中美肢体语言对比
中西方肢体语言的差异【英汉对照】
一、动作一样,意义不同。
1. 跺脚,在中国人看来,表示气愤,恼怒,灰心,悔恨。
而它的英文含义则是不耐烦。
2. 目不转睛地看,其中文含义是:好奇;有时是惊讶。
英文含义则是不礼貌;使人发窘;不自在。
3. 拍别人的脑袋,中文含义是:对孩子来说是一种疼爱的表现,但是对成年或青年人做出这样的动作则会引起反感,是一种侮辱性的动作。
4. 鼓掌,观众和听众鼓掌,表演或讲话人也鼓掌,在中国人看来,表示表演者或演讲者的谢意,双方一齐鼓掌来相互表示友好感情。
而在英语国家中,表演者或演讲者鼓掌则表示自己为自己鼓掌,自己为自己的表演感到骄傲,自己为自己所付出的努力感到自豪。
5. 嘘嘘声,汉语含义是反对;责骂;轰赶等。
英文含义则是要求安静。
二、同样意思,动作有差异。
1. 叫别人过来,中国人的肢体语言为把手伸向被叫人,手心向下,几个手指同时弯曲几次,而美国人的肢体语言为把手伸向被叫人,手心向上,握拳用食指前后摆动。
美国人的这种肢体语言在中国人看来是一种侮辱,或挑衅,是一种极不礼貌的行为。
2. 开玩笑时用的,表示丢人。
中国人伸出食指在脸上刮几下,而美国人则是伸出两只手的食指,手心向下,用一个食指擦另一个食指的背面3. 表示吃饱了的用语,中国人用手抚摸后轻拍自己的肚子(表示自己的肚子里已经装满食物了,不能再吃了。
而美国人一只手放在自己的喉头,手心向下,表示吃到这了,食物已经到了嗓子了,再吃就要吐出来了。
三、只在一种文化中存在的动作。
(中国没有或西方没有的某种肢体语言。
)1. 在美国,咬指甲,表示担心,不知所措,心中有重大的思想负担。
2. 在美国,用大拇指顶着鼻头,其他四指弯着一起动,表示挑战,蔑视。
3. 在美国,摇动手指),表示:警告别人不要作某事,表示对方在做错事。
The action is the same, but has different meanings. 1. Stomping,in the eyes of the Chinese people,it stand for angry. Its English meaning is impatient.2. The Chinese meaning of intently watching is curious sometimes surprised.English meaning is impolite embarrassed and uncomfortable.3. Shoot someone's head, the Chinese meaning: a performance of love for children, but for adults or young people to make this kind of action will cause offense, is an offensive action.4.The applause, the audience applauded for performance or speech, in the eyes of the Chinese people, the performer or speaker say thanks to the two sides together to show the friendly to each other. In English-speaking countries, the performers or speakers applauded for their proud performances,.5. Peeing sound, Chinese meaning is against other’s idea. English meaning is requested quiet.1. Tell others over, the Chinese body language to reach out to the cal lee, palms down, several fingers while bending a few times, and the body language of the Americans to reach out to as people, palms up, make a fist with the forefinger pitching. This action in China appears to be an insult, or provocation, it is an extremely impolite action.2. Joke with, indicating a shame, China forefinger in face scraping few times, while Americans extended the index finger of both hands, palms down, with an index finger to rub the back of another index finger.3. Fed terminologies, China stroking and patting his stomach (own stomach full of food, can not eat. Americans with one hand on his throat, palms down, means that eat the food to the throat, eat going to spit it out.三the presence of only in a culture operation. (China or the West is not some kind of body language.)1. In the United States, the nail-biting, expressed worry about what to do, the high pressure, the major burden of thinking.2. In the United States, wore nose with the thumb and other four fingers bent with challenge the contempt.3. In the United States, shaking a finger warning others not to do something, they are doing something wrong..4. 在美国,把胳膊放在胸前,握紧拳头,拇指向下,向下摆几次,表示反对某人;表示强烈反对。
中国与其它国家的身体语言对比
中国与其它国家的身体语言对比首语包括点头和摇头。
在中国和其他大部分国家都是点头表示同意、赞赏,摇头表示否定和遗憾。
而在印度、巴基斯坦等国,点头是否定,摇头是肯定。
大拇指伸出,在中国表示胜利、佩服,第一、首领等;在日本表示男人、父亲;在美国、荷兰、澳大利亚、新西兰等地区表示幸运;在印度、德国则表示想搭车。
拇指向下一般都表示品德不好、坏或不成功,而在英国美国,拇指向下表示不同意;在法国表示死了;在印尼、缅甸等地区则表示失败。
伸出中指,菲律宾表示愤怒、轻蔑;美国、法国、新加坡表示下流;沙特则表示恶劣行为或极度不快。
向上伸食指,中国表示数字一或请注意;美国表示请稍等片刻;法国是学生请求发言的表示;缅甸表示最重要;日本表示最优秀。
小指伸出,中国表示渺小,看不起;日本表示女人,小孩儿;韩国表示女朋友;而缅甸、印度一带则用来表示厕所;菲律宾表示小人物。
食指弯曲,中国表示数字九;日本表示小偷;泰国、朝鲜表示钥匙;印尼表示心肠坏;墨西哥则用来表示金钱。
伸出中指压在食指上,在中国表示数字十;菲律宾、马来西亚、新加坡、美国、法国、墨西哥等表示祈祷;荷兰表示发誓;斯里兰卡表示邪恶;而在香港则表示关系密切。
用拇指和食指搭成圆圈,在日本、韩国缅甸等均表示金钱;美国表示同意或成功;印尼则相反,表示不成功,表示傻瓜,无用;而在巴西则表示肛门。
注意:切忌伸一根手指头指人指路,这是没有教养的表现。
另外要注意,适当地运用手势,可以增强感情的表达。
但与人谈话时,手势不宜过多,动作不宜过大,要给人一种优雅,含蓄而彬彬有礼的感觉。
“OK”形手势的含义:在我国和世界其它一些地方,伸手示数时该手势表示零或三.在美国、英国表示“赞同”“了不起”的意思;在法国,表示零或没有;在日本表示懂了;在泰国表示没问题、请便;在韩国、缅甸表示金钱;在印度表示正确、不错;在突尼斯表示“傻瓜”;在巴西表示侮辱男人,引诱女人.(即在拉美表示下流.)。
跨文化交际研究中中美身体语言对比研究
跨文化交际研究中中美身体语言对比研究跨文化交际研究中中美身体语言对比研究摘要:人类的交际通常可分为言语交际和非言语交际。
中国和西方在非言语行为上的文化差异主要体现在不同文化通过不同的手势或动作传达相同的信息,和同一手势或行动在不同的文化中表达不同的意思。
本文对比研究了中美两国生活中经常出现的非言语交际形式的不同。
首先介绍了身势学相关概念,然后从体势、手势、面部表情、目光接触、触摸五个方面对比分析了中美肢体语言的差异。
从而得出了启示:我们必须注意本土语言和目标语言中非言语行为的差异,并在跨文化交流中加以合理运用。
