Сборник материалов международной научной конференции студентов, магистрантов, аспирантов

А.А. Сакаткова

Республика Беларусь, Минск, БГПУ имени М. Танка

Научный руководитель – И.В. Волосюк

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN THE CROSS-CULTURAL PROCESS (ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES)

Nowadays, globalization is an overwhelming trend. It has its impact on cross-cultural communication. Globalization has made this process much easier leading to cultural integration. Cultural globalization is also such a process, in which consensus on global issues can be reached through beneficial interactions among different national cultures. The cultures may no longer be local, but different and plural at the same time.

We know that communication is a process of transmitting and receiving messages. These messages can be verbal and non-verbal. When we meet a stranger and remark how he greets his friend, we have an opportunity to assume, from which country he comes. But when he starts speaking and gesticulating, we can make the right conclusion. It happens because the communicating process includes emotions of communicating partners. This emotional attitude, which is accompanied by a verbal utterance, provides a basis for the formation of non-verbal communication.

What is nonverbal communication? Non-verbal communication is the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless cues between people. There are means of non-verbal communication, which have some functions in nonverbal communicating such as addition or substitution of speech and they can express the emotional state of the interlocutor. Our body is the main instrument of such kind of communication, which has a lot of opportunities for transmitting information. Once Allan Pease, a recognized expert on body language, said: “It is easier to change their worldview than their individual way to swipe a spoon to his mouth.” He considers that the percentage of verbal information is 7 % sound information is 38%; facial expressions, gestures, poses are 55% [3, с.73].

Means of non-verbal communication is a kind of language, which is a result of social evolution and may have differences in different nations. That is why many researchers ask a very important question: “Why don’t students study a non-verbal language during learning a foreign language?” We think they should study because nonverbal communication is part of simple interpersonal communication.

Scientific system of nonverbal communication has different types and components.

1) Kinesics. This means “movement”, refers to the study of hand, arm, body, and face movements. Such gestures include adaptors like clicking a pen or scratching your face, emblems like a thumbs-up to say “OK” and illustrators like bouncing your hand along with the rhythm of your speaking. Head movements such as nodding can indicate agreement, disagreement and interest among other things. Posture can indicate assertiveness, defensiveness.

2) Oculesis or eye contact provides turn-taking signals, signals when we are engaged in cognitive activity and helps establish rapport and connection, among other things. Facial expression can convey happiness, sadness, fear, anger and other emotions.

3) Haptics refers to touch behaviors that convey meaning during interaction; touch operates at many levels, including functional-professional, social-polite, friendship-warmth and love-intimacy, which refer to the study of communication by touch.

4) Vocal refers to the vocalized but not verbal aspects of nonverbal communication including our speaking rate, pitch, volume, quality. These qualities, also known as paralanguage, reinforce the meaning of verbal communication, allow us to emphasize particular parts of a message or can contradict verbal messages.

5) Proxemics refers to the use of space and distance within communication. Proxemics also studies territoriality, or how people take up and defend personal space.

6) Chronemics refers the study or how time affects communication and includes how different time cycles affect our communication, including the differences between people who are past or future oriented and cultural perspectives on time as fixed and measured or fluid and adaptable.

7) Personal presentation and environment (adornment) involves two components: our physical characteristics and the artifacts with which we adorn and surround ourselves. Physical characteristics include body shape, height, weight, attractiveness and other physical features of our body [4, с. 2].

Now we learn some examples of non-verbal behavior in Britain and the USA. In American and British communicative behavior, a smile is first and foremost a sign of respect, and thus it is a requisite part of a greeting or of conducting a respectful conversation. The American smile is strange and false to Russians. In Russia, a smile is not a sign of respect. In Russian communication, it is not conventional to smile at strangers. Russian smiles are directed mainly at acquaintances. It is not conventional to answer a smile with a smile.

In England a handshake is standard for business occasions and when visiting someone at home. Women tend not to shake hands. A woman may extend her hand; men tend first to wait for women to do so. Americans shake hands only when first introduced. Women don’t usually shake hands; however, it has become more for them to do so. It isn’t unusual for men to slap each other on the shoulder to show friendliness, but only with people they already know. Women tend to hug each other. A handshake in Russia is always appropriate when greeting or leaving, regardless of the relationship. Partners should remove their gloves before shaking hands. Hugs, backslapping, kisses on the cheeks and other expansive gestures are common among friends or acquaintances and between members of the same sex. Putting your thumb through your index and middle fingers or making the “OK” sign is considered very rude gestures in Russia. Americans tend to be moderately expressive when it comes to body language, gesturing freely compared to most Asians.

We all keep a comfortable distance around us when we interact with other people. This distance has had several names over the years, including “personal space,” “interpersonal distance,” or “comfort zone”. For Americans, the usual distance in social conversation ranges from about an arm's length to four feet. Less space in the American culture may be associated with either greater intimacy or aggressive behavior. For the British this zone is slightly further away. Russians are a very demonstrative people, and public physical contact is common. Russians stand close when talking.

Americans typically look directly into each other’s eyes when talking, conveying informality, spontaneity, and equality in their exchange of glances. When eyes shift and avoid meeting those of the other person, Americans may sense disinterest or perhaps even deception. However, a lack of consistent and strong eye contact may be a sign of respect or humility in other cultures. Not having constant contact during a conversation in Russia is considered to be normal, and it does not mean that the person who is not looking straight in your eyes all the time when he or she speaks has something to hide.

The most important thing to keep in mind about non-verbal behaviors is that they do not translate across cultures easily and can lead to serious misunderstanding. Human behaviors are driven by values, beliefs, and attitudes, and it is helpful to consider how these invisible aspects of culture drive the behaviors we can see. But at the same time knowledge of non-verbal behavior helps students to realize the culture of native speakers and facilitates the process of learning a foreign language.

1. 
   Садохин, А. П. Межкультурная коммуникация : учебное пособие / А. П. Садохин. – М. : Альфа : М, ИНФРА-М, 2004. – 288 c.
   
2. 
   Тер-Минасова, С. Г. Язык и межкультурная коммуникация : учеб. пособие. – М. : Слово/Slovo, 2000. – 624 с.
   
3. 
   Pease, A. Body language / A. Pease. – Oxford : University Printing House, 2005. – 186 c.
   
4. 
   Carter, M. Non-verbal Behavior in Cross-Cultural Interaction [Electronic resource] / M. Carter. – Mode of access: http://www.dimentionsoft culture.com/ 2010/11. – Date of access: 10.03.2015.
   

Статья посвящена рассмотрению вопроса о роли и месте невербальных средств коммуникации в процессе межкультурного общения. Автор приводит данные классификации вышеуказанных средств и примеры невербального общения в англоязычных странах в сравнении с русским невербальным языком.