1、Lecture Thirteen Studying Areas of Nonverbal CommunicationLearning ObjectivesTime LanguageSpace Language Body LanguageParalanguageGeneral IntroductionlIn broad terms,nonverbal communication covers four studying areas:l1.Time language(chronemics):punctuality,promptness,l time orientation,etc.l2.Space
2、 language(proxemics):body distance and bodyl touchl3.Body language(kinesics):posture,stance,gesture,l facial expression,eye contact,appearance,etc.l4.Paralanguage(voice modulation):speed,volume,pausel silence,etc.Part One Time LanguageI.Definition of Time Language l Time language(temporal language o
3、r chronemics)refers to the way in which time is used in a culture.A cultures use of time can provide valuable cues to how members of that culture value and respond to time.Different cultures have different senses of time.There are three time orientations:(1)past orientation (2)present orientation (3
4、)future orientationII.Time Orientation(1)past orientation:Chinese,British,Japanese,French and Greek cultures belong to past orientation.Because these cultures have long history and people tend to look back their marvelous traditions.They take long-range view of events and are less likely hurry to ma
5、ke decisions.They believe that the past can be used as a guide to direct how to live in the present and people in such cultures respect and obey the elderly.II.Time Orientation(2)present orientation Some cultures concentrate on the present and dont worry too much about tomorrow.Present-oriented peop
6、le place an emphasis on living for the moment.Just like Latin Americans who are spontaneous but have a casual relaxed lifestyle.and Arabians who tend to regard the present as a place where the past,present and future come together and believe future events are in the hands of Allah and out of their
7、control.II.Time Orientation(3)future orientation Americans tend to be future oriented.Firstly,their ancestors severed their links with their European roots and started anew.They dont have a long history,and dont like looking back on the past.Secondly,their values of independence and individualism dr
8、ive them forward to build brighter future.III.Time systemsThere are two time systems,which elaborated by Hall.1.Monochronic Time(M-Time)Monochronic Time is characteristic of people from America,Germany,Australia,Canada as well as North Europe.It emphasizes on schedules,segmentation and promptness.It
9、 features one event at a time.Time is perceived as a linear structure,which is concrete and tangible.2.Polychronic Time(P-Time)Latin American,African Arab and most Asian cultures are P-Time.People from these cultures schedule several activities at the time,and time for them is more flexible and huma
10、n-centered.III.Time systemsComparison of M-Time and P-Time PeopleMonochronic Polychronic do one thing at a timedo many things at onceconcentrate on the jobbe easily distracted and subject to interruptiontake time commitments(deadlines,schedules)seriouslyconsider time commitments an objective to be a
11、chieved,if possibleare low context and need informationare high context and already have informationadhere to planschange plans often and easilyIII.Time systemsComparison of M-Time and P-Time PeopleMonochronic Polychronic are concerned about not disturbing others;follow rules of privacyare more conc
12、erned with people close to them(family,friends,close business associates)than with privacyshow great respect for private property;seldom borrow or lendborrow and lend things often and easilyemphasize promptnessbase promptness on the relationshipare accustomed to short-term relationshiphave a strong
13、tendency to build lifetime relationshipV.Case Analysis Once,a U.S.diplomat was eager to make an appointment with an African high-level government official,who grudgingly permitted.The American arrived at the agreed time but was made to wait.Half an hour passed,he was nervous,so he demanded an answer
14、 from the officials aid,but there was none.An hour passed before he was ushered in.To his surprise,there were many guests present.Obviously,the official was not prepared to receive him alone.What went wrong?Who was to blame?V.Case Analysisl The African official received the American one hour after t
15、he scheduled time because it was still considered punctual in his culture.He received several guests at once because it was considered appropriate according to his cultural norm.l The miscommunication which is resulted from the differences between two time systems always occurs.Monochronic-time is f
16、irst of all characterized by cutting time into bits and scheduling one thing at a time.By contrast,polychronic-time cultures schedule several things at a time so that the time allowed for each is quite flexible.Part Two Space LanguageI.Definition of Space Languagel Definition of space languagel Spat
17、ial language or proxemics refers to the study of the way that people use body space and body touch to convey the message.Body space and body touch,which are determined by interpersonal relationship,peoples personality and the cultural styles,always vary with different cultures.Types of spatial langu
