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
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,theyalwaysregardverbalcommunicationasakindofwaytocommunicate,butneglectingthenon-verbalcommunication.Infact,verbalcommunicationandnon-verbalcommunicationarebothwaysforpeopletocommunicate.Comparingwithverbalcommunication,non-verbalcommunicationcantransferinformationandexpressthemeaninginabetterway.Thispapermainlytalkedabouttherelationbetweenverbalcommunicationandnon-verbalcommunication,thefunctionofnon-verbalandthefunctionofnon-verbalintheinterculturalcommunication.
2.thenon-verbalcommunication
2.1Thedefinitionandclassificationofthenon-verbalcommunication
Non-verbalcommunication(NVC)isusuallyunderstoodastheprocessofcommunicationthroughsendingandreceivingwordlessmessages.Suchmessagescanbecommunicatedthroughgesture;bybodylanguageorposture;byfacialexpressionandeyecontact.Objectcommunicationsuchasclothing,hairstylesorevenarchitecture;symbols.Speechmayalsocontainnon-verbalelementsknownasparalanguage,includingvoicequality,emotionandspeakingstyle,aswellasprosodicfeaturessuchasrhythm,intonationandstress.Likewise,writtentextshavenon-verbalelementssuchashandwritingstyle,spatialarrangementofwords,ortheuseofemoticons.
Languageisthemostimportantwayinhumancommunication,butitisnottheonlywaytocommunicate.Forexample,sometimesweneedlotsofnon-verbalcommunicationsymbolstohelpusunderstandwell.Infactverbalandnon-verbalcommunicationsarebothveryimportant.Someresearchersdividedthenon-verbalcommunicationintothreetypes;thefirstoneisthatpeoplejustshowthedynamicpostureinasilentway.Forexample,whenpeopleshowtheiragreementtheywilljustnodtheirheadsinsteadofsayingyestoothers.Anotherexample,smilingisalsoakindofnon-verbalcommunication;itcanexpressmanydifferentmeanings.Itcanshowthesatisfactionofsomethingoreventhepoliterefusal.Thesedependonthedifferentcontexts.Thesecondoneisstaticposture.Forexample,peoplewerestandingstraightorleaningonthechairorsittingontheflooretc.Thedifferentposturesofthestaticbodiesalsocanexpressdifferentmeaningsaccordingtothedifferentcontexts.Thethirdoneisakindofsoundswhichareproducedbyhumanbeingsbutnotverballanguage;it’sakindofnon-verballanguage.Forexample,allkindsofsmiling,andthesighbothbelongtothethirdtype.
Thosethreenon-verbalcommunicationsplayaveryimportantwayinhumancommunicationsociety.
2.2Thecomparisonofverbalcommunicationwithnon-verbalcommunication
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.