1、非言语交际和跨文化交际非言语交际和跨文化交际Non-verbal communication and intercultural communicationAbstract: Language is the tool of communication and carrier of culture. Non-verbal communication can effectively complement verbal communication. Non-verbal communication often happens as verbal communication takes place.
2、It also has the same communicative function as verbal communication does. People only emphasize verbal communication while they usually neglect non-verbal communication which is of much importance in information transmission. The main concerns in this paper include the relation between verbal and no
3、n-verbal, classification, feature, and function of non-verbal communication. The way solving intercultural conflicts in non-verbal communication is also discussed here.Key words: non-verbal communication; function; intercultural communication1. Introduction Language is a necessary and very important
4、 tool in human communication. When people talk about the communication, they always regard verbal communication as a kind of way to communicate, but neglecting the non-verbal communication. In fact, verbal communication and non-verbal communication are both ways for people to communicate. Comparing
5、with verbal communication, non-verbal communication can transfer information and express the meaning in a better way. This paper mainly talked about the relation between verbal communication and non-verbal communication, the function of non-verbal and the function of non-verbal in the intercultural
6、communication.2. the non-verbal communication2.1 The definition and classification of the non-verbal communicationNon-verbal communication (NVC) is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages. Such messages can be communicated through gesture; b
7、y body language or posture; by facial expression and eye contact. Object communication such as clothing, hairstyles or even architecture; symbols. Speech may also contain non-verbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, emotion and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such
8、 as rhythm, intonation and stress. Likewise, written texts have non-verbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the use of emoticons.Language is the most important way in human communication, but it is not the only way to communicate. For example, sometimes we need lo
9、ts of non-verbal communication symbols to help us understand well. In fact verbal and non-verbal communications are both very important. Some researchers divided the non-verbal communication into three types; the first one is that people just show the dynamic posture in a silent way. For example, wh
10、en people show their agreement they will just nod their heads instead of saying yes to others. Another example, smiling is also a kind of non-verbal communication; it can express many different meanings. It can show the satisfaction of something or even the polite refusal. These depend on the differ
11、ent contexts. The second one is static posture. For example, people were standing straight or leaning on the chair or sitting on the floor etc. The different postures of the static bodies also can express different meanings according to the different contexts. The third one is a kind of sounds which
12、 are produced by human beings but not verbal language; its a kind of non-verbal language. For example, all kinds of smiling, and the sigh both belong to the third type.Those three non-verbal communications play a very important way in human communication society.2.2 The comparison of verbal communic
13、ation with non-verbal communicationAs we all know, verbal communication is very important in our real life, however, non-verbal communication also plays an important role in daily life. The phonetician David Abercrombie claimed that we speak with our organs, but we converse with our entire bodies (A
14、bercrombie 1968), and we shall see in what sense this is true. And in Mr. Dai Weidongs book named A New Concise Course on Linguistic for Studies of English, language was defined as langue is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. Short as it, this definition has captured t
15、he main features of language. First as all, language is a system. Second, language is arbitrary in the sense that there is no intrinsic connection between a linguistic symbol and what the symbol and what the symbol stands for. Third, language is vocal because the primary medium for all languages is
16、sound. Last, the term human in the definition is meant to specify that language is human-specific.Speech also reflects the social relations between the speakers and addressee, most particularly the power and solidarity manifested in that relationship. Power is self-explanatory, but solidarity is har
17、der to define. It concerns the social distance between people - how much experience they have shared, how many social characteristics they share (religion, sex, age, region of origin, race, occupation, interest, etc.), how far they are prepared to share intimacies, and other factors.Non-verbal behav
18、ior is involved in the two aspects of speech considered in these chapter-making relations between speaker and addressee and the structure of discourse; and it also involved in the communication of content, that is, propositions and referents. In the part 4 we will discuss the non-verbal communicatio
19、n in intercultural communication in detail.3. The function of non-verbal communicationWhen communicating, non-verbal messages can interact with verbal messages in the following ways: repeating, conflicting, complementing, substituting, regulating.1) RepeatingRepeating consists of using gestures to s
20、trengthen a verbal message, such as pointing to the object of discussion.2) ConflictingVerbal and non-verbal messages within the same interaction can sometimes send opposing or conflicting messages. A person verbally expressing a statement of truth while simultaneously fidgeting or avoiding eye cont
21、act may convey a mixed message to the receiver in the interaction. Conflicting messages may occur for a variety of reasons often stemming from feelings of uncertainty, ambivalence, or frustration. When mixed messages occur, non-verbal communication becomes the primary tool people use to attain addit
22、ional information to clarify the situation; great attention is placed on bodily movements and positioning when people perceive mixed messages during interactions.3) ComplementingAccurate interpretation of messages is made easier when non-verbal and verbal communication complements each other. Non-ve
23、rbal cues can be used to elaborate on verbal messages to reinforce the information sent when trying to achieve communicative goals; messages have been shown to be remembered well when non-verbal signals affirm the verbal exchange.4) SubstitutingNon-verbal behavior is sometimes used as the sole chann
24、el for communication of a message. People learn to identify facial expressions, body movements, and body positioning as corresponding with specific feelings and intentions. Non-verbal signals can be used without verbal communication to convey messages; when non-verbal behavior does not effectively c
25、ommunicate a message; verbal methods are used to enhance understanding.5) RegulatingNon-verbal behavior also regulates our conversations. For example, touching someones arm can signal that you want to talk next or interrupt. For example, a person who is verbally expressing anger may accent the verba
26、l message by shaking a fist.4. Non-verbal communication in intercultural communication4.1. The definition of cultureA culture is a collection of beliefs, habits, living patterns, and behaviors which are held more or less in common by people who occupy particular geographic area. Culture influences a
27、ll aspects of our lives. It involves subjective attitudes, values, beliefs, opinions, behaviors and objective clothes, food, utensils, architecture elements. We use culture to explain similarities within and differences between groups of people Culture is not a static entity, but is ever-evolving; w
28、hat we commonly know as “the generation gap” is a cultural difference as it refers to different ways of life and being for people who are raised in different periods of time .Culture exists on multiple levels, and it enhances survival. Cultures provide rules for living, telling people how to interac
29、t, work and play with each other. Culture provides a hierarchy for decision-making and sets the standards for group cooperation and divisions of labor. With culture there is order; without culture there is chaos. Even people who think they have no culture have a culture; it is just the culture to be
30、lieve they have no culture. Of all the possible things people could do, culture helps to limit what we should do in order to survive in the environment in which we live. Culture is communicated across generations. And, culture both enables behavior, allowing it to be created or invented and it const
31、rains and restricts it.4.2The definition of intercultural communication Intercultural communication is a form of global communication. It is used to describe the wide range of communication problems that naturally appear within an organization made up of individuals from different religious, social,
32、 ethnic, and educational backgrounds. Intercultural communication is sometimes used synonymously with cross-cultural communication. In this sense it seeks to understand how people from different countries and cultures act, communicate and perceive the world around them. As a separate notion, it stud
33、ies situations where people from different cultural backgrounds interact. Aside from language, intercultural communication focuses on social attributes, thought patterns, and the cultures of different groups of people. It also involves understanding the different cultures, languages and customs of people from