关键词:身体语言;文化差异;跨文化交际H030A1 . 前言人类的交际通常可分为两种:言语交际和非言语交际。
事实上,在日常生活中,我们不仅通过言语交流,在非言语交际上也花费了大量的时间,通过这一手段传达了丰富的情感信息。
我们应注意到,有些非言语交际的行为在众多相异的文化中是共通的,但其规则仍受文化的影响。
有时,不同文化之间的差异可能会给非言语交际带来误解。
随着中美两国直接联系的日益增多,提高对两种文化的理解也越发变得重要。
非言语交际影响着来自两国个体之间的交往方式,影响双方最终是达成理解还是产生误解。
因此,理解两种文化的差异对于建立和谐的关系尤为重要。
本文旨在帮助读者理解并认同中美两国人们在日常交流过程中非言语交际的差异。
以下行文中将着力介绍身体语言。
2 . 身势学2 . 1 体势体势是指人们常见的身体姿势。
体势通常可以分为三种:站立、屈膝姿势(包括坐、蹲、跪)和躺卧。
虽不乏共通因素,但在每种文化中,各个体势都有其独特的非言语交际含义。
体势和就坐的习惯可以折射出一种文化的根本框架,对于中美文化而言均是如此。
中美两国人们站立和就坐的习惯上存在众多差异,双方可能都会对此感到困惑。
在中国,当被引见时,无论男士还是女士都应该起立;而在美国,当一位女士被介绍给一位男士时,除了对方的社会地位很高,否则女士无需起身。
中西方肢体语言差异-Vivian
中西方肢体语言差异西方的肢体语言手势,面部表情等,都相对来说比较夸张,是动作配合表情的。
而中国人比较含蓄。
一、常见手势在不同国家和地区的含义1,拇指和食指合成一个圈,其余三个手指头伸直或者略屈(OK手势):中国和世界很多地方:零或三美国、英国:OK,即赞同、了不起的意思日本、缅甸、韩国:金钱突尼斯:傻瓜2,食指和中指上伸成V形,拇指弯曲压于无名指和小指上:世界大多数地区:伸手示数时表示二,用它表示胜利据说是二战时期英国首相丘吉尔发明的。
不过在表示胜利的时候,手掌一定要向外,如果手掌内向,就是贬低人、侮辱人的意思了。
在希腊,做这一手势的时候,即使手心向外,如手臂伸直,也有对人不恭之嫌。
3、举大拇指:中国:好、了不起,有赞赏、夸奖之意意大利:数字一希腊:拇指向上表示“够了”,向下表示“厌恶”、“坏蛋”美国、英国、澳大利亚等国:好、行、不错。
二、不同处举例列表A 动作一样,意义不同B 意义相同,动作有差异C 只存在于一种文化中的动作这几张表中所举的例子不全,但是可以说明肢体语言的差异,也说明了解另一种语言中的肢体语言的重要性.三、各国不同的面部和肢体语言◆美国美国人非常注重交谈时两眼正视对方。
如果谈话时您目光游离或者看向一旁,美国人便会认为您对谈话不感兴趣,甚至以为您在对他隐瞒什么。
在美国,有两种手势是最具侮辱性的:第一种手势是左手握拳且弯曲左臂,同时将右手掌按在左臂肱二头肌的位置上;第二种是中指伸直向上,其余4指弯曲。
◆埃及在交谈中,如果埃及人拉起您的手,抓住您的胳膊,或是抚摸您的肩膀时,请不要误以为他们缺少礼数,这是他们真情实感的流露。
在埃及,交谈者会尽量站得离您更近此,如果您企图躲闪,这将被视为对对方的侮辱。
◆英国同英国人谈话,实际上是很复杂的事情:英国人所受的教育不仅不允许打断交谈者的话,而且面部也不允许流露出不赞成的表情。
英国人可以心平气和地听您喋喋不休地说上半个小时,当您终于沉默的时候,他才断然说个“不”字。
中西方肢体语言差异-Vivian
中西方肢体语言差异西方的肢体语言手势,面部表情等,都相对来说比较夸张,是动作配合表情的。
而中国人比较含蓄。
一、常见手势在不同国家和地区的含义1,拇指和食指合成一个圈,其余三个手指头伸直或者略屈〔OK手势〕:中国和世界很多地方:零或三美国、英国:OK,即赞同、了不起的意思日本、缅甸、韩国:金钱突尼斯:傻瓜2,食指和中指上伸成V形,拇指弯曲压于无名指和小指上:世界大多数地区:伸手示数时表示二,用它表示胜利据说是二战时期英国首相丘吉尔发明的。
不过在表示胜利的时候,手掌一定要向外,如果手掌内向,就是贬低人、侮辱人的意思了。
在希腊,做这一手势的时候,即使手心向外,如手臂伸直,也有对人不恭之嫌。
3、举大拇指:中国:好、了不起,有赞赏、夸奖之意意大利:数字一希腊:拇指向上表示“够了”,向下表示“厌恶”、“坏蛋”美国、英国、澳大利亚等国:好、行、不错.二、不同处举例列表A动作一样,意义不同B意义相同,动作有差异C只存在于一种文化中的动作这几张表中所举的例子不全,但是可以说明肢体语言的差异,也说明了解另一种语言中的肢体语言的重要性。
三、各国不同的面部和肢体语言◆美国美国人非常注重交谈时两眼正视对方。
如果谈话时您目光游离或者看向一旁,美国人便会认为您对谈话不感兴趣,甚至以为您在对他隐瞒什么。
在美国,有两种手势是最具侮辱性的:第一种手势是左手握拳且弯曲左臂,同时将右手掌按在左臂肱二头肌的位置上;第二种是中指伸直向上,其余4指弯曲。
◆埃及在交谈中,如果埃及人拉起您的手,抓住您的胳膊,或是抚摸您的肩膀时,请不要误以为他们缺少礼数,这是他们真情实感的流露。
在埃及,交谈者会尽量站得离您更近此,如果您企图躲闪,这将被视为对对方的侮辱。
◆英国同英国人谈话,实际上是很复杂的事情:英国人所受的教育不仅不允许打断交谈者的话,而且面部也不允许流露出不赞成的表情。
英国人可以心平气和地听您喋喋不休地说上半个小时,当您终于沉默的时候,他才断然说个“不”字。
中美肢体语言对比
中美肢体语言对比丁宁商务英语商英121 12931107指导老师:赵桂影摘要:肢体语言和文字语言同属语言,都是文化的一部分。
除了一些世界公认的或约定俗成肢体语言在不同文化中含义相同之外,在很多情况下,相同的肢体语言在不同文化背景下意义差别很大。
由此可见,在进行跨文化交际时,正确理解、使用肢体语言尤为重要。
本文从中美两国肢体语言的异同进行对比,以探讨肢体语言在人们交际中的作用。
关键词:肢体语言;对比; 文化差异;跨文化交际;Abstract: Body language and word language are included in language, is also a part of culture. Except the world recognized or accepted body language in different cultural have the same meaning, Most of the time, the difference is great significance of the same body language in different cultural, It follows that correct understanding and using the body language are most important, when we are cross cultural communication. This paper focuses on the comparative study of the body language in Chinese and American culture. And discuss the function of body language in communication.Key Words: body language; comparison; cultural difference ;intercultural communication;一、引言肢体语言(body language)也称体态语言,是人类借助和利用自己的面部表情、手势动作、身体姿态的变化来表达和传递思想感情的方式。
中美肢体语言的差异
The meaning :I’m full.
Chinese body language: Using one or two hands pat the belly gently. American body language: putting one hand on his throat, and at the same time, he usually says: it’s here now.
Body language:The audience applauded,and the speecher applauded too. Chinese meaning: Thanks,they experss their feelings of good friendship. American meaning: Applause for themselves are considered not modest(谦虚的).
手势名称:IV Real 手势含义:说真的,动真格的 手势做法:伸出四根手指,搭在自己肩膀上
双手一摊,也是老外一经典动作了。挠头,中国人用 的比较多。
美国的年轻人见面比较喜欢玩这手。让我想起中 国的猜拳”哥俩好啊,六六六啊”。
把中指和食指交叉起来,代表一种美好的祝愿。
你okay, 我okay, 大家都okay. "A" okay
Some international body languages.
Oh!Year
V sign
The "Thumb up" 竖起大拇指,就是夸你呗
The finger 哦,这个有点不雅, 放在这里全当充数。 可中指一伸,也很 国际化
Thank you !
