浅谈身势语

　　〔Abstract〕Bodylanguageisanimportantpartofnonverbalcommunicationanditisconnectedwithculture。Inordertomakesuccessfulexchangeincrossculturalcommunication，weshouldknowthebodylanguagefromdifferentcultures。Andweshouldrealizethatbodylanguage，likeverbalcommunicationandculture，alsohasmanysimilaritiesallovertheworld。However，bodylanguagefromdifferentcultureshasmanydifferencesbecauseofdifferentregions，racesandculturalcustoms。Anditisrestrictedbyitscultureandhasdifferentculturalconnotations。Thatistosay，thesamebodylanguagehasdifferentmeaningsindifferentculturesandhasdifferentsocialfunctions。Thisarticledevotestoacomparisonandcontrastofbodylanguageindifferentculturesintermsofeyelanguage，gestures，postures，facialexpressionsandtouch。Itaimstoillustratethedifferencesandsimilaritiesofbodylanguageandputforwardtheprinciplesofreducingbarriersincommunicationsoastoachieveefficientcommunicationandtoavoidmisunderstanding。
　　〔KeyWords〕NonverbalCommunication；BodyLanguage；CulturalDifferencesandSimilarities；Principles
　　【摘要】身势语是非语言交际的重要组成部分并和文化紧密联系在一起。为了在跨文化交际中能够成功地进行交流，我们应该了解不同文化的身势语，必须承认世界各国的身势语与语言和文化一样，也有相似之处。然而，由于地域，种族，文化习俗的差异，不同文化的身势语有许多差异。它们由文化制约并拥有独特的文化内涵。也就是说，同样的身势语在不同文化背景下有不同的含义，行使着不同的社会功能。本文致力于从目光语，手势语，身体姿态，面部表情，体触语方面对不同文化的身势语进行对比。目的在于通过列举身势语的文化差异与共性，并提出交际中遵循的原则，从而促进有效交流，避免误解。
　　【关键词】非语言交际；身势语；文化异同；原则
　　1。Introduction
　　Peoplecancommunicatewitheachotherthroughnotonlyverbalcommunicationbutalsononverbalcommunication。Moreover，thelatterplaysanessentialroleinhumancommunication。Nonverbalcommunicationisconnectedwithculturesanditistheresultofcultures。Butmanypeoplepaygreatattentiontotheacceptanceandcorrectnessoftheverbalcommunicationandoverlooktheinfluenceandculturaldifferenceofnonverbalcommunication。Thenthemisunderstandingandculturalcrashoftenoccurinthecrossculturalcommunication。Sointheprocessofcommunication，itisnotacompletecommunicationwhileignoringtheculturaldifferencesofnonverbalcommunication。AfamousanthropologistE。T。HallpointedoutSilentlanguageexpressesmoreinformationthanverballanguage。Becauseitcontainsmuchinformation。Accordingtosomeresearchersabroad，inpeople’sdailylife，nonverbalcommunicationtakespartover65inallofinformationexchange。Andbodylanguageisanimportantpartofnonverbalcommunication。Manyexpertshaveshowntheimportanceofbodylanguageinthecrossculturalcommunication。Apsychologistproposedaformula：thetotalimpactofmessage7verbal38vocal55facialexpressionsandbehavior。〔1〕p89Itisclearwithoutbodylanguagewecan’tfinishourinformationalexchange。Bodylanguage，likeverballanguagecanexpressemotions，exchangeideasanddeliverinformation。Sowemustknowtheculturaldifferencesofbodylanguagetoachieveefficientcommunication。
　　2。DefinitionandFunctionsofNonverbalCommunication
　　2。1DefinitionofNonverbalCommunication
