跨文化交际中的非语言交际,英语其它论文

1、跨文化交际中的非语言交际,英语其它论文Nonverbal Communication in Intercultural CommunicationAbstract With the rapid development of science and technology, the world is becoming increasingly a global village. Cultural interflows in the world are irreversible trends. Communication can be divided into two categories, nam

2、ely, verbal communication and nonverbal communication. Besides the language, the nonverbal language such as tone of voice, eye movement, posture, touch, facial expressions and so on are also of vital importance to people s dailycommunication.Nonverbal communication can exert influences on people sco

3、mmunication, reflect the people s thoughts and complement the verbal communication. Nonverbal communication is universal. It is part of culture and a mirror of culture. Learning to communicate with another people from different culture means learning that culture snonverbal signals as well. It becom

4、es imperative that people should not simply try to interpret messages of others with his or her local frames of reference. If people fail to handle this, it will inevitably cause conflicts or misunderstanding when two or more cultures encounter each other.This paper explores the functions of nonverb

5、al communication in cross-cultural communication, significance of nonverbal communication and puts forward some suggestions on how to avoid and deal with the conflicts or misunderstanding when encountering people from different culturesKey Words Nonverbal communication; Culture; Cross-cultural commu

6、nication跨文化交际中的非语言交际【摘 要】随着科学技术的迅猛发展，整个世界已逐渐成为一个地球村，世界各国间的交流也成为一个不可逆转的潮流。交际可以被分为语言交际以及非语言交际。除了语言交流，话语音调、眼神的交流、姿势、触摸及面部表情等都在交际 中起着非常重要的作用。非语言交际的重要性体现在它能够影响人们的交流，反映人们的思想，是语言交际的重要补充。它无所不在，源于文化又反映文化。学习一个国家的文化就不可忽视对它的非语言交际的研究。仅用本国的文化框架来解释他国的文化是行不通的。忽视这一点，就可能导致冲突和误解。本文探讨了不同文化中非语言交际手段的作用，在交际中的重要性，以及如何避免和解决

7、跨文化交际中的冲突和误解。【关键词】非语言交际；文化；跨文化交际1. IntroductionWhen people talk about communication, the first thing that comes to their minds is the use of human language. However, language is not the only way for communication. Although nonverbal communication is not really a language at all, it is a powerful mod

8、e of communication. People can gain more information from nonverbal communication than from what people actually say. It is estimated that 55 percent of people s attitudes and feelings are communicated by the body, 38 percent of the voice and only 7 percent by spoken words.1 This is why people give

9、credence to such well-known sayings as“ A pictureis worth a thousand words. ”2 Definition of nonverbal communicationNonverbal communication involves all those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source and his or her use of environment and that have potential

10、message value for the source or receiver.2 Nonverbal communication includes tone of voice, facialexpressions, postures, gestures, and use of time, all of which are used to communicate messages. Nonverbal communication sometimes can convey messages independently, and in many situations it is used in

11、combination with verbal behaviors to convey meaning. It is useful, therefore to examine the functions of nonverbal messages in relation to verbal messages in communication.3 The functions of nonverbal communication3.1 RepetitionNonverbal communication can reinforce what s said in verballanguage. By

12、repeating the verbal message nonverbally, as by a gesture, there is a better chance for the receiver to understand the message. For example, people might point in a certain direction after they have just said, “ the new building is north of the library.”3.2 SubstitutionNonverbal behavior can be used

13、 to replace verbal behavior to convey certain meaning. If people see a very special friend, they are apt to enlarge the size of the smile and throw open arms to greet him or her, which is a substitute for all the words to convey the same feeling. 33.3 ComplementingClosely related to repeating is com

14、plementing. Although messages that repeat can stand alone, complementing generally adds more information to messages. For example, people can tell someone that they are pleased with someone s performance, but these messages take on extra meaning if they pat the person on the shoulder at the same tim

15、e; in addition, complementing is referred to as a type of accenting because it accents the idea the speaker is trying to express. People can see how an apology becomes more forceful if his face, as well as his words, is saying, “ I am sorry. ” They can also accent their anger by speaking in a voice

16、that is much louder than the one people use in normal conversation.3.4 ContradictionOn some occasions, nonverbal actions send signals opposite to the literal meaning contained in verbal messages. Some speaker often sends his or her nonverbal cues beyond his or her conscious control; the unspoken lan

17、guage is regarded as speaking louder than the spoken words. He tells people he is relaxed and at ease, his voice quavers and his hands shake. Do people believe someone who says “ nothing ” when he or she is sweating and looks worried?3.5 RegulationPeople often regulate and manage communication by ut

18、ilizing some forms of nonverbal behaviors: silence for a moment sends the message that speakers are ready to begin their speech; direct eye contact with someone makes him or her know the channels of communication are open; nodding the head in agreement indicates that the speaker should continue talk