The meaning :8
中西方肢体语言的差异【英汉对照】
一、动作一样,意义不同。
1. 跺脚,在中国人看来,表示气愤,恼怒,灰心,悔恨。
而它的英文含义则是不耐烦。
2. 目不转睛地看,其中文含义是:好奇;有时是惊讶。
英文含义则是不礼貌;使人发窘;不自在。
3. 拍别人的脑袋,中文含义是:对孩子来说是一种疼爱的表现,但是对成年或青年人做出这样的动作则会引起反感,是一种侮辱性的动作。
4. 鼓掌,观众和听众鼓掌,表演或讲话人也鼓掌,在中国人看来,表示表演者或演讲者的谢意,双方一齐鼓掌来相互表示友好感情。
而在英语国家中,表演者或演讲者鼓掌则表示自己为自己鼓掌,自己为自己的表演感到骄傲,自己为自己所付出的努力感到自豪。
5. 嘘嘘声,汉语含义是反对;责骂;轰赶等。
英文含义则是要求安静。
二、同样意思,动作有差异。
1. 叫别人过来,中国人的肢体语言为把手伸向被叫人,手心向下,几个手指同时弯曲几次,而美国人的肢体语言为把手伸向被叫人,手心向上,握拳用食指前后摆动。
美国人的这种肢体语言在中国人看来是一种侮辱,或挑衅,是一种极不礼貌的行为。
2. 开玩笑时用的,表示丢人。
中国人伸出食指在脸上刮几下,而美国人则是伸出两只手的食指,手心向下,用一个食指擦另一个食指的背面3. 表示吃饱了的用语,中国人用手抚摸后轻拍自己的肚子(表示自己的肚子里已经装满食物了,不能再吃了。
而美国人一只手放在自己的喉头,手心向下,表示吃到这了,食物已经到了嗓子了,再吃就要吐出来了。
三、只在一种文化中存在的动作。
(中国没有或西方没有的某种肢体语言。
)1. 在美国,咬指甲,表示担心,不知所措,心中有重大的思想负担。
2. 在美国,用大拇指顶着鼻头,其他四指弯着一起动,表示挑战,蔑视。
3. 在美国,摇动手指),表示:警告别人不要作某事,表示对方在做错事。
The action is the same, but has different meanings. 1. Stomping,in the eyes of the Chinese people,it stand for angry. Its English meaning is impatient.2. The Chinese meaning of intently watching is curious sometimes surprised.English meaning is impolite embarrassed and uncomfortable.3. Shoot someone's head, the Chinese meaning: a performance of love for children, but for adults or young people to make this kind of action will cause offense, is an offensive action.4.The applause, the audience applauded for performance or speech, in the eyes of the Chinese people, the performer or speaker say thanks to the two sides together to show the friendly to each other. In English-speaking countries, the performers or speakers applauded for their proud performances,.5. Peeing sound, Chinese meaning is against other’s idea. English meaning is requested quiet.1. Tell others over, the Chinese body language to reach out to the cal lee, palms down, several fingers while bending a few times, and the body language of the Americans to reach out to as people, palms up, make a fist with the forefinger pitching. This action in China appears to be an insult, or provocation, it is an extremely impolite action.2. Joke with, indicating a shame, China forefinger in face scraping few times, while Americans extended the index finger of both hands, palms down, with an index finger to rub the back of another index finger.3. Fed terminologies, China stroking and patting his stomach (own stomach full of food, can not eat. Americans with one hand on his throat, palms down, means that eat the food to the throat, eat going to spit it out.三the presence of only in a culture operation. (China or the West is not some kind of body language.)1. In the United States, the nail-biting, expressed worry about what to do, the high pressure, the major burden of thinking.2. In the United States, wore nose with the thumb and other four fingers bent with challenge the contempt.3. In the United States, shaking a finger warning others not to do something, they are doing something wrong..4. 在美国,把胳膊放在胸前,握紧拳头,拇指向下,向下摆几次,表示反对某人;表示强烈反对。
中西方身体语言的差异例子
中西方身体语言的差异例子中西方文化背景不同,因此在身体语言上也存在一些差异。
以下是一些例子,展示了中西方身体语言的差异。
一、面部表情1.微笑:在西方文化中,微笑通常表示友好或愉快。
而在中国文化中,微笑可能有多种含义,如礼貌、害羞或尴尬。
2.眼神接触:在西方文化中,直接的眼神接触被视为自信和尊重。
而在中国文化中,直接的眼神接触可能被视为不礼貌或傲慢。
二、姿势和动作1.握手:在西方文化中,握手是一种常见的问候方式,表示友好和尊重。
而在中国文化中,握手通常不如西方文化中普遍,而是以鞠躬为主要方式。
2.肢体接触:在西方文化中,肢体接触通常较为普遍,如拥抱、拍肩等,表示亲近和关怀。
而在中国文化中,肢体接触较为保守,通常只在亲密关系中出现。
三、姿态和姿势1.坐姿:在西方文化中,常见的坐姿是直立或稍微向后倾斜。
而在中国文化中,坐姿通常是直立或稍微向前倾斜,以示尊重。
2.手势:在西方文化中,挥手表示告别或打招呼,而在中国文化中,挥手通常表示离别或招呼。
此外,竖起大拇指在西方文化中表示赞成,而在中国文化中表示不好。
四、身体接触1.接吻:在西方文化中,接吻通常是一种亲昵的行为,如亲吻脸颊或嘴唇。
而在中国文化中,接吻通常只在亲密关系中出现,不像西方文化中那么普遍。
2.拥抱:在西方文化中,拥抱是一种常见的亲密行为,表示关怀和亲近。
而在中国文化中,拥抱通常只在亲密关系中出现,不像西方文化中那么常见。
五、手势和动作1.点头:在西方文化中,点头通常表示同意或理解。
而在中国文化中,点头可以表示同意、理解或尊重。
2.摇头:在西方文化中,摇头通常表示不同意或否定。
而在中国文化中,摇头可以表示不同意、否定或表示歉意。
六、姿势和动作1.手势:在西方文化中,举起手掌表示停止或等待。
而在中国文化中,举起手掌可能表示不理解或表示抗议。
2.手指:在西方文化中,竖起食指表示“好”或“正确”。
而在中国文化中,竖起食指可能被视为不礼貌或侮辱。
七、身体姿势和动作1.微笑:在西方文化中,微笑通常表示友好和愉快。
肢体语言在中美文化中的比较
摘要肢体语言是人类语言的重要组成部分,在中美文化交流中扮演着重要角色。
本文运用案例法与比较法,从四个方面对两国的手势、身势、眼神交流和面部表情四类肢体语言进行了进行对比与分析,即“相同”含义的相同肢体语言比较、“不同”含义的相同肢体语言比较、“相同”含义的不同肢体语言比较、中美两国各自独特的肢体语言比较,并探讨了背后的文化根源。
研究结果表明,两国在生产、生活中存在的诸多共同特征是导致中、美肢体语言存在共性的主要原因,而两国独特的历史文化和语言表达等因素对两国肢体语言差异的形成产生了重大影响。
因此,必须深入了解两国肢体语言及其文化背景,才能提高跨文化交际能力,促进中美文化交流。
关键词:肢体语言;文化差异;跨文化交际ABSTRACTBody language is a very important part in human language and it plays a vital role in Sino-American cross-cultural communication. Divided into gestures, posture, eye contacts and facial expressions, the body language in China and America had been compared and analyzed from four aspects by case analysis and comparison method. The four aspects included (1) the same body language with the same meaning, (2) the same body language with different meanings; (3) different body language with the same meaning, (4) the special body language exists in Chinese and American culture respectively. Furthermore, cultural background of body language in two countries was discussed. Results showed that the similar features in both life and production in two countries were the major reason for existence of common cognition of body language. The special historical characteristics and different ways of language expression played an important role in the differences of body language between the two countries. Therefore, in order to improve Sino-American cross-cultural communication, it is necessary to have a good knowledge of body language under different cultural backgrounds in China and America.Key words:body language; cultural differences; cross-cultural communicationContents1.Introduction (51)2. Literature review (52)2.1 Conceptions of relative words (52)2.1.1 Definition of body language (52)2.1.2 Conception of culture (53)2.2 Overseas and domestic literature review on body language (54)2.2.1 Overseas literature review on body language (54)2.2.2 Domestic literature review on body language (55)3. Comparison of body language in Chinese and American cultures (56)3.1 Same body language with the same meaning (57)3.2 Same body language with different meanings (59)3.3 Different body language with the same meaning (63)3.4 Unique body language exists in Chinese and American culture respectively (65)4. How to improve the ability of intercultural communication (66)5. Conclusion (67)Acknowledgements (70)References (71)1.IntroductionSpeaking of “Body Language” in a board sense, there are in English such expressions as body movement, body gesture, body behavior, etc [1]13,[2]4. A psychologist proposed a formula: the total impact of a message = 7% verbal + 38% vocal + 55% facial expressions and behaviors [3]15.Nowadays, with the rapid development of economy as well as science and technology, the world is becoming smaller and smaller, and the communication between people from different countries with different cultural backgrounds is increasing [3]19, especially that between people from China and America. Since interpretations of body language vary tremendously from culture to culture, it is a necessity to obtain the ability to understand body language while communicating with people from different countries with different culture. Certainly, there were many previous studies made by scholars on body language. However, most of their researches lay emphasis on the differences of body language between China and western countries instead of those between China and America. Meanwhile, few focus on the history and culture roots of body language and the influence of verbal language on body language. Therefore, the thesis is intended to focus on the similarities and differences of body language including posture, gestures, facial expressions and eye contacts under different cultural backgrounds in China and America so as to enable readers to comprehensively understand the exact meanings of body language and to know the corresponding cultural background and social-cultural characteristics of the two countries.The thesis is mainly composed of five chapters. The first Chapter serves as the brief introduction of the whole thesis; The second Chapter presents the definition of body language, culture and the literature review of body language abroad and in China; The third chapter focuses on the similarities and differences of body language under different cultural backgrounds in China and America and the corresponding reasons of history, culture and language for those similarities and differences will be analyzed at the same time. The fourth chapter introduces several tips for improving the ability of cross-culturalcommunication between the two countries. And the last part summarizes the whole content of this paper and restates the importance of body language in cross-cultural communication.2. Literature reviewThe observation of body language is important to an effective listener because it communicates what is the most important to the speaker. When a person is reluctant to put his feelings into words, or has repressed his feelings to the extent that he is not consciously aware of his feelings, then his nonverbal language usually indicates his feelings. Now, to have a better knowledge of body language, the author here will first introduce the literature review on body language as follows.2.1 Conceptions of relative wordsWhen communicating with a person from different cultures, it is extremely important to possess the ability to understand the exact meanings of the body language he uses. Otherwise, it will cause unnecessary misunderstandings and even lead to some trouble. Body language has a close relationship with culture. Thus, before we come to the study on body language under different cultural backgrounds in China and America, we should first of all have a clear idea about the definitions of relative words: body language, and culture.2.1.1 Definition of body languageBody language is a term for forms of communication using body movements or gestures instead of sounds, or other forms of oral communication [4]25. It is often called kinesics, composed not only of gestures and posture, but also facial expressions and eye contacts [5]23. Gestures refer to the movement of hands or arms to express the meaning of a verbal message which is regarded as the central part of our body language. Posture is the general way of carrying out one’s body, especially the head, shoulders and back when walking, standing, squatting, sitting or lying. Eye contact is a very important part in body language which refers to the study of messages expressed by eyes, including eye contact,eye movements, staring, gaze, blinks and pupil dilation. The face serves as the most expressive function in our body and it can give us some information about one’s character.It should be mentioned that since diverse and complex factors are involved in the study of body language, a considerable amount of academic arguments exist concerning which definition of body language is the most valid and workable. Some scholars claim