　　NonverbalcommunicationisaprocessinwhichcommunicatorsusethenaturalfeaturesofthEirbodiestodeliverinformationandexpressspecificmeaninginstinctivelytotheothercommunicator。〔2〕p90Thestudyofnonverbalcommunicationcoversthreemajorparts：Proxernics，KinesicsorBodyLanguage，andParalanguage。Proxernicsrefersthatpeoplekeepcertainspacewitheachotherwhentheycommunicateandthemeaningitsuggests。Forexample，ArabiansliketokeepclosewhileEnglishmenliketokeepacertaindistance。Itisfunnytoseetheyareinconversation。ArabianswillcomecloserandcloserbutEnglishmenwillwithdrawfurtherandfurther。Whentheyfinishtheconversation，theyarefarawayfromtheplacetheystood。Kinesicsisalsocalledbodylanguage，whichstudiesthemeaningsofthemovementofallpartsofbodyanditincludesmanynonverbalbehaviorsuchaseyelanguage，gestures，postures，facialexpressions，touchandsoon。Wewilldiscussitindetailslater。Paralanguagereferstoallkindsofsoundsignalsmadebymouth，whichcanexpresscertainemotionsandideas。Paralanguageisnotthephrasesandsentenceswithclearmeanings。Itistotransforminformationbysound，suchasOuch。Besidesthis，thepitchoftoneandloudnessorquietnessofvoicealsobelongstoparalanguage。Andsomeresearchersbelievethatclothingbelongstoparalanguage，too。
　　2。2FunctionsofNonverbalCommunication
　　Nonverbalcommunication，likeverbalcommunicationisalsoapartofcultureandthecarrierofacertainculture。Thefunctionofnonverbalcommunicationinthewholecommunicationcan’tbeoverlooked。Inthedailycommunication，wecanseepeoplecan’tcommunicateefficientlybyverballanguagealone。Andnonverbalcommunicationwillexpressclearmeaningsinacertaincontext。Andacertainnonverbalcommunicationshouldbeconnectedwithverbalcommunicationortheothernonverbalcommunicationtoprovidecorrectinformation。〔3〕p37Soincommunicativeactivities，nonverbalcommunicationalsoplaysagreatrole。Ofcourse，weshouldpaycloseattentiontothefunctionsofnonverbalcommunication。Inanycase，whenverbalcommunicationconflictswithnonverbalcommunication，peoplearewillingtoaccepttheinformationnonverbalcommunicationdelivers。Becausenonverbalcommunicationsoundsmorenatural，moreinstinctiveanditishardtopretend。〔4〕同〔1〕p90Obviously，weshouldmakefulluseofnonverbalcommunicationtoachieveefficientcommunication。Now，wewilldiscussthefunctionsofnonverbalcommunication。
　　Repetition。Forexample，whenwetellpeoplehowtogettothenearesthospital，wearenotonlytellingthemthedirectionbutalsopointingtothedirectionwithhands。Supplement。Forinstance，wegreetpeoplewithasmile。Smilefunctionsasasupplementtothepleasureofmeetingpeople。Replacement。Whenwecommunicatewithothers，wewillfrowninsteadofaskingdirectlytohintthatwedon’tunderstandandexpectrepetitionorexplanation。Emphasis。Whenwearetalkingormakingaspeech，weoftenraiseourvoicetostressthecontent。Andsometimes，wesay，Itismyfaultwhilehungdownourheads。Wesmileandsay，Welcome。Weshoutouttothepeoplewhilewavingourfists。Allthenonverbalcommunicationhereemphasizeswhatwesay。Adjustment。Weoftensuggestthatourtalkisoverbyourtone，eyes，headnoddingandothernonverbalcommunicativebehaviors。Forexample，themanagerstandsuptoshowtheendoftheinterview。
　　3。ClassificationofBodyLanguage
　　Wehavediscussedtheimportanceofnonverbalcommunication。Andwealsoknowbodylanguagereflectsacertainculturalbackground。Ontheonehand，inacertaintradition，bodylanguageisdeterminedbyitscustomsandtraditions。Violatingthemwillcausecommunicativedisconnectionandmisunderstanding。Ontheotherhand，themeaningsofbodylanguageinacertainculturearedevelopingandchanging。Withthedevelopmentoftechnology，trafficandcontactallovertheworld，themeaningsofbodylanguagearerenewingeveryday。Inthisessay，weintendtomakeacomparisonandcontrastofthesimilaritiesanddifferencesonbodylanguageinordertoavoidmisunderstandingandmakeefficientcommunication。