19、ing. Nonverbal behaviors thus help people to control the situation.44 . Differences between verbal communication and nonverbal communicationNonverbal and verbal communications are both indispensable from each othe4.1 it is hard to imagine how they could function without either one. Much of the value

20、 of these two ways of communicating lies in their differences.4.151 ngle vs. multiple channelsMost verbal messages word, sentences, and paragraphs reach people at a time, rather like pearls on a string. In fact, it s physicallyimpossible for a person to speak more than one word at a time. Unlike the

21、 spoken word, however, nonverbal messages don t arrive in suchan orderly, sequential manner. Instead, they bombard us simultaneously from a multitude of channels. Consider the everyday act of meeting a stranger for a first time. On a verbal level there is relatively little information exchange in th

22、e cliches that occupy thefirst few minutes of most conversations (" how is going .？ . ” “Greatweather we have been having ”“ what is your major ” ). But at the same moment the number of nonverbal messages available to you is overwhelming: the other people facial expressions, postures, gestures

23、and so on. In some way this multi-channel onslaught of nonverbal message is a boon, since it provides so many ways of learning about others. In another sense, however, the number of simultaneous messages is a problem, for it s difficult to recognize the overwhelming amount of nonverbal information p

24、eople receive from others every moment. 54.152 Discrete vs. continuousVerbal messages word, sentences, and paragraphs form messages with clear beginnings and endings. In this sense people can judge whether others are communicating verbally by observing whether they are speaking or writing. Unlike th

25、e written word and spoken word, however, nonverbal communication is continuous and never ending.Nonverbal communication is a constant, unstoppable process. The postures, gestures and other types of messages provide a constant flow of messages. Even the absence of a message (an unanswered letter or a

26、n unanswered phone call) is a message. As a communication expert said when referring to nonverbal communication, “ nothing never happens. ” 64.153 Clear vs. ambiguousAlthough verbal communication can be confusing, people have already seen that most nonverbal cues are even vaguer. Nonverbal messages

27、aren t completely ambiguous, of course: it is probably an accurate guess that a frown signifies some sort of negative feeling and that a smile indicates a positive emotion. But people often need language to tell them how others feel as they do something. When the boss is smiling, dose that mean he i

28、s happy or embarrassed? Does the supervisor s frown indicate confusion with the assignment ordisagreement? The best way to find out the answers is to ask for help from a verbal clarification, not to depend on people s reading of thenonverbal cues.4.154 Verbal vs. nonverbal impactWhen people are expo

29、sed to both verbal and nonverbal messages, research shows that they find the nonverbal signal much more powe rful. In a variety of settings (including job interview, therapy sessions, first meeting), adults rely more on nonverbal message than on words when interpreting the messages of others. Nonver

30、bal cues are especially likely to carry weight when they contradict a speaker swords. 74.155 Deliberate vs. unconsciousWhile people usually think about what they want to say before speaking or writing, more nonverbal messages aren t deliberate. Ofcourse, people do pay attention to some of their nonv

31、erbal behavior: smiling when people want to convince others they re happy ormaking sure our handshake is firm to show that they are straightforward and decisive. But there are so many nonverbal channels that is impossible for people to think about and control all of them. Thus, their slumping should

32、ers might contradict their smiles, and their sweating palms might negate all the self-confidence of their firm handshakes. The unconscious nature of most nonverbal behavior explains why it offers so many useful cues about how others are feeling.5 . Importance of nonverbal communication5 .1 Character

33、istics of nonverbal communication 5.1.1 Nonverbal communication is universal Although nonverbal communication differs in different cultures, some basic emotions reflected by behaviors such as smiling, frowning, laughing and crying have common sense in human communication. This feature is due to a ge

34、neral and common genetic heritance. These universal emotions are expressed in a similar nonverbal way through the world, which makes up communication even between cultures.6 .1.2 Nonverbal communication depends on contextThe context in which nonverbal communication occurs plays a very important role

35、 in its interpretation. For instance, hand shaking may indicate greeting when the communicators meet and say farewells, then they depart. Direct eye contact with one lover may mean something entirely different from direct eye contact with a stranger. The same nonverbal behavior can be interpreted di

36、fferently from culture to culture and from one situation to another. Only if people fully understand the context in which nonverbal communication occurs, can people interpret exactly what specific nonverbal behavior means.7 .1.3 Nonverbal communication is conventionalNonverbal communication is cultu

37、re-oriented. It is based on different beliefs, religions, values and customs in different cultures. When, where, how, and to whom people display his or her specific nonverbal behaviors is greatly affected by culture and context. Culture determines what the appropriate nonverbal behavior is. For exam

38、ple, feelings of friendship exist everywhere but their expression varies. It may be appropriate in some countries for man to embrace each other and for women to hold hands; in other countries these displays of affection may be shocking. Each culture has its specific interpretation on nonverbal commu