that body language is the language without words; others give a similar statement that body language indicates all communicative symbols except oral speech. Besides the above mentioned definitions, Samovar and Porter (1995) have made some attempts on a more specific and vivid definition of body language like this: Body language is the socially, biologically, psychologically or culturally framed exchange of valuable messages which are not verbally spoken out but conveyed by the body movements, body gestures, symbols or relevant context and surrounding environment etc [5]10. Also, there is definition written in dictionary: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines body language as the process of communicating through conscious or unconscious gestures and poses [6]143.2.1.2 Conception of cultureIt is difficult to find even a single definition of culture on which scholars may have agreements since culture is really a very large and evasive concept which is very difficult to define. The anthropologists define it as: common knowledge, perceptions and values that constitute the foundation of social, economical and religious institutions in a society (Svanberg & Runblom, 1988) [7]8. It is said that there have been at least over 150 definitions on culture, but none of them seems to be able to tell us everything about culture [8]14.But, simply put, “culture” refers to a group or a community with which we share common experiences that shape the way we understand the world. Most professionals view culture as being the sum total of beliefs, rules, techniques, institutions, and artefacts that characterize human beings[8]3. In other words, culture consists of socially created and learned patterns of behaviour shared by members of a given society—a unique lifestyle of a particular group of people.From above, we know that culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes one group or category of people from another [7]16. Since China is a developing country while America is a developed country, they havetheir unique styles in the traditions of culture and customs. They are different in many aspects of their life and production which produce a big influence on their body language. When coming to the definition of culture, we should take the cultural backgrounds of two countries’history, customs and literature into consideration; meantime, we also should take the cultural factors into consideration when we are taking part in cross-cultural communication. By acquiring the basic theoretical conceptions of body language and culture, we will go further for the study on the meanings of body gestures under different cultural backgrounds in China and America in the next part.2.2 Overseas and domestic literature review on body languageThis part concerns literature review on body language made by scholars in China and America. Body language, as a communicative method, has a long history and it can be assumed that the history of body language is longer than any other natural languages. Body language is the subject which has received the most research and the greatest amount of public attention during recent years.2.2.1 Overseas literature review on body languageBody language may date back to Aristotle, who had studied the expressions of actions. And Darwin’s Expressions of Humans and Animals published in 1872 can be regarded as the initial study of body language [9]16. It is generally accepted that the study of body language became an independent subject in the 1950s. During this period, there was a significant increase in the number of body language research’s efforts. Ray Birdwhistell’s Introduction to Kinesics in 1952 in which the term kinesics was initiated primarily constructed the conception system of Kinesics. Dr. Edward T. Hall’s The Silent Language in 1959 explored the importance of cultural factors, and revealed the profound mystery of kinesics in communication [10]26. These two books are regarded as two milestones in the decade.The 1960s witnessed a nuclear explosion of studies on body language. There were extensive studies on specific areas of body including eye behaviors, personal space, body movements and body gestures. Dr. Edward T. Hall, professor of anthropology at Northwestern University, went into thecross-cultural perspective of proteomics. Paul Kerman and Wallace Friesen have developed a specific system of classifying nonverbal languages in terms of function in the book The Repertoire of Nonverbal Behavior[11]20, which provided insights on the origin, usage, and coding of nonverbal behavior.The 1970s made deep exploration on the aspect of body language from different perspectives, among which was Julius Fast’s Body Language in 1973 in which he explained by presenting interesting instances the meaning of such nonverbal behaviors as gestures, facial expressions, postures, and distance between interlocutors[12]14. In 1970, Ray Birdwhistell coined the term “kinesics”—the systematic study of how human beings communicate through body movements and gestures—in his masterpiece Kinesics and Context: Essay on Body Motion Communication.2.2.2 Domestic literature review on body languageChinese researchers have made a great contribution to the study on body language. The study on body language in China originated in the 1970s and prospered in the 1980s [14]6. In the late 1980s, there were two famous monographs, one is An Introduction to Body Language in 1988 by Ge Erling and the other is Motion Linguistics in 1988 by Zhou Jiyu [13]18. And the research in this field reached its research height at the beginning of 1990s. During these years, the number of literary works on this aspect had reached over one hundred [3]26. Since then, an increasing number of anthropologists, linguists, sociolinguists and language teachers are doing researches on intercultural nonverbal communication. The linguist and educator Chen Wangdao pointed out that language is a way to send and receive information, and he was the first one who made a clear distinction of body language between some other means of message transferring in China[8]18. Besides, other famous scholars in our country, for example, Hu Wenzhong, Bi Jiwan and Liu Wenrong had issued several articles on cross-cultural communication and translated many literature works of body language [14]5.From above literature review on body language, we can clearly get that scholars have made various studies on body language. However, most of the researches laid emphasis on the differences of body language while the similarities were ignored. Furthermore, most of the studies focus on the phenomena of the differences instead of the real reasons of those similaritiesand differences, such as the differences between history, culture, traditions, customs and expressions of verbal language, etc.Therefore, the author will focus on the comparison of similarities and differences of body language, including posture, gestures, facial expressions and eye contacts, between China and America and analyze the reasons of the differences with case analysis and comparison method as well. And in the process of this study, in order to thoroughly compare the similarities and differences of body language between the two countries, the author will analyze the above mentioned four categories of body language one by one from the following aspects: (1) the same body language with the same meaning; (2) the same body language with different meanings; (3) different body language with the same meaning; (4) the special body language exists in Chinese and American culture respectively.3. Comparison of body language in Chinese andAmerican culturesBody language can serve for communication which can make people communicate very well and smoothly. It is much related to culture. Particular body language and the meaning of body language are largely depended on cultural variations[13]13. Each culture in the world is unique and has its own system of expressing body language in communication. It is the uniqueness of different cultures that cause misunderstandings or even conflicts in intercultural communication[15]17. Two individuals come from different cultures can understand the meanings of some certain different body gestures while the majority of body gestures varying others and the meanings they conveyed seem to be decided by culture in a large sense [13]9. From this we can see that it is important to study body language under the different cultural backgrounds. Besides, we should also have a clear understanding of the deep cultural reasons which cause these differences in body gestures.In this part, the author elaborates the similarities and differences of body language, including posture, gestures, eye contacts, and facial expressions withcase analysis and comparison method from the following four aspects so as to find out the culture root and social-cultural characteristics.3.1 Same body language with the same meaningHuman beings have thousands of thousands of body gestures. Although different people live in different places, speak different languages, wear different clothes, people share many similarities in daily life as well, for example, happiness, anger, sadness. So it is not difficult to understand that people share a lot of similar body language which expresses the same meaning. In this part, the author discusses posture, gestures, facial expressions and eye contacts that convey the same meaning in Chinese and American culture and analyzes the reasons as well.Posture refers to the general way people carry out their body, and it can be divided into three categories: standing, bent-knee positions and lying [15]36. The same posture can be seen in the same situation in different countries. No matter in America or in China, it is easy to observe from TV and movies that individuals of higher status usually use a relaxed postural style, while those who are in a lower status are always in a upright and tense postural style since the “lower status” must show his respect to the senior.Generally speaking, Gestures refer to specific body movements that carry meanings. Gestures are closely related to speech, illustrating or supplementing it. Gestures carry a great deal of meanings, some of which mean the same in China and America. When they are interpreted by Chinese and Americans respectively, there will not be any problem in understanding each other when communicating. For instance, both Chinese and Americans nod head up and down to mean “yes”, and they shake head from side to side to mean “no”; move hands from side to side to convey the meaning of saying goodbye to somebody; applaud to show approval of a performance. What is more, touch is one of the most fundamental forms of