A comparative study of Chinese and American Body Language 英语毕业论文.doc

a comparative study of chinese and american body language about 1,000,000 years ago, when children asked for food from their mother, the hunters killed the preys together, even at that early time, the youth taught their fellows how to set fireall these things were accomplished under the circumstances without any verbal communication at all. some expertise believe that non-verbal communication appeared just between 160,000 to 350,000 years ago, which means human beings could just use gestures to communicate with each other in thousands of years. but one point we can make sure that body language is useful indeed. the famous anthropologist, nonverbal communication researcher ray birdwhistell estimates that less than 30% of communication between two individuals within the same culture is verbal in nature. while over 70% of communication takes place nonverbally. this proves the significance of nonverbal communication. shakespeare said that “theres meaning in silence and language in gestures”1. the fact that formulate body language include facial expressions, the methods of controlling your hands and body, actions and your habits as well, even tone and intonation. brosnahan said that, “hand gesture is the core of kinetics.” we said so because there are a variety of delicate and vivid hand gestures. since the ancient time of western countries, one opens his palm to show honesty, sincerity, loyalty and obedience, so people often use this gesture when they swear. since 3,000 years ago in china, chinese have been using “hold fist salute” as their meeting etiquette to show modesty and respect to others.1. the important meaning of learning body language whats the body language? it has the definitions in both narrow and broad senses. in the narrow sense, body language includes body movement and facial expression, which can send messages. as to the broad one, it includes gesture, posture, facial expression, timbre of the speaker, distance between speaker and listener, and clothes of the speaker.10 in the social interaction, when we converse with others, we communicate by much more than words. by our expressions, gestures and other body movements, we convey messages to the other people. body language exists in every culture, but not all body languages mean the same thing in different cultures. different peoples have different ways of making nonverbal communication. the answers to the questions of this paper at the beginning are all no. as the global village tends to become smaller and smaller, it is more important for people to communicate across culture and language barriers, particularly to those who have verbal language barriers. in fact, body language is more important to people from other culture than it is to the native. to native-born people, the spoken word is by far the most important communicational tool. body language is important because we use the actions of others to learn about their affective or emotional states. research indicates that sometimes nonverbal signals play a more decisive role than verbal messages in determining communicative effects. nonverbal communication is also important to the study of intercultural communication because a great deal of nonverbal behavior speaks a universal language. but it is also important to know the different meaning of same body language in different cultures. only when we get a full understanding of body language in different cultures, can we make an effective international communication.body language is the extension of thought. it has been used for centuries-predating common langrage between cultures. its an important part of effective communication-both in getting your own message across and in determining the messages of others. body langrage is how we know when someone is being honest or feeling an emotion, its how we know someone is reaction to whats being said. knowledge is power and the eyes have it-take the time and effort to become familiar with others exhibitions of body language, especially in the global context, and to become familiar with your own. 3body language has three major functions: assisting, substituting and expressing or hiding emotional feelings.10 emotion is the most complicated thing of human being. to express ones inner feelings is even more difficult. as the convey made by experts, human beings seldom express their complex feeling in words, and in some situation, it is more than words can convey exactly. and even though they express it by spoken words, they usually perform gestures along with it. this is because the body language is more articulate than words in communicating emotion. for example, the chinese that says, “yes”, while lowering the eyes may mean, “no”, because sometimes they feel reluctant to disrupt the harmony of the relationship by directly saying so (for example, when father ask you to do something which you dont like, you may also say “yes” in order to keep the harmonious relation with dad). in the mainstream american culture, the folded arms of resolve, the grimace of pain or anger, the hand wringing of anxiety, are powerful communicators of emotions. when people are sad, crying may be more suitable than words to express it. think about how much more convinced you are, for example, that a group of children are excited when they jump up and down than if they simply state, “we are very excited.”2. a brief introduction of gesturegestures are a form of body languages in which visible bodily actions are used to communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with spoken words.1gestures are culture-specific and can convey very different meanings in different social or cultural settings. although some gestures, such as the ubiquitous act of pointing, differ little from one place to another, most gestures do not have invariable or universal meanings but shows specific meanings in particular cultures. a single emblematic gesture can have very different significance in different cultural contexts, ranging from complimentary to highly offensive. 