大学英语自学教程(上册) unit 23 非言语交际

洛基英语 www.englishvip.com/wenkxd.htm 笔者已经提到过亲近程度， 现在来简短地谈谈最后两种体势语信号， 它们与人们的着装与说 话方式有关。这两种信号都很明显。衣着随便、谈吐自然的人源自文库放松，衣着正规、谈吐严谨 的人情绪紧张。事实上，正如常言所说，非言语交际此时无声胜有声。
洛基英语 www.englishvip.com/wenkxd.htm 大学英语自学教程(上册) unit 23 非言语交际 23-A. Non-verbal Communication If anyone asked you what were the main means of communication between people, what would you say? That isn’t a catch question. The answer is simple and obvious. It would almost certainly refer to means of communication that involve the use of words. Speakers and listeners-oral communication, and writers and readers-written communication. And you’d be quite right. There is, however, another form of communication which we all use most of the time, usually without knowing it. This is sometimes called body language. Its more technical name is non-verbal communication. Non-verbal, because it does not involve the use of words. NVC for short. When someone is saying something with which he agrees, the average European will smile and nod approval. On the other hand, if you disagree with what they are saying, you may frown and shake your head. In this way you signal your reactions, and communicate them to the speaker without saying a word. I referred a moment ago to "the average European”, because body language is very much tied to culture, and in order not to misunderstand, or not to be misunderstood, you must realize this. A smiling Chinese, for instance, may not be approving but somewhat embarrassed. Quite a lot of work is now being done on the subject of NVC, which is obviously important, for instance, to managers, who have to deal every day with their staff, and have to understand what other people are feeling if they are to create good working conditions. Body language, or NVC signals, are sometimes categorized into five kinds: 1.body and facial gestures; 2.eye contact; 3.body contact or "proximity"; 4.clothing and physical appearance; and 5.the quality of speech. I expect you understood all those, except perhaps "proximity." This simply means "closeness". In some cultures-and I am sure this is a cultural feature and not an individual one-it is quite normal for people to stand close together, or to more or less thrust their face into yours when they are talking to you. In other cultures, this is disliked; Americans, for instance, talk about invasion of their space. Some signals are probably common to all of us. If a public speaker (like a professor, for example) is all the time fiddling with a pencil, or with his glasses, while he is talking to you, he is telling you quite clearly that he is nervous. A person who holds a hand over his mouth when he is talking is signaling that he is lacking in confidence. If you start wriggling in your chairs, looking secretly at your watches or yawning behind your hands, I shall soon get the message that I’m boring you. And so on. I'm sure you could make a whole list of such signals-and it might be fun if you did. All the signals I have mentioned so far can be controlled. If you are aware that you are doing these things, you can stop. You can even learn to give false signals. Most public speakers are in fact nervous, but a good speaker learns to hide this by giving off signals of confidence. Other kinds of NVC are not so easy to control. Eye contact, for instance. Unless you are confessing intense love, you hardly ever look into someone else’s eyes for very long. If you try it, you’ll find they will soon away, probably in embarrassment.
洛基英语 www.englishvip.com/wenkxd.htm
I’ve already mentioned proximity, so just a brief word now about our last two categories, which concern the way people dress and the way they speak. These are both pretty obvious signals. People may dress casually and speak casually, which signals that they are relaxed. Or they can dress formally and speak formally, showing their tenseness. In fact, non-verbal communication can, as the saying goes, speak volumes. 【课文译文】 非言语交际 如果有人问你人与人之间最主要的交际手段是什么，你会怎么说?这倒不是一个难以回答的 问题。答案简单明了。几乎可以肯定地说，它指的是运用语言进行交际。说话者和听话者之 间是口头交际，作者和读者之间是书面交际。你的回答已经相当正确。但是，还有另一种交 际手段，这一手段我们多数时间在使用，却又常常忽视。它有时被叫作体势语。更专业些的 名字是非言语交际。之所以称之为非言语交际，是因为它不涉及言词。非言语交际的缩略语 为 NVC。 一般的欧洲人， 在听别人说他赞同的事情时， 会微笑并点头表示赞许。 如果不同意别人的话， 他会皱眉、 摇头。 用这种方式无需言词就可以把自己的态度传达给说话者。 笔者刚才提到 “一 般的欧洲人” ，是因为体势语与文化密切相关。为了不误解别人，也不被人误解，了解这一 点非常必要。例如，中国人的微笑可能是表示某种不安而不是赞许。 关于 NVC 这个课题，现在正进行着大量的研究工作。这些研究工作显然很重要。比如，对 管理者来说，他们每天与员工打交道，为了创造良好的工作环境，他们必须了解员工们的感 觉。人们有时把体势语或称 NVC 信号分为五种：1.身体姿势和面部表情；2.目光接触；3. 身体接触或 “亲近程度” ；4.着装与外貌；5.语言特点。 笔者认为大家明白上述除 “亲近程度” 以外的各条。 “亲近程度” 简单来说就是“亲密程度” 。在有些文化中——笔者非常肯定， “亲 近程度”是一种文化特征而非个体特征——人们站得很近是很正常的；同样，人们在谈话时 不时地把脸凑近你的脸， 也是正常的。 但在另一些文化中， 上面这些行为就不受欢迎。 比如， 美国人会说这侵犯了他们的个人空间。 一些体势语信号非常普遍。如果在公共场所讲话的人(如大学教授)一直在玩弄铅笔或眼镜， 说明他很紧张。 说话时把手放在嘴上的人说明他缺乏信心。 如果听讲的人开始在椅子上扭来 扭去，偷偷地看手表或用手捂住嘴打哈欠，讲话的人很快就得到这样的信息： “我的话令人 厌烦” 。如此种种，不胜枚举。笔者相信读者可以列出一长串这样的体势语信号。试试吧， 会很有趣的。 上面所提到的体势语信号，都是可以控制的。如果意识到自己在那样做，可以停下来。甚至 可以给出虚假的信号，实际上，多数在公共场合讲话的人都会感到紧张，好的讲话者学会了 通过发出有信心的信号来掩盖紧张情绪。其他的 NVC 信号就不容易控制。比如，目光接触。 除非有强烈的爱，否则，人们很难长久地注视别人的眼睛。如果试一下你就会发现，别人会 转移目光，看别处，而且可能会局促不安。