18、agel1.According to Hall(1959),there are four major types of distances in American social and business circumstances l (1)Intimate spacel (2)Personal spacel (3)Social spacel (4)Public spaceII.Types of Body Distancel(1)Intimate distance:0-45 centimetersl(reserved for family and close friends)l(2)Perso
19、nal distance:45-80 centimeters l(in most interpersonal interaction when friends,relatives and acquaintances converse)l(3)Social distance:1.30 meters-3 meters l(for people who work together,or people doing business,as well as most of those in conversation at social gatherings)l(4)Public distance:fart
20、her than 2 or 3 metersl(generally for speakers in public and for teachers in classrooms)II.Types of Body Distance2.Personality determines the amount of personal space.Introverts prefer to interact with others at a greater distance than extroverts.3.Cultural styles play a big part in deciding the bod
21、y space.According to studies,the cultural variation of body distance is distributed along the following scale:(1)Short distance:Latins and Mediterranean Arabs(2)Medium distance:Americans and Northern Europeans(3)Long distance:Japanese and Mediterranean Europeans III.Case of Personal Space4.At an int
22、ernational conference,two professors,one Latin,the other American,were talking shop during an interval.Throughout the conversation the Latin kept advancing while the American kept retreating until the American was pressed to the corner of the conference hall.The reason is that the Latin did not feel
23、 comfortable unless he was very close to the American and the American in turn did not feel easy unless the distance was greater.III.Case Analysis 4.North American business conversations normally are conducted at about a three-to-four foot range.While,a range of approximately one foot is common in L
24、atin American,but unfortunately too close for North Americans.The major problem for people from cultures with long distance(Japanese)and medium(Americans)distance with those from cultures with short distance(Latins)is that the intimate or personal distance zones are violated.The former often tend to
25、 move away in interpersonal communication,while the latter try to physically close the gap.The result is sometimes a breakdown in communication,just like the above case.IV.Body touchl1.Definition of body touchl Touch,or Haptics refers to communicating through the use of bodily contact.When used prop
26、erly,touch can create feelings of warmth and trust;when used improperly,touch can betray trust and cause annoyance.l Touching is usually intended to convey warmth,caring and other positive emotions.But there are important differences in touching from culture to culture.lTouch must occur at the right
27、 moment and in the right context,otherwise it can be violently rejected and may even lead to charges of harassment.IV.Body touchl2.Types of body touchlAnthropologists distinguish two broad categories of culture according to body distance:l(1)Touch culture:a culture thrives on body touchlArabs,Southe
28、rn and Western Europeans,Jews and Latins belong to it.l(2)Nontouch culture:a culture is not rich in body touch.lAmericans,Northern Europeans and Orientals fall into it.IV.Body touchl3.Cultural Variations in Touch (John Wiley&Sons,1997)Dont TouchMiddle GroundTouchJapanUnited StatesCanadaScandinaviaNo
29、rthern-European countriesAustraliaEstoniaFranceChinaIrelandIndiaMiddle-East CountriesLatin-American countriesItalyGreeceSpain PortugalRussiaSome Asian countriesIV.Body touchl4.Case Analysis lIn China,western mothers often complain that the Chinese like fondling their babies or small children.Such be
30、havior whether touching,patting,hugging or kissing-can be quite embarrassing and awkward for the western mothers.They know such behaviors are merely signs of friendliness or affection.However,such actions in their culture are regarded rude,intrusive and offensive.Part Three Body LanguageGeneral Intr
31、oduction Body language means more than just hand or arm gestures;it refers to any little movement of any part of the body.According to some scholars in this field,the body language vocabulary totals over 700,000 more than that in the largest English dictionary.II.Posture1.Definition of posture Postu
32、re,the way people hold their bodies when they sit,stand or walk,can send positive or negative nonverbal messages.Posture often indicate ones feelings or attitudes at the time.Posture can be open or closed.Ones distinctive posture can give away his cultural background.How do you comment on it?II.Post
33、urelII.Posture offers insight into a cultures deep structure.l1.Sitting posture is a constant source of cultural misunderstanding.lIn US,where being casual or friendly is valued,people often fall into chairs,put their feet on their desks,sit on the floor,or slouch when they stand.II.Posture2.The sam
