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1、 The Meaning of Body Language in Different Culture Abstract“Body language”, like our verbal language, is a part of culture. But not all body language means the same thing in different cultures. Different people have different ways of making nonverbal communication. For example: different people have
2、 different ideas about the proper distance between people who is conversing; and the appropriateness of physical contact varies with different cultures. One could draw up quite a list of “rules” about eye contact: to look or not to look; when to look and how long to look; who and who not to look at.
3、 Smile and laughter usually convey friendliness, approval, satisfaction, pleasure, joy and merriment, and, this is generally true in China as well as in other English-speaking countries. However, there are situations when a smile of Chinese people will rise a negative reaction of the westerners. Ges
4、tures can also be particularly troublesome, for a slight difference in making the gesture can mean something quite different from that intended, besides, a wrong interpretation of a gesture can arouse quite unexpected reactions and so on. Therefore in order to communicate effectively in a foreign la
5、nguage, one should also know space domination, eye contact, body contact, gestures, the facial expression and etc. that accompany a particular language. In a sense, all body language should be interpreted in a given culture, and to ignore the overall situation could be misleading. A comparison of bo
6、dy language of Chinese and English speaking Country shows a number of diversities of body language. It shows the importance of studying the specific gestures that go with a language.Key Words: nonverbal communication; body language; meaning; different culture 摘 要“身势语”同语言一样，都是文化的一部分。在不同文化中，身势语的意义并不完全
7、相同。各民族有不同的非语言交际方式。例如：不同的民族在谈话时，对双方保持多大距离才合适有不同的看法。谈话双方身体接触的次数多少因文化不同而各异；在目光接触这一方面也有许多规定：看不看对方，什么时候看，看多久，什么人可以看，什么人不可以看。在某些场合下，在中国和其他在讲英语的国家无论微笑还是大笑，通常表示友好赞同满意高兴愉快，但是在某些场合，中国人的笑会引起西方人的反感。打手势时动作稍有不同，就会与原来的意图有所区别，对某种手势理解错了，也会引起意外的反应等等。因此，要用外语进行有效的交际，在说某种语言时就得了解说话人的空间支配、目光接触、身体接触、手势、面部表情等所表示的意思。从某种意义上说，
8、一切身势语都要放在一定的文化中理解；忽视这点就会发生误解。而通过对不同文化下身势语不同含义的对比研究显示了身势语得多样性,表明了了解另一种语言中身势语的重要性.关键词：非语言交际；身势语；含义；不同文化 ContentsIntroduction11. A comparison of body language in different cultures11.1 Eye contact11.2 Holding hands31.3 Other touches31.4 Gestures31.5 The facial expression52. The necessity and importance
9、 of learning body language5 Conclusion7References87IntroductionEverybody knows that words can carry messages. People communicate with words. Books, magazines, TV，radio and films all help us to communicate with others. They all help us to know what is going on in the world and what other people are t
10、hinking about. Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you put up your hand in class, the teacher knows you want to say something or ask a question. You shake your head, and people kno
11、w you are saying “No”. You nod and people know you are saying “Yes”. There are a lot of other things which can also carry messages. What we call that is “body language”. Like verbal language, “Body language”, expresses the silent and real feeling in ones inner world. Is also a part of culture? It co
12、ncludes space domination, eye contact, body contact, gesture action and the facial expression. It plays an important role in the nonverbal communication. With the popularization of intercultural communication, the nonverbal communication also becomes more and more important. Therefore, we should pay
13、 more attention to “body language”. On the other hand, not all body language means the same meaning in different culture, and all body language should be interpreted in a given culture, otherwise the overall situation could be misleading. Therefore, a comparison of the different meaning of body lang
14、uage in different culture is necessary.1 A comparison of body language in different cultures1.1Eye contactThe modern Spanish philosopher Autauga said “the speakers eyes can tell you their inner world”. Man and woman exchange their love by eyes. From “The whole soul is hidden in his eyes” to “Dont sa
15、y, your eyes have already told me what you want to say”, we can see the important function of eye contact in communication.Eye contact is an essential part of any communication. Without it people are unlikely to relate to the message in a meaningful way. Not many people realize how important eye contact is, or how sensitive people are to it. Eye contact should be a positive form of body language communication, but if it is not used correctly it can easily become negative.The doctor Faster said, once his friend and he came downstairs in the elevator, his friend looke