　　（1）Ababycancrywhenitisborn。Itcansuckitsfingerswhenitishungry。Whenweareexcited，ourpupilswillenlargedistinctively。Oureyebrowswillmoverapidlywhenwegreet。Andwewillfrownwhenweareunsatisfied。Weareyawningwhenwefeelsleepy。
　　Andacquiredbodylanguageisgreatlyaffectedbysocialenvironmentandacceptedthroughcommonpractice。Itoftenbecomesadistinctiveculture。Everycountry，everynation，andeveneveryregionhasitsownhistoricalandculturalbackground。Sothebodylanguagepeopleuseisquitedifferent。Forexample，
　　（2）Americansliketoshrugwhentheyhavenoideaaboutsomething。ButChinesedon’tdothesamething。Stretchingoutone’stonguemeanscontemptinAmerica，butinChinaitmeanssurpriseandrespectforguestsinTibet。
　　Wecancontrolsomebodylanguageandwecandosomeposturesconsciously。Forexample，
　　（3）Ifapublicspeakerisfiddlingwithapencilorwithhisglassesallthetimewhileheistalking，heistellingquiteclearlythatheisnervous。Butsomeexperiencedspeechmakerwillpretendwellandshowconfidence。
　　4。CulturalDifferencesofBodyLanguage
　　Differentbelievesarethecausesofthedifferencesofbodylanguage。AccordingtothetheoriesproposedbyAmericananthologistsBarnetttPearce，VerrionCronent，people’sbehavior，thewayofthinkingandsoonareaffectedbythEIrbelieves。Andeveryculturehasitsdistinctivebeliefsystem。Anormalactioninthisculturewillbeabnormalinanotherone。Apositivebehaviorinoneculturewillbenegativeinanother。Peoplefromeasternworldadvocatemodesty，tolerance，mutualsupportandresponsibilityforthegroup。Butwesternpeopleadmireindependence，selfrespect，freedevelopment，andrequiringinpidualspaceandsoon。Next，wewillgotothedifferencesofbodylanguagefromfiveparts。
　　4。1EyeLanguage
　　AssayinggoesTheeyesarethewindowofthesoul。Thatistosay，wecanreadone’smindthroughhishereyes。Eyelanguagecanexpresscomplicatedfeelingsanditisanimportantwaytojudgetheintimacyofcommunicators。PeoplefromEnglishspeakingcountrieshavemoreeyecontactwhentheyareinconversation。AccordingtoAmericantradition，communicatorsmustgazeateachother。Buttherearemanyrulesabouteyelanguage：Whethertolookattheothercommunicatorornot；whenitisthetimetolookatthem，howlongwecanlookat；whowecanlookatandwhowecan’t；theyallimplydifferentmeaningsincommunication。〔6〕p94InJulietsFaster’sbookBodyLanguage，thereisaparagraphwhichcanexplaintheproblem。Twostrangerssitfacetofaceinthedinningroominatrain；theycanintroducethemselvestoeachother。Whentheyareeating，theycantalkanythingelse。Theyalsocanavoideyecontactanddonotshowinterestineachother。AwriterdescribedthissituationinanarticleTheylookoverthemenuagainandagain，playwithknivesandlookattheirnails。Itseemsthattheylookatthemforthefirsttime。Iftheireyesmeet，theywillturnawayimmediatelyandlookoutofthewindow。
　　（4）Americanspaygreatattentiontothetimeandthewayofeyecontact。Incommonconversation，theywilllookateachotheraboutoneminuteandthentheywilllookaway。IftwoAmericansgazeateachother，whichindicatetheyareintimate。InNorthAmerica，thechildrentherehavelearnedtolookattheothercommunicatordirectly。Iftheydon’t，theyareregardedlackofenthusiasmorconfidence。TheybelievethesayingNevertrustapersonwhocan’tlookyouintheeyes。〔7〕p36