34、e posture may cause serious conflicts.Slouching may hurt nobody in American culture.But the same posture may cause serious conflicts when it is transferred to another cultural setting,such as Germany,Sweden and China,where lifestyle tend to be more formal,slouching is considered a sign of rudeness a
35、nd poor manners.II.Posture3.Common postures with the shared meanings.(1)Standing erect,shoulders back,head held high display confidence,energy and self-assurance.(2)A comfortable seating position,uncrossed arms,and lack of stiffness indicate openness without communication obstacles.(3)Shifting seati
36、ng positions,crossed arms or legs show disinteresting or unwillingness to listen.II.Posturel4.Womens postureslWomen in many settings will often hold their arms closers to their bodies than men.They will also keep their legs close together and seldom cross them in mixed company.II.Gesture 1.Definitio
37、n of gesturel Gesture is a matter of how we use our hands to convey a message.l Gestures can be particularly troublesome,for a slight difference in making the gesture itself can mean something quite different from that intended.l No single gesture has the same meaning everywhere in the world.II.Gest
38、ure2.The characteristics of gesture.(1)Gesture is an aspect of body language.A.Gesture can be emblems or symbols.e.g.“V”stands for victory.B.Gesture can be illustrators e.g.policemans hand held up to stop traffic C.Gesture can be regulators e.g.Pointing at your watch shows that you are in a hurry.(2
39、)Gesture is culture-specific.One persons positive gesture may be anothers insult.Misunderstanding is more likely to occur in intercultural communication,.II.Gesture3.Try to find the meaning of the gesture.II.Gesturel4.Case Analysis Once Winston Churchill appeared before a large crowd,he was greeted
40、with cheers and applause.He made the“V for victory”sign-with the forefinger and middle finger raised to form a“V”with the back of his hand toward the audience.Some people in the crowd applauded,some gasped,and some broke out in laughter.Churchills gesture didnt show victory,it meant quite something
41、else.Instead of“V for victory”,it meant something dirty or obscene.II.Gesture5.Hand gestures can be different across culture.(1)The ring gesture,where you form an“O”by holding the tip of your forefinger to the tip of your thumb_ A.In America it means OK.Its great!B.In Japan it means money.C.In Franc
42、e it means zero.D.In Tunisia it means Ill kill you.(2)Using the index finger to beckon someone means_A.In America it means come here.B.In Yugoslavia or Malaysia it is used for beckoning animal.C.In Indonesia and Australia it is used for beckoning ladies of the night-prostitutes.II.Gesture(3)Thumb up
43、A.In Britain it means something is good.Or hitch-hiking.B.In Greece it means an insult.(4)Ear-tugA.In Spain it accused sb.of being a sponger.B.In Greece it is a warning.C.In Malta it says sb.is a sneak.D.In Italy it insults sb.for being a homosexual.II.Gesture(5)Eye-lid pulling A.In France and Greec
44、e it means“being alert”.B.In Spain and Italy it means“warning”=Keep eyes open.C.In England,it means“Dont you think I can see it?You cant fool me.”D.In South America it means you think that a woman attractive.(6)Thumb down A.In the US and Canada,it shows disapproval.B.In Greece it is considered a rud
45、e sign and is often used by motorists to signal their anger over someones crazing driving.III.Facial Expression 1.Definition of facial expression Facial expression is a good indicator of emotion-happiness,surprise,sadness,anger,disgust,interest and many more.Facial expression as one of the main non-
46、verbal channels can convey the message.III.Facial Expression 2.The function of facial expression Face is the single most important source of non-verbal communication.It can convey several emotions at the same time.The face not only can communicate a lot,but also seems to be the non-verbal behavior t
47、hat people can control.Facial expression should be understood in cultural context and with care.III.Facial Expression 3.Basic emotions Some psychologists argue that there are six basic emotions.They are shock,horror,revulsion,fury,ecstasy and grief,which are strongly-felt variants of each of these.I
48、II.Facial Expression 4.Facial expressions vary from culture to culture.e.g.Smiles in different cultures may have different meanings and for different occasions.(1)Americans are quick to smile and smile at strangers.(2)French smiles only when there is an obvious reason.(3)Germans smile is reserved fo
49、r friend.(4)Japanese smile shows pleasure and amusement,and covers embarrassment,sadness and anger.III.Facial Expression 5.Expressions of anger also vary from culture to culture both in terms of intensity and type of expression.In addition,cultural values dictate who can show anger.The result of ang
50、er is influenced by culture.(1)Older people,men and people in authority may show anger more readily than younger people,women and subordinates.(2)One form of showing anger in western countries is frowning.(3)Anger in Japan is subdued.(4)For Germans,Canadians,Arabs and Latin Americans,they often rais
