中西方肢体语言的比较研究

毕业设计（论文）题目：中西方肢体语言的比较研究Title: A Comparative Study of Body Language in China and Western Countries 2009年 5月 20 日AcknowledgementsFirst of all, my appreciation goes to my affectionate parents, and the rest of my family. Throughout the development of this paper, they have been there and always giving me continuous support, encouragement and understanding. Their love and support encourage me to make progress all the time.I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to all other teachers who gave me lectures during the past three academic years. I have benefited so much not only from their courses and lectures but also from their constant encouragement. My sincere thanks should go to my students and friends around, for their constant encouragement and support throughout the course of the research.Finally, I must show my gratitude to my supervisor Ms. Lu Li, whose helpful suggestions have contributed greatly to the completion of this thesis. I owe her special thanks for providing me precious advice and suggestion that this papers appears in the present form.AbstractBody language is an important part of nonverbal communication and it is connected with culture. In order to make successful cross-cultural communication, we should know the body language from the perspective of cultures. Body language, like verbal communication and culture, has many similarities all over the world. However, body language from different cultures also has many differences because of different regions, races and cultural customs. And it is restricted by its culture and has different cultural connotations. That is to say, the same body language has different meanings in different cultures and has different social functions. This article devotes to a comparison and contrast of body language in different cultures in terms of eye language, gestures, postures, facial expressions and touch. It aims to illustrate the differences and similarities of body language and put forward the principles of reducing barriers in communication so as to achieve efficient communication and to avoid misunderstanding.Key words: Body Language in China and west countries; Cultural connotations; cross-cultural communication 摘 要肢体语言是非言语沟通的重要部分并与文化紧密相连。为了能成功的进行跨文化交流，我们应该明白肢体语言在不同文化中的意义。就像语言和文化一样，肢体语言也有一些是全球通用的。然而在不同地区，种族和文化习俗中肢体语言的意义也不一样。也就是说，同一个肢体动作在不同的文化和社会背景下会有不同的意思。本文致力于比较眼睛、手势、姿势、面部表情和接触等不同的肢体语言在不同文化中的意义，目的是解释其产生的原因，加深人们对两种不同文化的理解，促进中西文化的交流，避免跨文化交际中的误会。关键词：中西方肢体语言；文化根源；跨文化交际ContentsIntroduction.1I.The concept of body language.21.1 Classification of body language.21.2 Eye contact.31.3 Smile and laughter.3II. Some gestures which have difference connotations in China and western countries.4III. Some gestures which have the same meaning in China and Western countries.4IV. Some gestures which have no equivalents in other cultures.5V. Cultural roots for the difference of gestures.55.1 Different customs.55.2 Different religion beliefs.65.3 Different history.6VI. Body language in practice.7VII.The consequences of wrong interpretation of gestures.7Conclusion精品文档交流Introduction Human communication consists of verbal communication and nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication plays a very important role in the whole communication. Some experts say more than 60 percent of communication comes from nonverbal behaviors, such as facial expression, posture and so on. These nonverbal behaviors always have many meaning. Body language is an important part of nonverbal communication, and thus article intends to present its meaning and talk it briefly so that we can improve our communication skills and abilities by understanding it well. Body language is known as non-verbal behavior which transmits information through gestures, actions and facial expressions. But in different cultures body language means the different things. Different people have different ways of making nonverbal communication. Understanding the different cultural implication of English and Chinese body language can promote peoples cross-cultural communication competence, reinforce the heart-to-heart understanding and in the end will benefit the communication between English and Chinese people. People can communicate with each other through not only verbal communication but also nonverbal communication. Moreover, the latter plays an essential role in human communication. Nonverbal communication is connected with cultures and it is the result of cultures. But many people pay great attention to the acceptance and correctness of the verbal communication and overlook the influence and cultural difference of nonverbal communication. Then the misunderstanding and cultural crash often occur in the cross-cultural communication. So in the process of communication, it is not a complete communication while ignoring the cultural differences of nonverbal communication. I. The concept of body language “Nonverbal communication is a process in which communicators use the natural features of their bodies to deliver information and express specific meaning instinctively to the other communicator.”4:90People communicate with each other by their body language in the ways of nodding, waving, eye contacting, shrugging and so on. As we know, in a certain tradition, body language is determined by its customs and traditions. .On the other hand, the meanings of body language in a certain culture are developing and changing. We intend to make a comparison and contrast of the similarities and differences on body language in order to avoid misunderstanding and make efficient communication.In general sense, the study of body language began in 1950s. And during 1970s, the study of body language entered a fully developing period. From the late of 1970s to the