A Comparative Study of  Chinese and English Body Languages

Contents

1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………….…......1
2. Pragmatic features of body language…………………………….…........................2
2.1 Emblems …………………………………………….….... ……………………2
2.2 Illustrators………………………………………………………………………2
2.3 Regulators ………………...................................................................................2
2.4 Affect displays………………………………………………………………….3
2.5 Adaptors………………………………………………………………………...3
3. Pragmatic functions of body language……………………………………………...3
3.1 Complement……………………….....................................................................3
3.2 Substitution……………………………………………………………………..3
3.3 Emotional expression…………………...............................................................3
  3.4 Accentuation…………………….........................................................................4
  3.5 Symbolization…………………………………………………………………...4
4. A comparative study of body language between Chinese and English-speaking countries……………………………………………………………………………….4
  4.1 Contrastive study of gestures…………………………………………………...4
      4.1.1 The same gesture with different meanings in different cultures...............5
      4.1.2 Different gestures with same meaning    
4.1.3 Gesture and meaning in one culture without equivalent in other cultures………………………………………………………………….5
  4.2 Contrastive study of posture……………………….............................................6
  4.3 Contrastive study of facial expression…………………………………………..7
4.4 Contrastive study of eye contact…………………………………….………….8
5. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………….……....9
Bibliography ………………………………………………………………….……...10

                                     
                                     
A Comparative Study of
Chinese and English Body Languages

Abstract: In human communication, people use body language to communicate. Body language plays an important role in complementing, accenting, symbolizing or substituting utterance meaning. Body language, like verbal language, is also a part of culture. But in different cultures body language means different things. Different people have different ways of making nonverbal communication. Understanding the different cultural implications of English and Chinese body language can promote people’s cross-cultural communication competence, reinforce the heart-to-heart understanding and in the end will benefit the communication between English and Chinese people. This paper mainly expounds the features and functions, presents the meanings of body language, researches body language’s cultural differences between English and Chinese, especially those in gesture, posture, facial expression, eye contact and physical distance, and discusses the importance of knowing cultural meanings. The research of English and Chinese body language in nonverbal communication is helpful for people to diminish or avoid misunderstandings caused by the cultural differences of body language.
Key Words: body language, English-speaking countries, China, contrast
 
[ 摘 要 ] 人們?cè)谶M(jìn)行交流的過程中，經(jīng)常運(yùn)用身勢(shì)語。身勢(shì)語對(duì)話語意義起著補(bǔ)充，強(qiáng)調(diào)，表情，象征或替代作用。身勢(shì)語同語言一樣，都是文化的一部分。在不同文化中，身勢(shì)語的意義并不完全相同。各個(gè)民族有不同的非語言交際方式。了解英漢身勢(shì)語的不同文化內(nèi)涵，有助于英漢國(guó)家的人民之間更好地交流，提高跨文化交際能力，增進(jìn)感情與心態(tài)的理解，做到“入鄉(xiāng)隨俗”，傳情達(dá)意。本文重點(diǎn)論述了身勢(shì)語的語用特征，功能，并從文化角度對(duì)身勢(shì)語在不同的文化背景中的含義作了介紹，探討了中國(guó)和英語國(guó)家在手勢(shì)，姿態(tài)，面部表情，眼神與體距等方面的文化差異，論述了了解文化含義在非語言交際中的重要性。對(duì)跨文化交際中的英漢體態(tài)語進(jìn)行探討，有助于人們減少或避免在跨文化交際中因體態(tài)語的文化差異而引起的誤解。
[ 關(guān)鍵詞 ] 身勢(shì)語；英語國(guó)家；中國(guó)；對(duì)比