22.1 culture influence on gestures in cross-cultural communication, we must clearly understand non-verbal communication and the relationship between cultures. culture and the vast majority of non-verbal communication are handed down from generation to generation and acquired acquisition, and the long historical and culture heritage of a society form a common habit. the relationship between the two, samovar thought, is that culture and non-verbal communication are inseparable, many nonverbal behavior is the result of culture acquisition, peoples non-verbal behavior and the effects are usually formed by a culture environment.3 therefore, understanding non-verbal communication and the relationship between cultures is essential. if we dont understand the non-verbal communication from different culture, it is possible that we can make mistakes in understanding the other person. a normal action in this culture will be abnormal in another one. a positive behavior in one culture will be negative in another. people from china advocate modesty, tolerance, mutual-support and responsibility for the group. but american people admire independence, self-respect, free development, and requiring individual space and so on.2.1.1 chinese cultural influence on gestures china is an old and big socialism country, it has a long history for about 5000 years. traditional chinese culture is extensive and profound. the confucianism, taoism and buddhism make great contributions to chinese culture in the long course. having absorbed their essence, chinese culture had formed a core concept gradually, it is “和为贵” thought.“和” is chinese character. such a chinese character includes the quintessence of traditional chinese culture. i cant find any word that can translate it accurately in english, because it includes too much meaning. if we translate“和”into english, it means harmony, peace, amalgamation, friendship, kindness. there is a common ground. thats seeking the harmony between people, the harmony between people and the society, harmonization of people and nature.the confucianism, taoism and buddhism play a very important role in chinese culture. the common stand of their thought is humanity, peace, harmony. this kind of “和为贵” thought has already influenced chinese people for several thousand years. chinese culture has super strong absorption and integration. traditional chinese culture absorbs and merges the quintessence of confucianism, taoism and buddhism. western culture was introduced to china in qing dynasty. chinese culture merged western culture in some way.chinese culture doesnt have invading nature. but if any kind of culture meets chinese culture, it will be melted and absorbed by it. this is glamour of chinese culture. 2.1.1.1 the religious influence on gesturesbuddhism is one of the three major religions in the world, originated in india in the 6th century bc. it began to spread abroad in 3rd century bc. according to the records, buddhism was introduced in china at the end of the eastern han dynasty. buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of the chinese.with the introduction of buddhism, the “salute with putting palms together” introduced in china as well.the “salute with putting palms together”, which was seen as an important etiquette in buddhism, has its own connotation.the joining hands means peace, friendship, solidarity and cooperation. the fist or hands with weapons means fight. one raised his bare hands means he is not willing to fight with others. one could hurt others by one hand, but when he joined two hands together, it means he is totally not wiling to bring harm to anyone. the ten fingers joint together means the power from ten directions are united and coherent together. the ten fingers joint at ones chest, means faithfulness and sincerity. the “salute with putting palms together” is still used by buddhists and worshipers in china these days. the joining of hands symbolizes the most devout greeting and harmony in the depth of soul. 2.1.1.2 the influence of confucianismchinese were deeply influenced by confucianism dating back to ancient times. no other philosopher in the world had more enduring influence than confucius. for over two thousand years his ideas about personal conduct and morality, permeated chinese life and culture. the chinese character for rites, or ritual, previously had the religious meaning of sacrifice. its confucian meaning ranges from politeness and propriety to the understanding of each persons correct place in society. externally, ritual is used to distinguish between people; their usage allows people to know at all times who is the younger and who the elder, who is the guest and who is the host and so forth. ritual can be seen as a means to find the balance between opposing qualities that might otherwise lead to conflict. it divides people into categories, and builds hierarchical relationships through protocols and ceremonies, assigning everyone a place in society and a proper form of behavior.6so in china, one will use both hands (when one would be enough) in offering something to a visitor or another person to show ones respect. relationships are central to confucianism. particular duties arise from ones particular situation in relation to others. the individual stands simultaneously in several different relationships with different people: as a junior in relation to parents and elders, and as a senior in relation to younger siblings, students, and others. while juniors are considered in confucianism to owe their seniors reverence, seniors also have duties of benevolence and concern toward juniors. this theme of mutuality is prevalent in east asian cultures even to this day. 9 so the thumb-up sign means praise and appreciation while when someone hold up the little finger, it always means contempt even insult. 