　　（5）IftwoArabiansareinconversation，theywilllookateachotherwarmly。Becausetheythinkeyesarethekeyoftheirexistence。ButinAmericaneyes，theythinkthisbehaviorisunsuitableorahomosexualbehavior。TheeducatedEnglishmenbelievedirecteyecontactwithourcommunicatorsisgentlemanly。ButSwedeniansuseeyelanguagemoreoftenthanEnglishmen。AndtheFrenchespeciallyliketolookattentivelyattheothercommunicatorswithadmiration。Japaneseoftenlookattheothercommunicator’sneckwhentheyareinconversation。Theybelieveeyecontactisimpolite。AndChineseconsidergazingpeopleisanunfriendlybehavioranditisachallenge。SomeSouthAmericanIndiansusedtolookatdifferentdirectionswhentheyaretalking。IntheMiddleEast，itisconsideredextremelyprovocativeforawomantoletamancatchhereyes，letalone，returnhisgaze。
　　（6）Anotherexample，Americanshaveatriptoavillageandthelocalpeoplestareatthem。Theyareannoyedandthinkthelocalpeoplearerude。Infact，itisnormalinthevillage。Theyarejustcurious。AmericansocialpsychologistMichaelArgylefoundout：Peoplewholikeeachotherhavemoreeyecontactthanpeoplewhodislikeeachother。〔8〕同〔5〕p35Incommunication，lookingdownfrequentlycanindicatesubmissivenessorembarrassment。Lookingawayconstantlymayexpressdissatisfaction。Femalesarelikelytocommunicatewithmoreeyecontact，especiallyamongfemales。Buttoolongeyecontactwillcauseembarrassment。Mostpeoplefeeluneasyanduncomfortableunderthestrongstaring。Whenpeoplealwaysstareatus，wewillfeelwearethreatenedorsuspecttheirsincerity。Fromwhatismentionedabovewecanconcludethatdifferentculturalbackgroundhasagreatinfluenceonbodylanguage。Andeyelanguagealsoreflectsdifferentculturesandbelieves。Soweneedtoobserveandcompareandcontrastcarefullysoastoimproveculturalexchangeandtoblendwell。
　　4。2Gestures
　　Gesturemeanswecommunicateandexpressbythemovementandmannersofourhandsandfingers。〔9〕p123Withoutgestures，ourworldwillbestaticandcolorless。Wemayliterallyrollupoursleeveswhentalkingaboutcleaninguptheroomandruntomeetthepersonweareeagertosee。Itseemsnaturaltoclenchourfistorperhapsevenpoundtothelecterntoleteveryonerealizetheimportanceofourmessagewhentryingtocommunicateastrongfeeling，whichemphasizeourwords。〔10〕p64Inourdailylife，everyonemakesgestures，butmanygestureshavedistinctregionalandculturalfeatures。Don’tassumethateveryoneintheworldunderstandsonegestureinthesameway。〔11〕p44Forexample，
　　（7）Americansoftentouchtheirtemplestoexpresssomebody’scleverness。Butthisactionmeansthereissomethingwrongwithone’smindoroneisstupidtoChinese。ChineseareoftensurprisedtoseeAmericanslaytheirhandsontheirneckswhentheyarefull。BecauseitisansuicideactiontoChinese，whousedtoexpressfullnessbypattingtheirstomachs。Andanotherexample，
　　（8）Inwesternculture，peoplestretchoutone’sforefingerandswingitleftandright，whichsignalstowarnsomebodynottodosomething。Thephrasecrossone’sfingersmeansblessingsomebody’sgoodluck。Thegestureofthumbingaridesignifiesaskingforafreerideinmotorvehiclebystretchingupone’sthumb。InAmerica，peopleholdtheirthumbsandforefingersintoacircleandstretchuptheotherfingers，whichmeansOKinAmerica，butitmeanssomebodyisfiredbybossinJapan。InChina，holdingupone’sthumbmeansgood，andraisingone’slitterfingermeansbad。ButJapanesewillholduptheirlittlefingerstoexpressoneistheirlover。InAmerica，wavingone’shandmeansgoodbye。ButSouthAmericanswillnotleavewhentheyseethisgesture，inturns；theywillruntowardsyou。
