Non-verbal communication

Nguyen Duy Mong Ha, USSH, VNU-HCM

[email protected]
Mobile: 0919694811
• Verbal communication has to do with words and
the meaning of words
• Paraverbal language refers to the loudness of
speaking, meaning of silence and the significance
of conversational overlap
• Non-verbal communication (body language)
refers to communication without using any words
at all
http://www.enkivillage.com/body-language-
examples.html
http://www.slideshare.net/yacineyassine524/interc
ultural-communication-and-body-language
Non-verbal communication

Non-verbal
communica-
tion
 Gestures
• Gesture: a movement of the hands, arms,
or head, etc. to express an idea or feeling
• Hands
• Other body parts (air kiss, cheek kiss, hand
kissing, nodding, shrug, touching heads…)
 (by speakers of English)

OK
Approval
Disapproval/refusal

Good luck! (Hope) Peace sign, victory

 I Don‘t know

I‘m crazy
I Can‘t hear you

Oh, I forgot! (surprise)

Come here That‘s enough
 nervousness, stress, or insecurity

control or authority
tired or impatient while waiting
 one is excited about
Something‘s suspicious/ strange
something, or waiting eagerly
here (disbelief, rejection) honesty, sincerity,
submission, and innocence

boredom, being upset, or

in deep thought
being ashamed Remember something/
get an idea
 The ILY sign, defiance or solidarity
Waving: greeting or "I Love You"
sign of departure
“What I am about to say is
Listing
important!”

Pointing should be used with caution

“You know, I just remembered
something important.” running out of time
“This one’s important.”
“Let me tell you something.”
 Expressive cultures Reserved cultures
• Many hand gestures • Few or no hand gestures
• Loud voice
• Too much facial expression
http://www.slideshare.net/melodeepop/38-gestures-of-body-language
 Eye contact
• Looking while talking: This establishes a rapport
with the person listening.
• Looking while listening: This reciprocates the
rapport established. This aspect is often used
during emotional connections such as flirting.
• Frequency of glance: This indicated involvement
and how invested one is to the conversation.
• Patterns of fixation: This provides evidence as to
where the attention lies.
• Pupil Dilation: This could often provide proof of
interest and boredom.
• Intimate distance: 8 inches (20.32 cm)
• Personal distance: 1.5 – 4 feet (45-122 cm)
• Social distance: 4-12 feet (122 – 365 cm)
• Public distance: 12-25 feet (365 – 762 cm)
 Review: Non-verbal chart
Touching, eyes, hands, head Personal space, voice
• Touching (more or less frequent): • Distance (more or less)
rough>< cold, unfriendly)
• Affection in public (intimate aggressive >< cold
relationships) shame><warm... • Loudness of speaking voice:
• Eye contact (important): rude,
aggressive><attention anger ><normal speech
• Holding hands (hug, kiss...) (just high level)
romantic>< cold, reserve...
• Using left hands (taboo)
• Shaking hands (firm?) self-
confidence><rough, aggressive
• Pointing soles of feet, fingers
(meanings) offensive><no meaning
• Shake heads, nodding (ups down,
side to side): yes><no
More about handshake
• Languages are the tools of communication, to form,
express , and communicate thoughts and feelings
• Language competence must be combined with cultural
competence for effective communication (key to
success in international cooperation and relations)
• Global context: users of any foreign language
communicate with diverse people from different
countries/ cultures in addition to the native speakers:
teamwork in multicultural groups.
• Intercultural competence must be integrated in
teaching and learning of foreign languages:
communicative competence + linguistic competence
 Language & culture
– On one hand, culture seems so inclusive, it
permeates almost every aspect of human life
including languages people use
– On the other hand, when people need to share a
culture, they communicate through language.
– Language is a part of human being, a part of culture
reflects people’s attitudes, beliefs, worldviews.
Language both expressed and embodies cultural
reality.
– Language helps perpetuate the culture and it can
influence the culture to a certain extent.
– Language communicates through culture and
culture also communicates through language
– Language is influenced and shaped by culture,
reflects culture.
 Example 1: English & Chinese
English Chinese
• In English, there are limited • Relationships play an
words to describe important role in Chinese
culture: relatives are always
relationships vital elements in Chinese
• Talking about relationships, people’s life, the relationships
in English, we have the among people around are
generally considered
phrase ‘-in law’ to address a
important for Chinese people.
certain kind of relatives, this
• The precise terms for
may indicates that describing family and other
compared to relationships, relationships influence the
law plays a more important Chinese way of thinking:
role in the western culture. relationships are paid great
attention in China
 Example 2: English & French
• English borrows a lot of words from French,
and a large part of them are the names of
food: Pork, veal, mutton are all French words.
Even the word ‘cuisine’ is from French
• Judging from the language, we can tell that
French cuisine must be more famous than
English food, and the catering culture is more
important in France than in English speaking
countries
• Although different languages reflect and influence different
culture, there are many concepts that are universal
• People from the English speaking countries can distinguish
relatives on mother’s side from those on father’s side,
although they do not do so, the concepts are there
• People from different cultures can understand each other
although they speak different languages and have different
worldviews, because many of the basic concepts are
universal
• A particular language points to the culture of a particular
social group: language learning is cultural learning, so
language teaching is cultural teaching due to the
interdependence of language and cultural learning.
 Homework
• Look for information about non-verbal
communication in a country you are
interested in
• Read Chapter 2