跨文化交际中的身势语.docx

1、跨文化交际中的身势语毕业论文题目：跨文化交际中的身势语Title: On Body Language in Intercultural Communication2009 年5 月22 日AbstractBody language is very important in intercultural communication and it is connected closely with culture. Body language from different cultures has many differences because of their different regions

2、, races and cultural customs. It is influenced by its culture, so it has particular cultural connotations. That is to say, the meanings of the same body languages vary from culture to culture and have different social functions. Consequently, in order to make successful exchange in intercultural com

3、munication, we should know the body language from different cultures. This paper talks about the definition, function, classification and importance of body language, and it discusses the cultural differences of body language and the major principles of using body language. It aims to illustrate the

4、 differences of body language and put forward the principles of reducing barriers in intercultural communication so as to achieve effective communication and to avoid misunderstanding.Key words: body language; intercultural communication; cultural differences; major principles摘 要身势语是跨文化交际中非常重要的一部分，它

5、与文化紧密相关。由于地域、种族、文化习俗的差异，不同文化的身势语有许多差异。它们受自身的文化制约并拥有独特的文化内涵。也就是说，相同的身势语在不同的文化背景下有不同的含义，行使着不同的社会功能。因此，为了在跨文化交际中顺利的交流，我们要了解不同文化背景下的身势语。本文介绍了身势语的定义，功能，分类及其重要性，并讨论了不同文化背景下的身势语及其正确的使用原则。目的在于通过列举身势语的文化差异，并提出减少跨文化交际中文化冲突的原则，从而促进有效交流，避免误解。关键词：身势语；跨文化交际；文化差异；主要原则ContentsIntroduction.1I. The Introduction of Bo

6、dy Language .21.1 The Definition of Body Language .21.2 The Function of Body Language .21.3 The Classification of Body Language .41.4 The Importance of Body Language .5II. Different Body Languages from Different Cultures .62.1 Eye Language .62.2 Gestures .82.3 Postures .92.4 Facial Expressions .10II

7、I. The Similarities of Body Language and their Causes .123.1 The Similarities of Body Language .123.2 The Causes Resulting in the Similarities of Body Language .12IV. The Principles of Reducing Barriers in Communication.14Conclusion .15Bibliography16Introduction When people speak of the communicatio

8、n, first they will think of the verbal language and ignore the nonverbal language body language. In fact, body language plays an essential role in human communication. In the process of communication, people can get a lot of information through body language. According to some researchers abroad, in

9、 peoples daily life, nonverbal communication accounts for nearly 65% of the whole exchange of information. And body language is an important part of nonverbal communication. Many experts have shown the importance of body language in intercultural communication. “The best known theory is that of the

10、American psychologist Mehrabian. He states that when it comes to expressing feelings: 55% of the communication consists of body language, 38% is expressed through tone of voice and only 7% is communicated through words. ”1 It is difficult to fancy that the communication between the people just depen

11、ds on words without any accompanying gestures or postures. That, at least, is not a sufficient communication. Without body language we cant finish our exchange of information. Nowadays learning English becomes more and more popular, but the learning of body language still has been ignored. The purpo

12、se of learning body language is not to imitate the foreigners, but to understand the meaning of different body language from different culture. If many people only pay great attention to the acceptance and correctness of the verbal communication and overlook the influence and cultural differences of

13、 body language, the misunderstanding even the cultural conflict will often occur in intercultural communication. Meanwhile, the similarities of body language should be paid attention, too. In fact, the deep layer of different culture has many similarities. Besides, with the development of the scienc

14、e and technology and the increase of international communication, the infiltration and influence among different culture have being on the rise.People began to notice body language since World War II. For many decades after that, many countries took the considerable development in the research of bo

15、dy language. For the past few years, our country has a lot of the discourses in this field. However, this work is still in its infancy, especially the contrast of body language in intercultural communication. My thesis will discuss the differences and similarities of body language and put forward th

16、e principles of reducing barriers in communication.I. The Introduction of Body Language1.1 The Definition of Body LanguageBody language is not a language in the narrow sense of the word “language”. “Body language” is the process of communicating what you are feeling or thinking by the way you place

17、and move your body rather than by words (Oxford Advanced Learners English-Chinese Dictionary, 2004).Besides, body language is a major part of nonverbal communication.“Nonverbal communication is a process in which communicators use the natural features of their bodies to deliver information and expre

18、ss specific meaning instinctively to the other communicator.”2：90 The study of nonverbal communication covers three major parts: Proxemics, Kinesics or Body Language, and Paralanguage. Kinesics is also called body language, which studies the meanings of the movement of all parts of body and it inclu

19、des many nonverbal behaviours such as eye language, gestures, postures, facial expressions and so on.1.2 The Functions of Body LanguageIn some types of communication people express more nonverbally than verbally. “One study done in the United States showed that in the communication of attitudes, 93%

20、 of the message was transmitted by the tone of the voice and by facial expressions, whereas only 7% of the speakers attitude was transmitted by words.”3：122 In addition, body language, like verbal language is also an important part of culture and the carrier of a certain culture. Therefore, the func

21、tions of body language in the whole intercultural communication cant be overlooked. “In the daily communication, we can see people cant communicate efficiently by verbal language alone. And nonverbal communication will express clear meanings in a certain context. And a certain nonverbal communicatio

22、n should be connected with verbal communication or the other nonverbal communication to provide correct information.”4：37 Its clear that body language plays an essential role in communication activities. And body language always expresses the true information to people. “In any case, when verbal com

23、munication conflicts with nonverbal communication, people are willing to accept the information nonverbal communication delivers. Because nonverbal communication sounds more natural, more instinctive and it is hard to pretend.”5：90 Obviously, we should make full use of body language to achieve effic

24、ient communication. And the precondition of that is to understand the functions of body language.1.2.1 RepetitionBody language can simply repeat what was said verbally. For example,we might wave an outstretched hand with open palm when we say “goodbye”. We might point in a certain direction after we

25、 have just said (when we tell people how to get to the nearest hospital, we are not only telling them the direction but also pointing to the direction with hands.). Or we might hold up our hand in the gesture that signifies a person to stop at the same time we actually use the word “stop”. All of th

26、ese body languages can be considered as repetition by reason that they indicate the same message the verbal languages give.1.2.2 Complement“Complement” is an important function of body language. When we communicate with other people, body language can add more information to messages than verbal lan

27、guage gives. Sometimes using verbal language is ineffectual, and at the moment we can use body language to complement verbal language. Body language makes verbal language visualized, emotional, vivid, and complements verbal language. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stressed the art of speec

28、h:Once in his speech, he said, “The level of our life now has exceeded any time in history, for we eat so much.” To this point, he stopped on purpose, looking at the audiences for a while. Then he pointed his finger at his huge stomach, “this is powerful evidence.” Churchill used nonverbal approach

29、twice to assist verbal language. At first, he intentionally used pause to attract the attention of the mass; then he skillfully used the body language-pointing his beer belly to receive vivid effect. 6：17However, without vocal language, the function can not take effect. This function of body languag

30、e indicates that body language is complementary to verbal behaviours in communication. If it separates from verbal language, the message conveyed by body language will fail to be understood which results in failure of performing normal human communication. Just think of what the situation will be li

31、ke if we watch TV without sound. So only when vocal language system mixed body language, can a complete communication system be formed. If the cooperation and assistance between verbal language and body language break up, it is hard to attain effective goal of communication.1.2.3 ReplacementDifferent from “complement”, “replacement” can take effect without the appearance of verbal behaviours. We use this function when we perform some action instead of speaking. When it is inconvenient or unable to use verbal