　　（9）PeoplefromEnglishspeakingcountriesturnaroundtheirringsconstantlytoshownervousnessoruneasiness。NowpeoplefromTaiwanandHongKongalsohavethisgesture。ButifpeopleinthemainlandofChinaactlikethis，theywillberegardedtheyareshowingoffrichness。Itiscleartoseethesamegesturewithdifferentmeaningsindifferentcultures，andpeoplefromdifferentcultureswillexpresssamemeaningbydifferentgestures。Soitisnecessaryforustoknowtheculturaldifferencetoavoidmisunderstanding。
　　4。3Postures
　　Postureisamatterofhowpeoplesit，walk，standandmove。〔12〕同〔8〕p65Whatkindofposturepeopleusealsocanreflecttheculturaldifferencesbetweeneastandwest。Hewespointedoutculturemostlydeterminedwhatkindofposturespeopleuseandthemeaningandemotiontheysuggested。〔13〕同〔7〕p35
　　（10）AccordingtoChinesetradition，peoplewhoaresittinghaverighttotakechargeofothers：Monarchsitsandofficerstands；fathersitsandsonstands；leadersitsandemployeestandsandsoon。Sotheyoungergivetheoldaseattoshowrespect。ButinAmericaandBritain，peoplewhoareinchargeofothershavetendencytostand。TheywillmakeuseofthehEightofspacetoindicatethehighstatus。Peoplewhohavehighstatuschoosetositwhentheyareconversingwithyou，whichmeantheywanttocreateharmoniousandequalatmosphereandlessenspace。Soadultswillbenddownwhentheyaretalkingtochildren。FroydoncesaidNoonecanreallykeepsecret。Ifhedoesnottalkandkeepsilent，hewilltalkwithhisfingers。Inawhole，partofhisbodywillsellhimout。〔14〕同〔5〕p36Infact，thisstatementrefersthatpeople’spostures，attitudeandotherbodylanguagecandelivermorehiddeninformation。PeoplemaycontrolthEIrfacialexpressionssuccessfullyandappearcalm。Buttheydonotrealizethathisnervousnessandeagernesshaveletoutfromhisbodylanguage。Theirfeetmaybestampingonthefloor。Madnessistheemotionthatmayletoutfromourfeetandlegs。
　　（1
　　1）Whenwearequarrellingwithothers，ourfeetwillbenervousandtremblingunconsciously。Andfemaleswillmakesometeasingpostureswiththeirlegs。Andposturescanalsoreflectpeople’sattitudetowardstheircommunicators。Theresearchindicated：malescommunicatewiththepersontheydon’tlike，whethertheyarerelaxedornervousdeterminedbywhethertheircommunicatorsarethreateningornot。Inthisexperiment，femaleswillexpressdislikewithveryrelaxingpostures。Postureswillbetheclueoftheinternalrelationshipofagroup。Forexample，
　　（1
　　2）Guestsarequarrellingbecauseofdispute；wecanmakeoutthetwoquarrellingpartsbytheirpostures。Peoplewhoagreewiththemwillputtheirlegsontheotherlegs。Andpeoplewhoareagainstwillstretchouttheirlegsstraight。Andsomeneutralpeoplewillholdarms。Somebodysuddenlychangeshisherpostures，whichmaymeanhedisagreeswiththepersonwhoisspeakingorhesheischanginghishermind。Forexample，
　　（1
　　3）PeoplefromEnglishspeakingcountriespreferkneelingorsittingonthegroundtobendingdown。Theythinkitisthepostureofuncultivatedpeoplewhentheyaresurroundingthefire，andtheyarewillingtokneelorsitontheground。ButpeoplefromthecountrysideofNorthernChinagetusedtothisposture。InIndonesia，peopleoftenbowandputtheotherpeople’shandontheirforeheadtoexpressmodesty。ButAmericanswillnotdoit。American’sinformalnessisfamous。Teacherscansitontheplatformordeskwhentheyareteaching。Andthestudentsneedn’ttositstraight。ButinChina，peoplearerequiredtohaveagoodmanner。Forexample，
