Comparison of Body Language on Nonverbal Communication Between China and Western Countries

李連英

【Abstract】Body language is a part of our culture，but not all body language means the same thing in different culture. Different people have different ways of making nonverbal communication. So in order to communicate effectively with a foreign language，one should know the gestures，body movements and mannerisms etc. Some authorities feel the two are dependent on each other. This is true in most situations but its also true in certain situations that body action contradicts what is being said. In a sense，all body language should be interpreted in a given context and ignoring the overall situation could be misleading. A comparative study of Chinese and Westerners body language shows a number of similarities and diversities of body language and also shows the importance of knowing the specific gestures that go with a language.

【中圖分類號】H026.3 【文獻標識碼】A 【文章編號】2095-3089（2016）30-0004-02

I.Introduction about cross-cultural communication

With the great development of international association，cross-cultural communication is no longer the patent only for minority diplomat or foreign traders. No matter who you are，youll more or less participate in international contact activities，so this kind of thought communication involving different culture and different people from different country is called cross-cultural communication. And therere two types of cross-cultural communication：verbal and nonverbal communication. In some extent，its very hard to understand the nonverbal communication because different people from different culture have different ways of making nonverbal communication but if its interpreted，we can regard it as a good way to communicate. Therefore nonverbal communication plays an essential role and body language is an important part of nonverbal communication.

II.The necessity and importance of learning body language on nonverbal communication

People can communicate with others not only through verbal communication but also nonverbal communication；and the latter plays an essential role. Body language is an important part of nonverbal communication. Yet the body language we use decides to a large quality of our communication. We can learn to use our body language for a purpose. Its important to note body language has different meanings in different cultures and different people have different ways of making body language. For example，nodding one's head means yes and waving an outstretched hand with open palm is the gesture for goodbye. These gestures will be accepted in general but not all body language means the same thing in different cultures. This means theres no signal that has the same meaning all over the world. Body language is also interlinked with spoken language and a whole pattern of behavior from a person. So its obvious that body language is known as nonverbal behavior，which transmits information through gestures，actions and facial expressions.

III.The concrete types and application of the body language

A. Types of body language

1. Distance between peoples conversation

When you communicate with others，youll notice such a problem that a stranger or a common friend of opposite sex communicate with you in quite a close distance，youll feel uncomfortable and then youll move back to keep a certain distance from the other. From this case，its easy to find distance is the key factor. Different people have their own ideas about the distance between people. According to the anthropologist，there are 4 main distances：intimate，personal，social，and public. Intimate distance is for husband and wife. Personal distance is for friends，acquaintances and relatives. Social distance is for coworkers but social gatherings tend to keep a farther distance than any of above and are generally for speakers in public and teachers in classrooms. The important thing to keep in mind is that most English-speaking people dont like people to be too close unless theres a special reason.

2. Physical contact

Everyone is programmed with his home culture software from the moment of birth. In some cultures a baby is carried on the mother's back，in others on her chest.In some cultures babies spend much time in baby seats or baby carriage. Some babies sleep in bed of their own from birth while babies in other countries sleep in their parents' bed for years. In these ways infants learn to experience the warmth of human physical contact. In English-speaking countries，physical contact is generally avoided among ordinary friends or acquaintances. As for forms of touching，well take up the matter of hugging and embracing in public. This practice is fairly common among women in many countries and in developed countries，it occurs frequently between husband and wife and close members of the family after a period of absence. Hugging and embracing among Arabs，Russians，French and in several of the east European and Mediterranean countries men is a different matter and a warm hug or a kiss on the cheeks are a standard way of welcome.

3. Eye contact

Chinese say eyes are windows of the heart and westerners think eyes are windows of the soul. Eyes can convey the subtlest emotions without any words. Eye contact is an important aspect of body language. There are different formulas for the exchange of glances depending on where the meeting takes place. If you pass someone in the street you may look at the oncoming person till you are about 8 feet apart，then you must look away as you pass while American custom demands there should be eye contact and this applies to both the speaker and the listener. Men use their eyes in different ways；there are differences of age，class or social status，geographical region and ethnic background. The differences in interpreting a simple eye gesture are a lesson in cultural diversity that one would not easily forget.