The Application of Body Language in Nonverbal Communication between America and

Abstract： Body language plays an important role in nonverbal communication and it is associated with culture. In order to make successful application of body language in nonverbal communication， we should know the body language from different cultures. And we should realize that body language from different cultures has many differences because of different tradition culture， ethnic character traits and social customs. And it is restricted by its culture and has different cultural connotations. That is to say， the same body language has different meanings in different cultures. This paper devotes to the application of body language in nonverbal communication between America and China by contrast of body language between America and China in terms of eye language， gestures， postures， facial expressions and touch. It aims to illustrate the differences of body language and put forward some factors contributing to the differences then raise five strategies of reducing barriers so as to avoid misunderstanding and achieve efficient application of body language in Sino-American communication.

Key words： nonverbal communication body Language strategies factors

I. Introduction

The relationship between America and China gradually becomes important in our diplomatic policy. Now， along with the rapidly development of economy and technology， the world has become a global village. Therefore， it is indispensable for our country to enhance the communication with the United States. But when people talk about communication， the first thing came to their minds is the verbal communication， which is one of the ways for people to communicate face to face. It means one can communicate with others by sending and receiving wordless messages. And body language plays a significant role in nonverbal communication. People can get more information from body language than from the verbal language. But many people draw much attention to the adoption and correctness of verbal language and ignore the effect and cultural differences of the body language. The second part dedicates to a comparison and contrast of body language between America and China in terms of eye language， gestures， postures， touch and facial expressions to make a foundation of accurately application of body language between America and China. The third part talks about the factors contributing to the differences. In the fourth part， the strategies of reducing barriers in intercommunication will be put forward to avoid misunderstanding and achieve efficient communication and in Sino-American communication. The last part is the conclusion.

II. The different meanings of body language between America and China

In general sense， body language contains eye contact， gestures， posture， facial expressions， touch and so on. And it reflects a certain cultural background. Different believes result in the differences of body language. According to the theories proposed by American anthologists Barnett Pearce， Verrion Cronent， people’s behavior， the way of thinking and so on are affected by their believes to the different meanings of body language between America and China from five parts.

Ⅲ Factors contributing to the differences

1 The different traditional culture

The different traditional cultures result in different characteristics of body language between America and China. Historians believed that culture is the entire form of movement of a country. China and America have their own different social soil and cultural environment. Therefore， looking back into the Chinese history， we can find out their homes are “Siheyuan”. And from what kind of house Chinese people live in， we can know Chinese have formed a respected family culture system. So the family concept is very strongly in China. And Chinese always advocate living with family together. However， the strongly family concept is very dim in the United States. Although they also say： “East， west， home is best”， they always advocate to expand themselves outward and they believe that go to the outer world is the only way for their survival and development. Therefore， American pursue a kind of outward “on the road” spirit， so it produces a kind of “discrete” action mode.

2 Different ethnic character traits

A nation’s ethnic character is formed in the course of a long history of cultural development. With a long history， China is a proprieties country. And the power pattern of China is the feudalism centralization and the tradition cultures of China are most fixedness and last the longest time. It makes Chinese’s ethnic character traits careful， modest， continent， ritual， ethic and connotative and so on. In America， owing to the growth of geographical traffic and different racial and social status in break， Americans are keen on adventure and they adhere to independence peace and confidence.

Ⅳ. Strategies to avoid misunderstanding in intercultural communication

The different features of body language between American and China can create so many difficulties and problems in inter-cultural communication. Therefore， how to avoid them， solve them and minimize the bad results of the communication should be studied. In the above part， some reasons contributing to the differences have been put forward. Now according to those reasons， some communication strategies will be put forward to avoid misunderstanding in intercultural communication. Five main strategies can be adopted to reduce or early eliminate the problems and difficulties in not only the communication between America and China but in inter-cultural communication with other countries.

Ⅴ.Conclusion

This paper studied the different meanings on body language and also come up with some reasons resulting in the cultural differences between America and China and at last briefly introduced some strategies of reducing barriers in nonverbal communication. From the study of body language above， we know the importance of body language and how to apply the body language in nonverbal communication between America and China. These five main strategies can help readers succeed in Sino-America communication.

Although the cases above have taken is limited， it can also prove that knowing the differences of body language can do us a great favor when we meet difficult issues. Researching on the application of body language in nonverbal communication lets us understand others very well and behave in appropriate ways without making too many mistakes. Only when we have a distinct understanding on the application of body language between America and China， can we use body language of America to make an efficient communication and avoid misunderstanding.

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