　　（1
　　4）Ininterpersonalcommunication，goodmannersshowgreatrespecttotheotherpeople。Forexample，havinganinterviewforjobhunting，weshouldbehavewell。Andwecanconcludesomethingfrompeople’sposture。Whenwelistentopeople，webelievetheyaremoreenergetic，confidentandcompetentiftheystanderect。Ontheotherhand，whenweseeapersonslouchingoveralecternorstandinglazily，wemakeanegativeinterpretation。Wesaythepersonisnotveryinterestedinwhattheyarediscussing。〔15〕同〔10〕p65
　　4。4Touch
　　Touchreferstothewaypeopleexchangeinformationbytouchingone’sbody。Themostcommontouchbehaviorishandsshakingandhugs。Chinesebelongtolowcontractualcultures。
　　（1
　　5）InChina，peoplegreetwitheachotherwithheadnodding，smile，handshakingandsoon。Evengoodfriendsjustholdhandsforashorttimeorhammersoftlyontheotherfriend’sshoulder。Asforhandshaking，peopleinNorthAmericashakehandswhentheygreetwitheachother。Aschildren，theyhavelearnttoholdotherpeople’shandstightly。EastAsianpeopleoftenshakehandsslightly；becausetheythinktighthandshakingmeanschallenge。Nowadays，handshakinghasbecomeacustomtoshowhospitalityandfriendlinessinmanycountries。Butthewayofhandshakingisalittledifferent。Forexample，
　　（1
　　6）TheFrenchwillshakehandswithhishostwhentheycomeintoandleavethehost’shouse。ButGermansonlyshakehandsonlywiththeirhostwhentheycomeintothehouse。SomeAfricanswillmakeasoundbyfingersafterhandshakingtoshowfreedom。AndChineseshakehandsforashorttimeandlooseandthentheystandawayfromeachother。ButChineseshakehandstightlyandkeepclosertoexpresspolitenessandrespect。
　　（1
　　7）InEnglishspeakingcountries，peopleusedtohugorkisseachotherinpublicbetweenmalesandfemales，whichisunacceptableandonlyexistsbetweenloversandcouplesinprivateinChina。InAmerica，commonfriendsandacquaintanceswillavoidbodytouch。Evenintheelevator，bodytouchisnotallowed。Touchingtheotherpeopleslightlyorunconsciously，peoplewillsaySorry，VerySorry，Excusemeinahurrytoexpressapology。Ortheywillbeabused。Inwesterncountries，peopleparticularlymindtheirprivatespace，whichoftenrepresentspeople’sprivacyandintimacy。ButChinesepaylessattentiontotheirprivatespace。ItiscrowdedinChinabecauseofalargepopulation。SoChinesehavegotusedtoitandtheyoftenshowtheirunderstandingandtolerance。ThoughJapanesealsopaylessattentiontoprivatespace，theyhavestrictrulesinbodytouching。Arabianslikebodytouching。Whetherathomeorinpublic，theyliketobetogetherandoftenhugtogetherwhentheymeet。Eventheyoftentoucheachother’snoseandsmelleachother，whichwillfrightenEnglishmenandAmericans。
　　4。5FacialExpressions
　　Thefacehasbeencalledan‘organofemotion’becauseweconstantlyreadfacialexpressionstounderstandwhatothersarefeeling。Thefaceprovidesvitalcluestoourownfeelingsandthoseofthepeoplearoundus。Ofallthenonverbalchannels，thefaceisthemostimportantbroadcasterofemotions。〔17〕同〔10〕p64
　　（1