body gestures, like our oral speech, carries messages about what we are thinking and feeling. Touch is the earliest means we have to make contacts with others. Touch can indicate many things, including affection, aggression, sympathy and even the status or relationship which exists between people [15]25.Face is the most expressive part of our body. The sayings “one’s face is themirror of one’s soul,” and “The face tells the secret” tell us the importance of facial expressions. During interpersonal communication, we depend heavily on facial cues when making important judgements. Facial movements can express emotion. Research shows that seven basic emotions have been expressed the same. They are happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, anger, disgust and interest. In China and America, people almost express the above basic emotions with same facial expressions. So we can easily guess the meaning of a person from his or her face although we don’t understand each other’s language.Eye contact plays an important role in human interactions. People can use eye contact to regulate communication, convey emotions, and indicate degrees of attentiveness, interest, and arousal. It was estimated that we spend approximately 45 percent of our time looking at others’eyes [16]5. As to eye contacts, Chinese and Americans share some similarities too. For example, when we are in different emotions, such as happy, angry or sad, the expression in people’s eyes will change in accordance with the emotions we are in. Sometimes we control our facial expressions to hide our feelings and we can successfully do that while the expression in our eyes will reveal the secrets since it is too difficult to be controlled. In our daily life, we can not only guess a person’s happiness, anger and sadness from his or her eyes, but we can feel whether he is confident or shy, he is pessimistic or optimistic, he is kind or cruel, and so on. So Eyes are called the windows of man’s heart for they can reveal the implication at a deeper level that spoken language cannot express.Why do body gestures have the same meaning even in China and America which have their own unique cultural origins and historical characteristics? The reason is easy to understand. It is the mutual knowledge and cognition in people’s life and production during the development of human’s society which offers the answer. What is more, both Chinese and Americans face life and death, love and hate, hope and fear in life. All people’s basic needs and philosophies are similar, even when their expressions is clouded and confused by racial, cultural or political trappings [15]19. And it is these cultural common characteristics upon which we can build understanding, respect and communication. To some extent, we human beings sometimes may have something in common in nonverbal expressions with gorillas, let alone people from different cultures. There are many differences between China and America,such as culture, history, religion, race, color of skin, etc, but just like many idioms we share in life, for example, “love me, love my dog”, “strike while the iron is hot”, “look before you leap” and so on, we share many body gestures in life too.3.2 Same body language with different meaningsEven body language has a cultural accent, and because of the cultural differences in China and America, the same body gesture differs from each other in its meanings in some circumstances. Just like the say ing goes “do as the Romans do”, it is necessary to pay attention to such differences in the same body gesture to avoid misunderstandings. Here the author studies the differences of posture, gestures, facial expressions and eye contacts in Chinese and American cultures respectively and ultimately to cultivate their inside resources and reasons.1. PostureThere are cultural differences as far as gait is concerned in China and America. For example, Chinese people may regard Americans’ big strides when they walk as being arrogant, and Americans may consider Chinese people’s gait shy and timid. This reason of this difference is simply that Americans need more space than Chinese do since American culture emphasizes individualism while Chinese culture stresses modesty. Also, Standing with arms akimbo is common in America with neutral meaning. Women may do this posture to show their impatience. However, this posture in China means a signal to protect oneself from being approached.Sitting posture is a constant source of cultural misunderstandings. In America where being casual and friendly is valued, consciously or unconsciously people often fall into chairs or slouch. However, in China, a slouching posture is a signal of bad manners on many occasions, for Chinese value proper stance and sitting position.When combined with cultural backgrounds in China and America, it is not difficult to understand the reasons for all these differences. People may note the values, norms, and beliefs or subjective culture of a particular group reflected in the nonverbal codes of the two nations. Americans emphasize informality andseem to have a loose and easy stance, but Chinese ancient philosophy values a rigid, erect and quiet stance. As an old saying: Stand as straight as a pine and sit as upright as a bell.2. GesturesGestures are mainly connected with moving of hands or arms to convey some certain verbal information and emotion. People from China and America may have their own particular gestures, and even the same gesture may have its separate significance for Chinese and Americans in certain contexts because of their different cultures.In America, snapping fingers is to cause someone’s attention, whereas in China it is considered very rude and ill-mannered. In the United States, using one’s thumb and index finger to make a circle while extending the others has the meaning of “ok or excellent”; while in China, it stands “zero”. Chinese may shake the hand with the palm turning downward to ask somebody to come, while Americans interpret this gesture as saying goodbye or asking somebody to go away [14]15. In American culture, stamping one’s foot means impatience, but in China it conveys anger, frustration and remorse. Moreover, in Chinese culture, using the index finger up to tip one’s own nose means that “I did this or it is me”, while for Americans they will think this to be ridiculous or funny.Touch is more acceptable on Chinese campus than American campus, although both China and America are classified as non-contact culture [18]15. Chinese teachers often pat children on the heads or on the shoulders to show their intimacy, warmth, affection and encouragement. However, American teachers are less likely to do that since that they consider this behaviour to be rude, intrusive and offensive. Moreover, in China, one can touch the cloth or the hair of a newly known person to show affection and praise; while in America, this touching is avoided except that the two persons are close friends. Again, tapping the head with a finger means that one need to consider carefully or one is thinking in Chinese culture; while in American culture, it conveys the meaning that one is so stupid. Using hand to cover mouth is to indicate that one has something secret to say in Chinese culture; but in American culture this behaviour means that one is telling a lie. Also, Chinese may clap for themselves after a speech, but Americans may see this as immodest [19]20.There are still many other gestures varying culturally in this part. Forinstance, almost everyone has the experience of pointing a way for others. From childhood, Chinese are taught that it is impolite to use forefinger to point at things. This conception is reflected in the Chinese idiom “指桑骂槐” and “指手画脚”which convey the negative meaning [7]16. Since we have known the different meanings of the same body gesture in China and America, now, let’s come to the reasons for these differences. We all know that in China, culture is mainly connected with Han culture. Chinese culture emphasizes collectivism under the influence of Confucianism and Buddhism while American culture advocates individualism and independence which is clearly reflected in the different meanings of touch. That is to say, a country’s religion, economy and literature, to some extent, have a deep effect on the meaning of body language. Therefore, we should not only learn the meaning of body language, but also learn the cultural backgrounds that hind behind it.3. Facial expressionsFacial expressions are connected with culture. There are differences between Chinese and Americans in facial expressions. Facial movements can express one’s emotions. Research shows that seven basic emotions have been expressed the same by facial expressions [20]11. However, the meaning of facial expressions differs in the values of culture and differs in the context of interpersonal communication.Many examples can be found in daily life. In America, children often make facial expressions when they are disapproving of or questioning actions of their parents, while in China, children who do this are thought to disrespect their parents. As for the relationship between children and parents in a family, being obedient is what Chinese parents hope their children to do, while American parents seem partial to respect their children’s own choices, which is well reflected in the expressions of body language. So it is difficult for Americans and Chinese to understand each other’s ways of education. The main reason is that the difference in family education lies in the differences in their cultures.In American culture, people are willing to express attitude and emotions. The American teachers like to open a friendly environment in his class to make his class more relaxing and interesting. They are more willingly to use body language frequently, such as making face and rising eyebrow, while the teachers in China tend to control their feelings or cover their emotions and attitude. The。
中西方身势语差异
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• “非礼勿视”。而在西方这个世界文化的大熔 炉里,人人都锻炼得眼界开阔喜欢大大方 方地表白自己,敢于毫不遮掩地宣泄情感 ,她们往往会因为异性受到自己的吸引力 而感到受庞,但不若惊。目光的礼节、各 种凝视行为及目光在交际中的功能放映出 不同的文化背景及不同的民族文化心理, 其含义复杂,规定繁多,需要我们认真观 察,仔细比较,从而促进各民族间文化的 交流与融合。
,除非另有原因,如表示喜爱或鼓励对方与自己亲近等,但这是
另一回事。
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• 从这四种分法可以看出,人类在不同的活 动范围中因关系的亲密程度而有着或保持 不同的距离。不同民族与文化构成人们之 间不同的空间区域,多数讲英语的人在交 谈时不喜欢离的太近,总要保持一定的距 离。西班牙人和阿拉伯人交谈是会凑的很 近,而对俄罗斯人来说意大利人交谈是过 于靠近,拉美人交谈时几乎贴身。更有趣 的是英国人与意大利人交谈时,意大利人 不停的“进攻”,英国人不断的“撤退”。
• 反应动作 指人们在一定场景下作出的适应性动作,这 是对客观情况作出习惯性和机械性的反应。
• 调节动作 指说话双方为了调节彼此之间的交际行为
而作出的体态动作,这是一种非语言的反馈。
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要点:
一、不同民族在谈话时,双方保 持多大距离最合适。
二、各国对于身体接触的不同看 法。
三、目光接触的艺术。
四、交际中你会微笑吗?
