AnAnalysisofBodyLanguagebetweenChinaandWesternCountriesinCross—culturalCommunication

張雁

【Abstract】With the rapid development of the global economy，cross-cultural communication has become increasingly frequent.In human communication，people use nonverbal language to communicate as well as verbal language.Body language，like verbal language，is also part of culture which exerts significant influence on cross-culture communication.However，body language varies due to different regions，race and culture customs and it is restricted by different cultural connotations.Therefore，in order to ensure the cross-cultural communication goes smoothly，understanding body language connotation in different culture backgrounds is desperately necessary.

【Key Words】body language； cross-cultural communication； cultural implication； communicative barriers

1.Body Language

Ekman and Friesen categorized body language into five parts according to the continuous movements of the body and face： emblems，illustrators，affect display，regulators，and adaptors.In general，based on the function of each movement，it often falls into six categories： posture，gesture，touching，facial expressions，eye contact，physical distance.

2.An Survey on Body Language between China and some Western Countries

2.1 Method and Procedure

Due to the limitations of time and range，the author adopted several easy-to-use methods in the research： field observation，face-to-face interview and questionnaire.

The author did a research in Yangshuo of Guilin province and Fenghuang of Hunan province by means of face-to-face interview or online communication，researching the applications of body language in cross-cultural communication between China and some Western countries.At the end of study，based on the results，the author presents some suggestions on developing peoples cross-cultural communicative competence in terms of body language.

According to the results of the practice investigation，the author has enumerated some unique applications of body language in China and certain Western countries.

China

Chinese people attach great importance to etiquette.When you give a gift to Chinese people，they will often stretched out their two hands order to show their gratitude and respect for you，palms up，and slowly take the gift.Opening the gift immediately can be considered as impolite behavior.If the younger generation gives a gift to the elders，the best action is of course in both hands.The same action can be seen on different occasions，such as Chinese meals.When Chinese people hold up the wine glass to proposal a toast，holding the cup with two hands shows respect on both sides.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”.

Germany

In classes in Germany，if students want to remind their teacher to let them to speak，they do not raise their hand like students in other countries do.They often raise their arm and straighten their forefinger，circling the thumb and middle finger and clenched other two fingers，which looks like the gesture of number one.This gesture only occurs in Germany.In Germany，using the flat palms thrown over the shoulder represents “l(fā)et it go/forget it！”.

Greece

The Greeks are always smiling，even when they feel angry.For example，in at a party，even if Greek men are rejected when they invited a lady to dance，they will not leave immediately，but will stand smiling and talking with others delightedly.During the conversation，if the Greeks suddenly does the thumbs up，he has commanded you to “shut up”.The Greeks are often regard the “OK” gesture as very impolite behavior，especially in front of lades.When in contact with Greeks，this gesture should be avoided.

From the above examples，people can come to the conclusion that if they want to learn a language well，they must not only learn the verbal language but also study the gestures of that country.The above description may not one hundred percent perfect due to different expression of different person from different countries.

3.Advice on Proper Use of Body Language in Cross-culture Communication

3.1 Cultivating Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity

To strengthen awareness and sensitivity in the communication scenarios，it is necessary to observe peoples habitual behavior in different cultural groups.For example： an interesting conversation between Arabs and the British ，in order to express friendship，the Arabs always like to be close to the British in conversation； while Britons prefer to keep some distance between each other.Therefore to be sensitive about the situation，we can understand some unusual body language easily.

3.2 Try to participate in more intercultural communication

We cannot find everlasting rules in right body language.So seize the opportunity to experience personal communication.It is more effective than learning on paper.

4.Conclusion

Sometimes body language plays an overriding role in communication.It conveys a lot of information.However，this unique mode of transmission of information in different cultures makes its ideographic function more complex in communication，especially in cross-cultural communication.It will easily lead to communication barriers，maybe even cultural conflicts.Therefore，it is necessary to understand the differences of body language between Western countries and China.

References：

[1]陳原.社會(huì)語言學(xué)[M].學(xué)林出版社，1983.

[2]竇衛(wèi)霖.跨文化交際導(dǎo)論[M].對(duì)外經(jīng)濟(jì)貿(mào)易大學(xué)出版社，2012.