early period of 1980s, body language contained more contents, and had a great influence on the other fields. And Doctor R.L.Bird Whitell is the reprehensive of study of body language. His research indicated: eyebrows could change for 23 positions and people could make 250,000 different facial expressions. And psychologist David Aberconbie also pointed out: we speak with verbal organs but we talk with our body. A famous anthropologist E.T.Hall pointed out “Silent language expresses more information than verbal language. Because it contains much information.” According to some researchers abroad, in peoples daily life, nonverbal communication takes part over 65% in all of information exchange. And body language is an important part of nonverbal communication. Many experts have shown the importance of body language in the cross-cultural communication. “A psychologist proposed a formula: the total impact of message = 7% verbal + 38% vocal +55% facial expressions and behavior.” 6:89 Usually body language occurs unconsciously. Yet the body language we used extent the quality of our communication. And it is important to note that body language has different meanings in different cultures. How we can interpret body language depends on the situation, the culture, the relationship we have with the person. In other words, there is no one signal that has the same meaning all over the world. As well as that, various body language signs can complement each other to make a particular meaning crystal clear or strengthen the meaning of what we communicate.1.1 Classification of body language Body language contains eye language, gestures, postures, facial expressions, manners and behaviors and touch and so on. Gesture, as another important part of body language, means we communicate and express by the movement and manners of our hands and fingers. In our daily life, every one makes gestures, but many gestures have distinct regional and cultural features. “Gesture means we communicate and express by the movement and manners of our hands and fingers.”7:123Facial expression is the most expressive part of the body. Its capable of conveying emotions. Different cultures have many different or same facial expressions. Laughing means happiness and crying indicates sadness.Eye contact, English dramatist “Shakespeare said, There is language in her eye, her cheek, her lip. The Chinese saying goes, The eye is the window of the soul.” From these two sentences, people can see that eye contact is quite important in their interaction.“Posture is a matter of how people sit, walk, stand and move.” Posture refers to the general way people carry their body, especially the back, shoulders and head while standing, lying, etc. It offers insight into a cultures deep structure and often reflects a persons attitude toward people he/she is with.8:581.2 Eye contact Eye contact is an important aspect of body language; it is not quite the same in China and English-speaking countries. In conversations with people who know each other, American custom demands that there should be eye contact. This applies to both the speaker and the listener. For either one not to look at the other person could imply a number of things, among which are fear, contempt, uneasiness, guilt, indifference, even in public speaking there should be plenty of eye contact. For a speaker to “burry his nose in his manuscript”, to read a speech instead of looking at and talking to hid audience, as some Chinese speakers are in the habit of doing, would be regarded as inconsiderate and disrespectful. In Juliets Fasters book “Body Language”, there is a paragraph which can explain the problem. “Two strangers sit face to face in the dinning room in a train; they can introduce themselves to each other. When they are eating, they can talk anything else. They also can avoid eye contact and do not show interest in each other. A writer described this situation in an article “They look over the menu again and again, play with knives and look at their nails. It seems that they look at them for the first time. If their eyes meet, they will turn away immediately and look out of the window.”1P94 In English there is an old saying “Dont trust anyone who wont look at you in the eye.” Rules about eye-language are numerous and complex, we should distinguish the difference between China and Western countries.1.3 Smiles and laughter Smiles and laughter usually convey friendliness, approval, satisfaction, pleasure, joy and merriment. This is generally true in China as well as the English-speaking countries. However, there are situations when some Chinese will laugh that will cause negative reactions by westerners. To illustrate, here is an excerpt from a letter by an American to a Chinese friend on nonverbal gestures that often cause cross-cultural misunderstanding:“One is the different meaning of laughter in China and American. When an American is parking his bicycle, for example, and the bicycle accidentally falls over, he feels embarrassed at his awkwardness, and is quite angered and humiliated when Chinese onlookers laugh. I have seen the same thing happen in the dining room, when a foreigner drops a plate quite by accident and feels badly and Chinese onlookers laugh, compounding his discomfort and causing anger and bad feeling.”3:158 Such laughter, of course, is not at the person or his misfortunewhether he be a foreigner or a Chinese. It can convey a number of feelings: dont take it so seriously; laugh it off, its nothing; such things can happen to any of us, etc. However, for people unaware of this attitude, the reaction to such laughter is usually quite unpleasant and often generates ill feeling towards those laughing.II. Some gestures which have difference