• 非语言交际是人际交往的重要组成部
分。它和语言交际一样,是人们互相交
往的方式。在交际过程中,两者互为依
托,相辅相成,共同传递信息与情感,构成
整个交际行为。
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身势语的功能
• 情感表露 指用面部表情和各种体态动作表达内心的 思想情感。
在中国和另一个国家,是否有不同的手势和肢体语言?
在中国和另一个国家,是否有不同的手势和肢体语言?中国和另一个国家肢体语言与手势的差异手势和肢体语言是人类交流的重要方式之一。
虽然共同的生命经验和文化背景能够帮助我们理解彼此的肢体语言,但是在不同的文化背景中,在交际中可能会出现一些困难,让人们互相误解。
在本篇文章中,我们将讨论在中国和其他国家的肢体语言和手势方面的差异,并为大家提供一些有用的参考信息。
一、中国的肢体语言和手势中国是一个礼仪文化非常重要的国家,因此在交际中肢体语言和手势也非常注重。
以下是中国文化中经常使用的肢体语言和手势:1. 手心向下:在中国,如果你用手的手心向下示意某人,表示你希望他或她保持安静。
2. 合掌:合掌是中国人用来表示敬礼和感激的姿势。
3. 拜拜:拜拜是中国人常用的告别姿势。
4. 黑人问号:当中国人不理解某些意思的时候,他们会用额头皱起来的表情以及手指着嘴巴的姿势,类似于黑人问号的模样。
5. 吸气:中国人很喜欢用吸气的姿势来表示惊讶或者惊奇。
二、与中国相邻国家的肢体语言和手势1. 日本:和中国一样,合掌也是日本人常用的肢体语言。
此外,和中国人相比,日本人更注重肢体姿势和面部表情的细微变化。
例如,在交际中,他们会有意识地控制自己的眼神,以避免直接注视对方的眼睛。
2. 印度:印度人民非常重视肢体语言和面部表情。
他们常常使用印度式敬礼手势来表示敬意,双手合十的敬礼方式在印度发扬光大。
3. 朝鲜:和中国一样,朝鲜人也要求对方保持适当的距离,如果过近会感到不舒适。
一些简单而常见的肢体语言包括弯曲的头部、轻轻点头、以及手放在心口。
三、如何避免肢体语言和手势的误解在不同文化间交际时,肢体语言和手势的误解非常常见。
在这里,我们将列出一些有用的建议:1. 学习对方文化的基本礼仪:了解对方文化的基本礼仪可以帮助你避免肢体语言和手势误解。
2. 尊重对方:无论他们使用什么肢体语言或手势,尊重对方并避免冒犯对方是非常重要的。
3. 温和和亲切:温和地使用肢体语言和手势并不是错的,而是可以帮助两个文化之间的人建立良好的交际关系。
中西肢体语言差异
吃饱了
with the center of the palm downward )
中国人用手抚摸后轻拍自己的肚 子(touching or padding one’s stomach
gently )
to show someone is shameful ,usually used in joking
在第二次世界大战中,领导英国进行战 争的首相温斯顿· 邱吉尔曾作了一个手势, 当时引起了轰动。他出席一个场面盛大而 又重要的集会,他一露面,群众对他鼓掌 欢呼。邱吉尔做了一个表示 victory(胜利) 的 V形手势——用食指和中指构成V形。做 这个手势时,手心要对着观众。不知邱吉 尔是不知道还是一时失误,把手背对着观 众了。群众当中,有人鼓掌喝倒彩,有人 发愣,有人忍不往哈哈大笑。这位首相所 做的手势表示的是别的意思。那不是表示 “胜利”的 V形,而是一个下流的动作, 有侮辱之意。
美国人是食指朝上向里勾动 (put
招呼人过来 the hand toward someone with the center of the palm upward,shaking the index finger back and front)
中国人是用手掌向下朝自己方向 招动来招呼别人 (put the head toward
back
Physical contact
身体接触主要指双方通过身 体部位接触而交流信息的方 法。中国人属于低接触文化, 见面招呼往往仅限于点头、 举手问候、握手等方式,好 友重逢也不过是拉拉手或轻 轻打几拳。在英语国家,同 性和异性间的人们都有互相 拥抱和亲吻的习惯,这两个 动作中国人是无法接受的 physical contact means physical contact with the main part of the body through contact with the two sides exchange information. A low exposure to the Chinese culture, and meet often limited to nod hello, hand greeting, shaking hands, etc., friends reunion is nothing but the hand or gently pulling hit a few punches. In the English-speaking countries, homosexual and heterosexual people have a habit of hugging and kissing each other, these two actions the Chinese people is not acceptable.
肢体语言的中西方文化差异
肢体语言的中西方文化差异尼泊尔人、斯里兰卡人和有些印地安人和爱斯基摩人用点头表示“不”。
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手势、动作、举止等所表示的意思。
我们可以观察一下阿拉伯人同英国人谈话。
阿拉伯人按照自己的民族习惯认为站得近些表示友好。
英国人按照英国的习惯会往后退,因为他认为保持适当的距离才合适。
阿拉伯人往前挪,英国人往后退。
谈话结束时,两个人离原来站的地方可能相当远!在这个例子里,双方的距离是关键。
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。
根据研究,据说在美国进行社交或公务谈话时,有四种距离表示四种不同情况:关系亲密,私人交往,一般社交,公共场合。
交谈双方关系亲密,那么身体的距离从直接接触到相距约45厘米之间,这种距离适于双方关系最为亲密的场合,比如说夫妻关系。
朋友、熟人或亲戚之间个人交谈一般以相距45~80米为宜。
在进行一股社交活动时,交谈双方相距1.30米至3米;在工作或办事时,在大型社交聚会上,交谈者一般保持1.30米至2米的距离。
在公共场合,交谈者之间相距更远,如在公共场所演说,教师在堂上讲课,他们同听众距离很远。
多数讲英语的人不喜欢人们离得太近,当然,离得太远也有些别扭。
离得太近会使人感到不舒服,除非另有原因,如表示喜爱或鼓励对方与自己亲近等,但这是另一回事。
记住这一点很重要。
在英语国家里,一般的朋友和熟人之间交谈时,避免身体任何部位与对方接触。
即使仅仅触摸一下也可能引起不良的反应。
如果一方无意触摸对方一下,他(她)一般会说Sorry;Oh,I’m sorry;Excuse me 等表示“对不起”的道歉话。
在中国,常常听到西方妇女抱怨中国人抚弄了她们的婴儿和很小的孩子。
不论是摸摸、拍拍、接接或是亲亲孩子,都使那些西方的母亲感到别扭。
她们知道这种动作毫无恶意,只是表示亲近和爱抚而已,所以也不好公开表示不满。
但在她们自己的文化中,这种动作会被人认为是无礼的,也会引起对方强烈的反感和厌恶。
中西方肢体语言的差异的例子
中西方肢体语言的差异的例子
1. 咱就说,在西方,拥抱可是很常见的打招呼方式呢!比如朋友见面就会来个大大的拥抱,而在中国,可能更倾向于点头微笑或者握手来表示友好,你说是不是很不一样呀!
2. 哎哟喂,西方人表示赞同时会竖起大拇指,这多直接呀!可中国人有时候会用点头来表示认可,这差别可不小吧!
3. 嘿,你知道吗?在西方,耸肩摊手表示无奈的情况好多呀!但中国人可能就会叹口气或者摆摆手来表达这种情绪,这还真挺有趣呢!
