非言语交际和跨文化交际.docx

非言语交际和跨文化交际.docx

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非言语交际和跨文化交际

非言语交际和跨文化交际

Non-verbalcommunicationandinterculturalcommunication

Abstract:

Languageisthetoolofcommunicationandcarrierofculture.Non-verbalcommunicationcaneffectivelycomplementverbalcommunication.Non-verbalcommunicationoftenhappensasverbalcommunicationtakesplace.Italsohasthesamecommunicativefunctionasverbalcommunicationdoes.Peopleonlyemphasizeverbalcommunicationwhiletheyusuallyneglectnon-verbalcommunicationwhichisofmuchimportanceininformationtransmission.Themainconcernsinthispaperincludetherelationbetweenverbalandnon-verbal,classification,feature,andfunctionofnon-verbalcommunication.Thewaysolvinginterculturalconflictsinnon-verbalcommunicationisalsodiscussedhere.

Keywords:

non-verbalcommunication;function;interculturalcommunication

1.Introduction

Languageisanecessaryandveryimportanttoolinhumancommunication.Whenpeopletalkaboutthecommunication,they

communication

Asweallknow,verbalcommunicationisveryimportantinourreallife,however,non-verbalcommunicationalsoplaysanimportantroleindailylife.

ThephoneticianDavidAbercrombieclaimedthat‘wespeakwithourorgans,butweconversewithourentirebodies’（Abercrombie1968）,andweshallseeinwhatsensethisistrue.AndinMr.DaiWeidong’sbooknamedANewConciseCourseonLinguisticforStudiesofEnglish,languagewasdefinedaslangueisasystemofarbitraryvocalsymbolsusedforhumancommunication.Shortasit,thisdefinitionhascapturedthemainfeaturesoflanguage.Firstasall,languageisasystem.Second,languageisarbitraryinthesensethatthereisnointrinsicconnectionbetweenalinguisticsymbolandwhatthesymbolandwhatthesymbolstandsfor.Third,languageisvocalbecausetheprimarymediumforalllanguagesissound.Last,thetermhumaninthedefinitionismeanttospecifythatlanguageishuman-specific.

Speechalsoreflectsthesocialrelationsbetweenthespeakersandaddressee,mostparticularlythepowerandsolidaritymanifestedinthatrelationship.Powerisself-explanatory,butsolidarityishardertodefine.Itconcernsthesocialdistancebetweenpeople-howmuchexperiencetheyhaveshared,howmanysocialcharacteristicstheyshare（religion,sex,age,regionoforigin,race,occupation,interest,etc.）,howfartheyarepreparedtoshareintimacies,andotherfactors.

Non-verbalbehaviorisinvolvedinthetwoaspectsofspeechconsideredinthesechapter-makingrelationsbetweenspeakerandaddresseeandthestructureofdiscourse;anditalsoinvolvedinthecommunicationofcontent,thatis,propositionsandreferents.Inthepart4wewilldiscussthenon-verbalcommunicationininterculturalcommunicationindetail.

3.Thefunctionofnon-verbalcommunication

Whencommunicating,non-verbalmessagescaninteractwithverbalmessagesinthefollowingways:

repeating,conflicting,complementing,substituting,regulating.

1）Repeating

"Repeating"consistsofusinggesturestostrengthenaverbalmessage,suchaspointingtotheobjectofdiscussion.

2）Conflicting

Verbalandnon-verbalmessageswithinthesameinteractioncansometimessendopposingorconflictingmessages.Apersonverballyexpressingastatementoftruthwhilesimultaneouslyfidgetingoravoidingeyecontactmayconveyamixedmessagetothereceiverintheinteraction.Conflictingmessagesmayoccurforavarietyofreasonsoftenstemmingfromfeelingsofuncertainty,ambivalence,orfrustration.Whenmixedmessagesoccur,non-verbalcommunicationbecomestheprimarytoolpeopleusetoattainadditionalinformationtoclarifythesituation;greatattentionisplacedonbodilymovementsandpositioningwhenpeopleperceivemixedmessagesduringinteractions.

3）Complementing

Accurateinterpretationofmessagesismadeeasierwhennon-verbalandverbalcommunicationcomplementseachother.Non-verbalcuescanbeusedtoelaborateonverbalmessagestoreinforcetheinformationsentwhentryingtoachievecommunicativegoals;messageshavebeenshowntoberememberedwellwhennon-verbalsignalsaffirmtheverbalexchange.

4）Substituting

Non-verbalbehaviorissometimesusedasthesolechannelforcommunicationofamessage.Peoplelearntoidentifyfacialexpressions,bodymovements,andbodypositioningascorrespondingwithspecificfeelingsandintentions.Non-verbalsignalscanbeusedwithoutverbalcommunicationtoconveymessages;whennon-verbalbehaviordoesnoteffectivelycommunicateamessage;verbalmethodsareusedtoenhanceunderstanding.

5）Regulating

Non-verbalbehavioralsoregulatesourconversations.Forexample,touchingsomeone'sarmcansignalthatyouwanttotalknextorinterrupt.Forexample,apersonwhoisverballyexpressingangermayaccenttheverbalmessagebyshakingafist.