　　9）Therewasonceadumbshowcalledeatingchickenatthespringfestivalparty。Theactor，WangJinyu，performedthewholeprocessofeatingchickenbyhisfacialexpressionsandgestureswithoutsayingasingleword，whichgainedalotofapplause。〔18〕p58Ifhecannotconveyhistruefeelingandexaggeratedposturesofeatingchicken，theperformancewouldbeafailure。Forexample，
　　（20）Journalistsdeliverinformationtothepubicmainlyfromwhatheinterviewedfrominterviewees。Sotheinterviewees’cooperationdeterminesthesuccessofthereport。Andthereportsonkillingorrobbery，notallthewitnessarewillingtonarratetherealsituationofthescene。Soexperiencedjournalistswillusefacialexpressionssuchassmile，headnoddingtoshowtheyareinterestedsoastomakethewitnessesrelaxandfeeleasyandcooperatewiththejournalistactivelyandvoluntantly。
　　（2
　　1）Andinmanycultures，smilesaresignsofhappinessorfriendliness，likeAmericaandChina。Wewillfindoutotherswillreturnasmiletothepersonwhoissmilingatthembutwillturnawayorstoptalkingwiththepersonwhoarepullingalongface。WhenwearespeakingEnglish，itisgenerallygoodtosmileatyourlistenerfromtimetotime，especiallywhenhehasmadeaninterestingcomment。Alsonoddingyourheadupanddowntoshowyouarereallyinterestedinit。Fromtimetotime，youcanaddasoundofagreement，suchasUhhuhorevenjustmmmm，toshowyouarelistening。〔19〕同〔11〕p44Forexample，
　　（2
　　2）Whenwehaveguestsathome，wewillsmiletoshowwelcome。ButAmericanIndianswillcrytoexpresswelcome。Smileswillnotonlyrepresenthappinessandfriendlinessbutalsoindicateapologyandunderstanding。Forinstance，westampedother’sfeetonthebusbecauseofasuddenbrake；wewillsmiletotheperson。ItmeanstosaySorry，VerySorry。Whencollidingwithastranger，wewillsmiletoshowwehavenohostility。Thesmileonthefaceofwaitersorwaitressmeanstheywelcomeus。Butsometimes，westernpeoplewillfeeldisgustedaboutChinese’ssmile。Forexample，
　　（2
　　3）Aforeignerbrokeadishinarestaurantandfeltembarrassed。ButChinesewhowereonthespotsmiledathim，whichmadehimangrier。Infact，thissmilemeansNevermind。Anotherfacialexpressionisstretchingoutone’stongue。WhenChineserealizethattheirbehaviorisunsuitableandfeelembarrassed，theyoftenstretchouttheirtonguesandshrinktheirnecksatthesametime，especiallygirlsandchildren。ButAmericansneverdoit。Theythinkitisrude。
　　5。TheSimilaritiesofBodyLanguageandTheirCauses
　　5。1TheSimilaritiesofBodyLanguage
　　CharlesDarwinmentionedinhisbook‘EmotionalExpressionofHumanandAnimals’。Thisbookdiscussedwhetherthesameexpressionsandposturessuggestedthesamemeaningbothforhumanandanimals。〔21〕p51Andheaskedpeopleallaroundtheworldandcollectedtheirpossiblereplies。Surprisingly，theanswerswerealmostsame，especiallyonfacialexpressions。Headingnoddingoftenmeansagreementorgreetinginmostcountries。Andshakingone’sheadoftenmeansdisagreementorNo。Applaudingmeansappreciationoragreementandsoon。
　　（2
　　4）Ifapersonishurt，heshewillcrytoexpresspainfulness。Andwesmilewhenarehappy。Wavingone’shandmeansgoodbye。EvensomeChineseandEnglishexpressionsandtheirmeaningsaretotallysame。Forexample，pattingonthebackmeansencouragementandappreciation。Pullingalongfaceindicatesunhappinessandanger。Beingallsmilemeanshappiness，standingwithfoldedarmsmeansindifferenceandsoon。
　　5。2TheCausesResultingintheSimilaritiesofBodyLanguage