connotations in China and western countries Since the cultures in different countries are different, the same gesture would have different meanings in different countries. Americans like to shrug when they have no idea about something. But Chinese dont do the same thing. Stretching out ones tongue means contempt in America, but in China it means surprise or indicates dislike sometime. Another example, Americans often touch their temples to express somebodys cleverness. But this action means there is something wrong with ones mind or one is stupid to Chinese. In China, people greet with each other with head nodding, smile, hand shaking and so on. Even good friends just hold hands for a short time or hammer softly on the other friends shoulder. As for hand shaking, people in North America shake hands when they greet with each other.Chinese are often surprised to see Americans lay their hands on their necks when they are full. Because it is a suicide action to Chinese, what used to express full by patting their stomachs. For instance, a thumb in the air might mean a request for a ride on the highway or “ok” on the launch pad. However in China, it means something very good. Raising forefinger and middle finger to form a “V” indicate victory in English-speaking countries, but in China it means two in most of time. III. Some gestures which have the same meaning in China and Western countries There are also some body language have the same meaning in both China and Western countries. Making a circle with thumb and index finger while extending others is to say Its OK. When you lift your forefinger near your lips with the sound shhh that shows you want somebody to be silent. Here are some examples, I dont know Shaking the head or waving the hand Shrugging the shoulders“Come here” Hand extended toward person, palm open and down, with all fingers crooked in a beckoning motion Hand extended toward person, closed hand, palm up, with forefinger only moving back and forth“Shame on you!” (semi-joking gesture) Forefinger of one hand extended, tip touches ones face several times quickly, similar to scratching, but with the forefinger straight Forefinger of each hand extended, palms down in front of ones body, one forefinger makes several brushing movements over the back of the other forefingerPunish oneself Giving oneself boxes on the face Giving oneself boxes on the earWelcome, congratulation Applauding and clapping hands Applauding and snapping ones fingers“Im very full” after a meal One or both hands open, lightly patting ones own stomach Hand raised to throat, fingers extended, palm downHigh praise, the best Thumb up Closed hand, forefinger up“No, dont do that” Moving the head from side to side Moving the index finger from side to side“Thats crazy!” “He/she is crazy!” Moving the index finger from side to side Moving the index finger in a circle in front of the ear.IV. Some gestures which have no equivalents in other cultures There are also many gestures only existing in one culture without equivalent in other cultures. For example, the American “No, dont do that” gesture, moving the index finger from side to side with forefinger up and others closed is not used in China. To express doubt, helplessness or baffle, people who live in English-speaking countries often shrug their shoulders. However, this gesture is seldom used in China. In English culture, the gesture, thumb against the tip of the nose, other four fingers wave from side to side together, indicates challenge and defiance; putting middle finger on the back of forefinger indicates “bless success”, which has a relevant phrasecross ones fingers. And people are very familiar with another phrase, that is “thumb a ride” (standing on the side of the rode, closing hand with thumb up) which means a request for ride. Now, as the Western media cultures such as Western films penetrate into China, such kinds of gestures have been used by more and more Chinese young people. There are also many gestures only existing in China. In Chinese culture, to express respect, people must take something that can be hold with one hand to their guests or others with two hands. And when others pour tea or wine for them, they must hold the cup with both hands to express “Thank you” or tap the tabletop with forefinger to indicate “Its enough”. Touching or pointing to tip of ones own nose with raised forefinger means “Its me.” “Im the one.” Upraised forefinger of each hand coming together in front of the body until the two touches, means a good match. These gestures are unique to China.V. Cultural roots for the difference of body language The reasons of causing the difference of body language are various, Ill briefly recommend three kinds of cultural roots: different customs, different religion beliefs and different history.5.1 Different customs Traditional customs is also a reason of different body language in different countries, For example, Chinese traditional customs believes that people who are seated are more authoritative: emperors sit, while liege subjects stood; fathers sit, whereas sons stand; superiors sit, while inferiors stand and so on. So, to show respect, juniors often let seniors sit on their own seats. However, the situation in America is opposite to that in China. In America, “tallness usually equates with dominance. Standing up tall can help you appear more authoritative, whereas a slumped posture or slouched shoulders create an appearance of submissive or passive demeanor.”The traditional customs and the affects toward certain thing are not the same, facial expressions would be different. For example, when Chinese are praised by others, they would take on negative facial expression, indicating “I dont believe.” “I cant acce