2.1.2 american cultural influence on gesturesthe usa is a country which has a short history of only about more than 2 hundred years, it is a nation of modernization which is totally open to the outside world. the main content of american culture is the emphasis on individuals value, the pursuit of democracy and freedom, the promotion of competition and the need for realist and practicality. its core is individualism: personal need and pursuit of individual benefit and enjoyment is given priority, achieving individual value by self-strive and self-design is highly valued. this type of intentionally build-up of personality and pursuit of customized individualism has its pros and cons, it gives incentives to people and make them exert their potential and wisdom and as a result accelerate the development of the entire race and nation; on the other hand it is difficult to keep good relationship among people if everyone is egocentric thus make the entire society lack of unity.american citizens emphasize achievements and respect heroes. they have great sense in their hearts to praise success and heroes. personal achievements are one of those with the highest value in americans mind. americans have very strong senses of success. success is the pursuit of most americans, it is their attractive future and the incentives for moving forward. they believe that ones personal value is equivalent to his achievements in his career. some high achievers in their career such as entrepreneurs, scientists, artists and all kinds of super stars became modern heroes. the process and result of how they strived have become the frame of reference of social culture value and the real life text book for parents to educate their children. 3. a comparative study of chinese and american gesturesanybody remember when george h w bush tried to signal peace during a visit to australia in the 90s by giving a large crowd the time-honored two-fingered salute? though he didnt know it at the time, he was actually telling the whole crowd to go screw themselves - and all because he made the seemingly innocuous error that his palm was facing inwards instead of outwards.there is the danger of using certain hand gestures when travelling in a strange environment, as some have very different meanings in some countries from what we believe them to stand for. cultural differences make the two countries have different gestures. here we will have a concrete comparative study of chinese and america gestures. 3.1 the meaning of study the differences between chinese gestures and american gesturessince the development of the economic globalization, especially china had entered into the wto, we have connect with the world more closely. it forces us to know about the world more eagerly, and the world also needs to know us similarly. since america and china are also two big countries there are significant linguistic and cultural differences between the distant regions. we have some things in common, most importantly, and we have lots of mutual benefits in politics, economy, culture, etc. and gestures have also cultural meanings and are being interpreted according to the cultural context it occurs. since there are also some divergences between us, so it is necessary for us to know more about each other. gesture is as effective as wordsmay be even more. it exists in every culture, but it is also diverse in every culture in our social lives. however, the “vocabulary” of gestures can be expressive and entertaining but also can be dangerous. the same gesture may mean completely different thing, and some gestures may be taboo in other culture. as the globalization hastens its pace, all cultures influence and infiltrate further. some values and ideas of one country have altered and even are replaced. to maintain certain concept rigidly turns out to be ignorant. presently we can find that some gestures we use daily originate from other countries. for example, “shrugging ones shoulders with two arms down and palm out” means “i dont know.” in the world of body languages, the best single piece of advice is to remember the two as“ask” and “aware”,9 if you see a motion or gesture that is new or confusing, ask a local person what it signifies. just be aware of the many body signs and customs around us.if you do not know how to speak in english, you can still communicate with american people by using gestures. however, even if you do speak english and are able to communicate with american people you might still be puzzled by the use of gestures in america. this can certainly lead to embarrassing and uncomfortable situations. so understanding gestures between the two different countries and interpreting gestures correctly will not only assist you to avoid unpleasant situation but will grant you respect from the locals. 3.2 the comparison between chinese gestures and american gestureswith the development of globalization, the collisions between different cultures become increasingly fierce. it is well known that chinese culture is the typical oriental culture, and the united states is the western worlds mouthpiece. therefore, with the comparison of gestures in the two countries, we can divine the whole from a part.3.2.1 to show angerarms akimbo is a common gesture to show ones rage in both culture. besides, american usually used a gesture-extending the forefinger and makes a circular motion near the temple or ear to show that someone is crazy, because to the psychology, crazy man is something wrong with his brain. but when americans do this, it may be embarrassed to chinese people, because it is just a gesture of thinking in china.american always avoid making sound which spur out from body, such as, sneezing, cough, snuffle, spitting, fart, blowing nose, clearing throat, making gurgle of stomach and so on. they always try to constrain making this kind of sound at the