4. 哇塞,西方人在表示“过来”的时候会手掌朝下向自己勾手,而中国人很多时候是手掌朝上向自己摆来表示呀,多有意思啊!
5. 哎呀呀,西方要是有人在你面前打响指来引起注意,好像很正常,但这在中国可就不太礼貌啦,是不是差别很大呀!
6. 哈哈,在西方,人们表示胜利会用“V”字手势,咱中国人虽然也知道,但好像用得没那么普遍呢,这也是一种差异呀!
7. 你想想看,西方人表达安静可能会把手指放在嘴边“嘘”一声,而中国人可能会轻声说“别说话”,这不同的表达方式是不是很神奇呀!
8. 天哪,西方在告别时可能会挥挥手说拜拜,中国呢,也会挥手但有时还会说句“慢走”之类的,很不一样吧!
9. 咦,西方人在表示数字时的手势和中国人也有差别呢,比如说表示“八”,就完全不一样呀,感觉好神奇呢!
我觉得中西方肢体语言的差异真的很有意思,也反映了不同文化背景下人们的习惯和思维方式的不同,我们应该去了解和尊重这些差异,这样才能更好地交流和沟通呀。
肢体语言文化差异的例子
肢体语言文化差异的例子
1. 在西方国家,两个人交谈时可能会保持比较近的距离,甚至手舞足蹈的,这可不是咱中国人习惯的呀!比如你看那些美剧里,主角们说话时不就凑得很近嘛。
2. 咱中国人表示友好可能会点头微笑,可在有些国家,他们会拥抱甚至亲吻脸颊呢,就像法国人打招呼那样,你说神奇不神奇。
3. 你知道吗,在日本,鞠躬可是非常重要的肢体语言,不同的角度还代表着不同的含义呢,这跟咱们可太不一样了,咱们可不会动不动就鞠躬呀。
4. 还有啊,有些外国人表示赞同时会竖起大拇指,那如果在中国有的老人面前竖大拇指,说不定人家还不乐意呢,这差异大吧!
5. 在一些地方,人们说话时喜欢用各种手势来加强表达,可在另一些地方可能觉得这样太夸张了,就像意大利人讲话时那丰富的手势,多有意思啊。
6. 想想看,印度人点头和摇头的含义和咱们理解的完全相反呢,咱们点头是同意,他们点头有时候表示不同意,这多容易混淆呀。
7. 你要是看到有人睁大眼睛表示惊讶,在很多地方都很常见吧,可在某些文化里可能就不是惊讶的意思呢,就像个谜一样。
8. 有些地方的人感到紧张可能会搓手,可咱们可能一般不会用这个动作来表达呀,这就是肢体语言文化差异呀!总之,肢体语言的文化差异真的太有趣了,让我们感受到了世界的多姿多彩呀!。
中西方肢体语言差异 Vivian
中西方肢体语言差异西方的肢体语言手势,面部表情等,都相对来说比较夸张,是动作配合表情的。
而中国人比较含蓄。
一、常见手势在不同国家和地区的含义1,拇指和食指合成一个圈,其余三个手指头伸直或者略屈(OK手势):中国和世界很多地方:零或三美国、英国:OK,即赞同、了不起的意思日本、缅甸、韩国:金钱突尼斯:傻瓜2,食指和中指上伸成V形,拇指弯曲压于无名指和小指上:世界大多数地区:伸手示数时表示二,用它表示胜利据说是二战时期英国首相丘吉尔发明的。
不过在表示胜利的时候,手掌一定要向外,如果手掌内向,就是贬低人、侮辱人的意思了。
在希腊,做这一手势的时候,即使手心向外,如手臂伸直,也有对人不恭之嫌。
3、举大拇指:中国:好、了不起,有赞赏、夸奖之意意大利:数字一希腊:拇指向上表示“够了",向下表示“厌恶”、“坏蛋”美国、英国、澳大利亚等国:好、行、不错.二、不同处举例列表A 动作一样,意义不同B 意义相同,动作有差异C 只存在于一种文化中的动作这几张表中所举的例子不全,但是可以说明肢体语言的差异,也说明了解另一种语言中的肢体语言的重要性.三、各国不同的面部和肢体语言◆美国美国人非常注重交谈时两眼正视对方.如果谈话时您目光游离或者看向一旁,美国人便会认为您对谈话不感兴趣,甚至以为您在对他隐瞒什么。
在美国,有两种手势是最具侮辱性的:第一种手势是左手握拳且弯曲左臂,同时将右手掌按在左臂肱二头肌的位置上;第二种是中指伸直向上,其余4指弯曲。
◆埃及在交谈中,如果埃及人拉起您的手,抓住您的胳膊,或是抚摸您的肩膀时,请不要误以为他们缺少礼数,这是他们真情实感的流露。
在埃及,交谈者会尽量站得离您更近此,如果您企图躲闪,这将被视为对对方的侮辱。
◆英国同英国人谈话,实际上是很复杂的事情:英国人所受的教育不仅不允许打断交谈者的话,而且面部也不允许流露出不赞成的表情。
英国人可以心平气和地听您喋喋不休地说上半个小时,当您终于沉默的时候,他才断然说个“不"字。
跨文化交际之肢体语言
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“O.K”手势。 “V”型手势。 “翘拇指”手势。(the “thumbs up” gesture)
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V也是英文单词Victory的字头,代表胜利。 拇指向上(thumbs up) 公路上请求搭便车(hitch-hiking) 拇指向下(thumbs down)
“非淡泊无以明志,非宁静难以致远” “处静不处动” “静若处子” “以静制动”
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Time language 时间语
时间语(time language)是用时间表达出的信息符 号。它研究的是人们对准时、及时、延时,时间的早、晚、 长、短,过去、现在、将来等概念的理解。
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此外,就邻里关系而言,在英语国家他们平常往来很少。 而在中国,一般来说,邻里之间和睦相处,经常往来。
好篱笆才有好 邻居. A good fence makes a good neighbor.
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Silence 沉默
沉默(silence)在人类的交往中也是传播信息的一 种非言语语言。在不同的文化里,人们对沉默的运用是有 差异的。
too distant future(在不太遥远的将来)等。
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中国人和美国人在时间观念上存在较明显的差异。
首先,在中国传统文化中,有着重视过去、重视传统的倾 向。“前无古人,后无来者” “前所未有” “后继有人”
cheek-kissipkissing
blow/throw a kiss
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在美国,接吻主要用于夫妇或情侣、父母对子女以及女性 亲戚之间,很少用于男性之间。
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中美肢体语言对比丁宁商务英语商英121 12931107指导老师:赵桂影摘要:肢体语言和文字语言同属语言,都是文化的一部分。
除了一些世界公认的或约定俗成肢体语言在不同文化中含义相同之外,在很多情况下,相同的肢体语言在不同文化背景下意义差别很大。
由此可见,在进行跨文化交际时,正确理解、使用肢体语言尤为重要。
本文从中美两国肢体语言的异同进行对比,以探讨肢体语言在人们交际中的作用。
关键词:肢体语言;对比; 文化差异;跨文化交际;Abstract: Body language and word language are included in language, is also a part of culture. Except the world recognized or accepted body language in different cultural have the same meaning, Most of the time, the difference is great significance of the same body language in different cultural, It follows that correct understanding and using the body language are most important, when we are cross cultural communication. This paper focuses on the comparative study of the body language in Chinese and American culture. And discuss the function of body language in communication.Key Words: body language; comparison; cultural difference ;intercultural communication;一、引言肢体语言(body language)也称体态语言,是人类借助和利用自己的面部表情、手势动作、身体姿态的变化来表达和传递思想感情的方式。