39、nication. What is acceptabl e in one culture may be completely unacceptable in another. One culture may determine that snapping figures to call a waiter is acceptable; another may consider this gesture rude.8 .1.4 Nonverbal communication is vagueNonverbal actions, like verbal ones, may communicate m

40、ore than one message at a time. For example, the way people nonverbally make it clear to another person that he wants to keep talking may simultaneously express his need for dominance over that person. A smile can be a part of emotional expression, an attitude message, part of a self-presentation, o

41、r a listener s response to manage theinteraction.Like verbal communication, nonverbal messages are ambiguous. In terms of the meaning of nonverbal communication, one nonverbal behavior may have various meanings. It is simply not possible to develop a list of nonverbal behaviors and attach a single m

42、eaning to each. Thus, people would not be surprised if they find the real reason why a person glanced at a clock, left a meeting early, or arrived late to class is quite different from what they assumed. Great differences often exist in nonverbal behaviors between the meaning people think and the me

43、aning that is actually perceived.5.2 Significance of nonverbal communicationNonverbal communication is a significant area of communication study. The following are the reasons.First, nonverbal communication accounts for much of the meaning people derive from people s conversationsOne level of meanin

44、g is the actual stated meaning. People call this the cognitive content. It is the part they consciously process. People also have a feeling about another person and the conversation they just had. The feeling is called the affective content. For instance, a roommate is lying in the bed as people ent

45、er the room. Their roommate says something about his day and mentions that he is feeling fine. Later they may find that he was really depressed because of an earlier test and of dating problems. The cognitive content of this encounter consists of what was said before. The affective content is the co

46、nveyance of feeling. Mebrabian indicates that 93 percent of meaning in a conversation is conveyed nonverbally 38 percentthrough the voice and 55 percent through the face. 8 Even conservative figures suggest 70 percent of meaning stems from nonverbal components. Nonverbal behavior is significant beca

47、use it accounts for most of the feeling conveyed in conversations.Second, nonverbal behavior is significant because it spontaneously reflects the subconscious.People normally attempt to control over the words they say. Occasionally people may slip up, lose control over their words, have to apologize

48、, but usually some degree of control is there. However, with nonverbal behavior, people may leak their true feeling in other, subtler, behavior. In fact, even accomplished liars can be detected by subtle nonverbal cues they unknowingly emit. Hence, because people ass ume that nonverbal behavior is s

49、pontaneous and not easily manipulated, they tend to believe it, even it contradicts the verbal.A third reason that nonverbal communication is significant is that people cannot communicate without it.Even if people choose silence, the nonverbal dimension of the communication is always present. Even i

50、f they remove themselves bodily from the scene of interaction, their absence may speak loudly. 96. Culture and nonverbal communication 6.1 The role of cultureCulture is an abstract term that defines a broad range of activities in which individuals express themselves. Culture, in a broad sense, means

51、 that the total way of life of a people, including the patterns of belief, customs, objects, institutions, techniques, and language that characterizes the life of the human community. As culture is so inclusive, it permeates virtually every aspect of human life and influences predominantly people s

52、behavior, including linguistic behavior.10Cultures are important because it tells people in different degrees what they are expected to think, believe in, say, resent, wear, honor, laugh at, and fight for in typical life situations. Culture like nonverbal behavior tends to be elusive, normally out o

53、f people s awareness,difficult to control, falsify, manipulate, erase, and has a potent influence on intercultural communication.Culture and nonverbal behavior are inseparable to each other because both need to be learned and maintained through human interaction. Although much of outward behavior is

54、 innate (such as smiling, moving, touching, eye contact), people are not born knowing the communication dimensions associated with the nonverbal messages. Most scholars agree that culture formulae display rules that dictate when, how, and with what consequences nonverbal expressions will be exhibite

55、d in slightly different terms. People are born with the ability to cry; yet what makes them cry and who is allowed to see them cry need to be learned as part of one s cultural education. However, culture is primarily a nonverbal phenomenon because most aspects of one s life are learned through obser

56、vation and imitation rather than explicit verbal instruction or expression. The primary level of culture is communicated implicitly, without awareness, by primarily nonverbal means.Culture is a major contributor to how people send, receive, and respond to nonverbal symbols. Every culture attempts to

57、 create a way in which people can interpret their experience and convey it to others. Without a common system of modifying sensations, life would be absurd and all efforts to share meanings doomed to failure.Therefore ， from the instant of birth ， a child is formally and informally taught how to beh

58、ave. Children ， regardless of their culture ， quickly learn how to behave in a manner that is acceptable to adults. Within each culture ， therefore ， there is no need to take great troubl e to decide what an event means or how to respond to it. The assumption is that people who share a common cultur

59、e can usually be counted on to behave “ correctly ” and predictably. From how to greet strangers to how to spend their time ， culture provides people with structure. Some rules Chinese learn are“ Don ， t stare! ” ,“ Don t spitat people! ” , “ Don t gesture too much in public ，” etc. These “ don ts ” are learned in specific social context