4.Non-verbalcommunicationininterculturalcommunication

4.1.Thedefinitionofculture

Acultureisacollectionofbeliefs,habits,livingpatterns,andbehaviorswhichareheldmoreorlessincommonbypeoplewhooccupyparticulargeographicarea.

Cultureinfluencesallaspectsofourlives.Itinvolvessubjective–attitudes,values,beliefs,opinions,behaviors–andobjective–clothes,food,utensils,architecture–elements.WeuseculturetoexplainsimilaritieswithinanddifferencesbetweengroupsofpeopleCultureisnotastaticentity,butisever-evolving;whatwecommonlyknowas“thegenerationgap”isaculturaldifferenceasitreferstodifferentwaysoflifeandbeingforpeoplewhoareraisedindifferentperiodsoftime.Cultureexistsonmultiplelevels,anditenhancessurvival.Culturesproviderulesforliving,tellingpeoplehowtointeract,workandplaywitheachother.Cultureprovidesahierarchyfordecision-makingandsetsthestandardsforgroupcooperationanddivisionsoflabor.Withculturethereisorder;withoutculturethereischaos.Evenpeoplewhothinktheyhavenoculturehaveaculture;itisjusttheculturetobelievetheyhavenoculture.Ofallthepossiblethingspeoplecoulddo,culturehelpstolimitwhatweshoulddoinordertosurviveintheenvironmentinwhichwelive.Cultureiscommunicatedacrossgenerations.And,culturebothenablesbehavior,allowingittobecreatedorinventedanditconstrainsandrestrictsit.

4.2Thedefinitionofinterculturalcommunication

Interculturalcommunicationisaformofglobalcommunication.Itisusedtodescribethewiderangeofcommunicationproblemsthatnaturallyappearwithinanorganizationmadeupofindividualsfromdifferentreligious,social,ethnic,andeducationalbackgrounds.Interculturalcommunicationissometimesusedsynonymouslywithcross-culturalcommunication.Inthissenseitseekstounderstandhowpeoplefromdifferentcountriesandculturesact,communicateandperceivetheworldaroundthem.Asaseparatenotion,itstudiessituationswherepeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgroundsinteract.Asidefromlanguage,interculturalcommunicationfocusesonsocialattributes,thoughtpatterns,andtheculturesofdifferentgroupsofpeople.Italsoinvolvesunderstandingthedifferentcultures,languagesandcustomsofpeoplefromothercountries.Interculturalcommunicationplaysaroleinanthropology,culturalstudies,linguistics,psychologyandcommunicationstudies.

Interculturalcommunicationcanbesimplydefinedascommunicationbetweenpeopleofdifferentcultures.Theneedforinterculturalunderstandingdoesnotbeginorendwithnationalboundaries.Onedoesnotnecessarilyneedtocrossanoceantohaveacross-culturalexperience,forvirtuallyeverycountryaroundtheworldisundergoingincreaseddiversitywithinitsownborders.Evenwithinourowncountry,communicationcanoftenbesomewhatintercultural.

4.3.Non-verbalcommunicationininterculturalcommunication

Justasthispapermentioned,non-verbalcommunicationisnecessaryinourdailycommunication.

Oneveryobviousaspectofnon-verbalbehaviorwhichhelpstoreflectpower-solidarityisthephysicaldistancebetweenthepeopleconcerned,thesubject-matterofproxemics（Pocheptsov1994）.Itwouldbeasafehypothesisthatphysicaldistanceisproportionaltosocialdistanceinallcultures,sothatpeoplewhofeelcloseinspiritwillputthemselvesrelativelyneartoeachotherwheninteracting.Atoneendofthescalearecourtingcouples,andattheotherendimpersonalandformaloccasionswherespeakersmaybelongdistancesfromtheiraddressees,asintheaters,orunabletoseethenatall,asonradioandtelevision.Whatvariesfromculturetocultureisthedistancewhichisthoughtappropriateforaparticulardegreeofsolidarity.

Forexample,ArabsgenerallysetthedistancelowerthanAmericans.Thisclaimissupportedbyresearch（WatsonandGraves1966）inwhichcomparisonsweremadebetweenArabandAmericanstudentsinanAmericanuniversity.Thestudentswereaskedtoconverseinpairsinaroomwheretheycouldbeobservedwithouttheirknowledge,andrecordswerekeptoftheirmovements–howclosetoeachothertheysat,howtheyorientedthemselvestowardseachother,howmuchtheytouchedeachother,howmuchtheylookedateachother,andhowloudlytheytalked.SixteenArabsandsixteenAmericanswerestudiedinthisway,withArabstalkingtoArabsandAmericanstoAmericans.Whentheresultswerecompareditwasfoundthat‘ArabsconfrontedeachothermoredirectlythanAmericanswhenconversing…,theysatclosertoeachother…,theyweremorelikelytotoucheachother…,theylookedeachothermoresquarelyintheeye…,andconversedmoreloudlythanAmericans.’

Aswenoticed,suchculturaldifferencescanleadtoseriousmisunderstandings,anditiseasytoseehowphysicaldistancerelatestosolidarity-and