运用自己的体态来表情达意几乎是人类自身的一种本能,因为它简便、迅捷、直观,在现实生活中的使用极其广泛,而且有时更能无声胜有声地巧妙表达信息并留给对方更大的想象空间。
除了微笑、哭泣等这些肢体语言不同文化含义相同外,不同文化相同的肢体语言意义可能迥然不同,因此,在与别的文化交流过程中,正确理解肢体语言的意义特别重要。
中美两国交往频繁,文化差异也很明显,肢体语言的使用也是如此。
二、探究和对比中美肢体语言的运用:(一)、面部表情语言的运用:面部表情是形体动作中最能表现人情绪的非语言行为。
达尔文说:“面部与身体的富于表达力的动作,极有助于发挥语言的力量.”法国作家罗曼.罗兰也曾说过:“面部表情是多少世纪培养成功的语言,是比嘴里讲的更复杂到千百倍的语言。
”心理学家阿尔伯特。
玛洛比恩发明了一个规则:总交流量=7%的文字交流+38%的口头交派+55%的面部表情交流。
通过脸色的变化,眉、目、鼻、嘴的动作,能极好地实现信息交流。
例如:1、中国人则把紧盯着自己看的目光当成是不怀好意或一种明显的挑战,甚至在谈话中,也要避免直接的目光接触,否则会被认为是粗鲁、不尊重、胁迫等。
美国恰恰相反,他们要求在谈话中必须要有目光接触,并鼓励小孩在问候和谈话中正视对方,否则就是紧张、腼腆、冷漠或软弱的表现。
美国人的经验是“Never trusta person who can’t look you in the eyes.(不要相信不敢直视你的人)。
2、目不转睛的盯着看,在中国目不转睛的盯着某个人看表示好奇、感兴趣、或者是惊讶。
而在美国和其他一些说英语的国家,这样做是不礼貌的表现,会使人发窘,让人感觉不自在。
3、中国人的笑在某些场合会引起外国人的反感,一个外国人失手摔了一个碟子,他本来就感到很窘,而在场的中国人发出笑声,使他更加觉得不是滋味,又生气、又反感。
其实这种笑并非是嘲笑当事人,也不是幸灾乐祸,只是表示“一笑了之”、“别当一回事”、“没关系”、“我们也常干这种事”等。
中国人的微笑含义太多了,既可以表示赞赏,又可以表示不同意、不屑一谈、接受对方的好意、听不清对方说了什么、以及回避及其它多种不便或不愿明确表态的含义,也难怪外国人会弄不懂了。
(二)、手势动作语言的运用:手势动作语言是一种表现力极强的肢体语言,它不仅丰富多样化,而且简便、直观性强,所以运用范围广、频率高、收效好。
一个很好的例子就是荣获2005年中央电视台春节联欢晚会最受观众喜爱的歌舞类节目特别奖的《千手观音》,二十一位生活在无声世界里的姑娘用她们的手势语向全国亿万观众传递信息,表达了新春的祝福.手势在各国有不同的表达意义,不同的文化背景赋予了手势不同的交际功能。
列如:1、竖拇指,中国人竖起拇指表示“好”,伸出小指表示“差”或“坏”,这反映了一种“尊卑有等”、“长幼有序”的文化心态;美国人将拇指朝上表示要求搭便车,将拇指朝下则表示“坏”;用手指在太阳穴旁边转圈,中国人表示动脑筋,美国人则表示发疯。
美国人招呼人过来则手心向上,手指翻动,而中国人则是手心向下。
2、食指,在中国,伸出食指表示指明方向。
假如有一位缺乏方向感或迷路的人向你问路,你可以使用食指指向那个目的地的方向。
双手食指的指尖对碰则表示“委屈”。
在现在网络语言中,人们在网上用富有这手势的图案来表达自己思想感情。
在美国,向上伸出食指用于让对方稍等。
3、小指,小指在五指中是个子最小并且排行最后的,根据这个特征,人们就认为小指代表着“差劲”和“最后”等意思。
在中国,伸出小指表示“小”、“微不足道”、“最末名”、“倒数第一”,后来并且引申来表示“轻蔑”,与双手食指向下鄙视别人具有相同的意思。
在美国,这表示“懦弱的男人”或“打赌”。
中美的小指手势在某种程度上,有一定的相似性,即是“轻蔑”的意思。
这种含义主要根据小指的特别形象和体态;但其差异性在于“打赌”之意思。
造成着差异性是各族的文化的差异性。
4、握手,握手是中国人最常用的一种见面礼,也是国际上通用的礼节。
握手貌似简单,但这个小小的动作却关系着个人及公司的形象,影响到谈判的成功。
握手的力度。
中国人初次见面,通常是握到为止,一般不会过重。
而欧、美人则喜欢用力握对方的手,握得太轻则被认为是软弱、没有信心的表现。
(三)、身体姿态语言的运用:身体姿态语言是通过身体各种动态或静态的姿势传递交流信息的一种形式.姿态动作的幅度和速度以及姿式和习惯也反映出不同的文化背景和心态。
俗话说“坐有坐相站有站相”、“坐如钟立如松”,这都是对身体姿态的要求。
我们同别人交际时,交际的手段不只是局限于话语,我们的表情、手势、身体其他部分的动作以及与他人的空间距离都向周围的人传递信息。
列如:1、双臂和双腿交叉坐着,手盖在嘴或下巴上是一种常见的姿态,被称为“深思姿势”,美国人认为它发出的信号是“离远点”,并把这种姿势看作是孤僻、刻板、缺乏耐心的表现,中国人对这种姿势没有这么强烈的反应,有时只把它看作一种习惯动作,也有人认为做这种动作的人是为显示高高在上,显示权威,会敬而远之。
美国人着重随意与潇洒的个性,常常大大咧咧地坐下来或是站着时一副松松散散的样子, 而在中国,人们讲求站有站相、坐有坐相,人际交往中举止得当才会显出对别人的尊重。
2、跺脚,在中国人看来跺脚表示气愤、恼怒、灰心、悔恨。
在美国则表示着急、不耐烦。
3、鼓掌,观众和听众鼓掌,表演或讲话人也鼓掌,在中国人看来,表示表演者或讲演者的谢意,双方一起鼓掌来相互表示友好感情。
而在英语国家中,表演者或讲演者鼓掌则表示为自己鼓掌,自己为自己的表演感到骄傲,自己为自己所付出的努力感到骄傲。
4、空间距离,美国人在交谈时不喜欢离得太近,总要保持一定的距离。
西方文化时时注重个人隐私,东方人“私”的概念相对来说较为薄弱。
中国人喜爱一个小孩时会亲切地抚摸他的头部或搂搂抱抱,而对美国的孩子这样做就会引起孩子妈妈的反感,尽管她知道这种动作并无恶意,但在她的文化中,这样做被人认为是无礼的表现。
在中国,我们经常看见同性(尤其是女性)手牵手走在大街上,这是友谊的表现,但在美国只会被看作同性恋。
在对个人空间的要求方面,中国人要比美国人小得多,因为西方人看重宽松的氛围,崇尚个人自由。
二、中美跨文化交际中非语言交际的重点是文化差异吕叔湘先生在同文中谈到语言差异的比较时列出了三种情况:“一种情况是彼此不同,第二种情况是此一彼多或此多彼一,还有一种情况是此有彼无或此无彼有。
”我们在跨文化非语言交际研究中注意的也应是这几种情况。
(一)、文化不同,非语言交际行为和手段有别,这种区别表现在两个方面:第一,含义相同,行为有别。
例如:表示不知道、为难、不赞成或无可奈何等含义时,中国人习惯是摇头或摆手,美国人和许多西方国家人则喜欢耸肩。
第二行为相同,含义有别。
这是非语言交际行为中的“假朋友”,即“貌合神离”的行为,在理解和效仿中最易出问题。
例如:英语国家的“OK”手势已为中国人所熟悉。
许多人动不动就说“OK”或做一“OK”手势,但并不知道其准确含义,更不了解文化不同含义也复杂多样。
OK起源于两种说法:一说来自美国第八任总统Martin Van Buren的拥护者组织的O.K.(﹦Old Kinderhook)Club。
Kinderhook 是Buren的出生地。
这些拥护者高喊O.K.表示一切顺利。
另一说认为来自all correct两个英文的头一个字母。
不管来源可靠性如何,其含义是清楚的:顺利、不错、承认、许可等。
但文化不同,OK这一手势的含义也可能有别。
譬如:中国人习惯表示的是“零”;法国人表示的是“零”活“无”;日本人表示的是“钱”;在巴西和希腊等国OK手势则是一种令人厌恶的污秽动作。
(二)、此一彼多或此多彼一有些动作在中国汉文化中一般只表示一种含义,在别种文化中就可能表示多种不同的含义。
例如:在中国人中有人在谈话或作报告时常常有一种下意识动作:两手相钳,两个拇指互相撮动。
做这一动作的人并不表示任何含义,最多只是一种悠闲自得的表现而已。
然而,在美国人看来,这一动作却含有“洋洋自得”、“闲极无聊”、“紧张不安”、“极其无趣”或“烦躁不安”等多重含义。
反之,勾肩搭背、挽着胳膊在中国人中视不同关系,含义各不相同:男女之间表示恋人;同性之间表示亲密友好;子女对父母或年少者对年长者挎着胳膊表示的是长少之间的亲密之情或子女对父母或年少者对年长者的关心、帮助或尊敬。
在美国,这一动作则一般只存在于夫妻、恋人或青年异性朋友之间,多于性或恋情有关。