　　Wecananalyzethereasonwhydifferentcultureshavethesamemeaningonbodylanguagefrompsychology，linguistics，anthropology，culturology，semilogy，philosophyandsoon。Fromanthropology，bodylanguageisthesymbolsandatoolofhumancommunication。Humanbeingshavethesameancestor，whichdeterminesthesimilaritiesofbodylanguage。〔22〕p119Nowadays，withthedevelopmentoftheworld，peoplefromdifferentculturescommunicatemoreandmoreoften。Wehavemorechancetoexchangecultureandeconomy。Theexpert，Mcluhancomparetheworldtoglobalvillagetodescribetheworld，whichmeanstheworldbecomingsmallerandsmallerbecauseofmoreandmorecommunication。Ontheonehand，peoplefromeastworldhaveacceptedthebodylanguagefromwestworld，suchasthumbingaride，shrugging，OKgesture，Vgestureandsoon。Ontheotherhand，withrapiddevelopmentofEastAsiaandSoutheastAsia，thebodylanguagefromeastworldhasagreatinfluenceonthatofthewestworld。Inthecommunicationofeastandwestpeople，manywesternershavelearnedChinesecustomsandetiquettes。
　　6。ThePrinciplesofReducingBarriersinCommunication
　　AsidiomgoesWheninRome，doastheRomansdo。Itisthemainprincipleincommunication。Thisprinciplerefersthatcommunicatorsshouldrespectandunderstandthecultureoftheothernationsandeliminatetheinterferenceoftheirowncultures。Accordingtothisprinciple，weshouldknowthedifferencesoftheircustoms，believesandtheirconnotationsofbodylanguage。Forexample，
　　（2
　　5）InChina，peoplewillgivechrysanthemumtothepatient。ButFrenchpeopleneverdothis。Becausetheythinkchrysanthemumisusedinfunerals。
　　Butweshouldpayattentiontotwopoints，whenweapplythisprinciple。Ontheonehand，weshouldnotworshipandimitatethewholebodylanguageblindly。Ontheotherhand，weshouldnotbetrappedinthefixedmodeofcultures。Forexample，
　　（2
　　6）PeoplethinkAmericansbehaveinformallyinanysituationandEnglishmenarealwaysconservative。Infact，allcommunicativemodeschangewiththedifferencesoftime，situationandcontents。
　　Theotherprincipleindicatesthatweshouldconcludetherulesbycomparisonandcontrastsofdifferentculturesandexcludetheinterferencesofculturestoavoidculturalconfliction。Intheapplicationofthisprinciple，weshouldkeepatolerantattitudetowardsthedifferencesofcultures，believes，customsandsoontoavoidprejudiceandsuperiority。
　　Sointhecommunication，wecanmakefulluseoftheseprinciples，excludefixedmodeofcultureandkeepopenandunderstandingattitudetowardsculturaldifferences。
　　7。Conclusion
　　Wehavediscussedthedifferencesandsimilaritiesonbodylanguageandprinciplesofreducingbarriersincommunicationabove。Beingabranchofthemeansofnonverbalcommunication，bodylanguagecanhelpussolvealotofproblemswemeet。Thestudyofbodylanguagemakesusunderstandothersverywellandbehaveinproperwayswithoutmakingtoomanymistakes。Itisdifficulttomasterbodylanguagebecauseofitscomplexity，butwecanimproveourcommunicativeabilitiesifwetrytotheutmostofoureffortstolearnwhatweshouldknowandfollowtheprinciplesmentionedabove。Whatweshoulddoistorememberhowpeoplefromdifferentculturesactandtokeepanunderstandingandtolerantattitudetowardsthedifferences。Onlywhenwemakeaclearunderstandingonbodylanguage，canweusebodylanguageofEnglishspeakingcountriestomakeanefficientcommunicationandavoidmisunderstanding。
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　　〔14〕同〔5〕
　　〔15〕同〔10〕
　　〔16〕同〔6〕
　　〔17〕同〔10〕〔19〕同〔11〕
　　〔20〕况新华，曾剑平。身势语非语言交际。南昌航空工业学院学报，2003，5