofanadult.Suchbehavior,heexplained,“isasignofrespectandobedience.Fortunately,theprincipalacceptedtheexplanation,admittedhismistakeandthematterwassettledproperly.Thisdifferenceininterpretingasimpleeyegesturewasalessoninculturaldiversitythathewouldnoteasilyforget.Rulesabouteye-la

49、nguagearenumerousandcomplex.Whathasbeenmentionedgivesagoodideaofthis;weshallnotgofurtherintodetail.3.1.4SmilesandlaughterSmilesandlaughterusuallyconveyfriendliness,approval,satisfaction,pleasure,joyandmerriment.ThisisgenerallytrueinChinaaswellastheEnglish-speakingcountries.However,therearesituationswhensomeChinesewilllaughthatwillcausenegativereactionsbywesterners.Toillustrat